About Our Meeting Club
The Meeting Place Club was established in 2010 by a group of parents in Finglas who wanted to provide a meeting place where young people with special needs aged 12 to 19 years could come together for fun, activities and targeted interventions to improve social skills, issues of anxiety and other presenting needs. The age range chosen reflected the diminishing nature of friendships for their children as they moved from primary to secondary school and out into the world. Many of these children faced medical, physical and cognitive challenges which in primary school, young children accepted without question and good friendships were made. Such friendships waned as children moved to different schools and secondary school required multiple class changes which for some was very challenging. Young people become more self-conscious at this age and some no longer wanted to be seen with their friend who looked a bit different, was in a wheelchair or was not considered cool by the larger group. The parents worked tirelessly and developed the club through an affiliation with the Arch Federation of Ireland and was the first integrated club in Dublin for children of all abilities and talents.
While located in Finglas, from the outset, the club was open to all and from such small beginnings, the Meeting Place Club is now a hive of activity, of fun and of person-centred opportunities to develop and grow. Activities include music, drama, computer skills, hippo therapy and outings to name but a few. Recognising the struggle faced by parents, some of whom were parenting alone, the Club developed regular opportunities for education, mindfulness classes, yoga and Zumba; all provided irrespective of ability to pay. Through the kindness of the Fairlawn Residents Association, the Club were assigned a number of allotments in Fairlawn Gardens and parents and children use this area to grow food and plants, to play and to have fun with events held throughout the year for children of all ages, talents and abilities.
For more details on what is available, have a look at our news page and feel free to get in touch at any time. We hope you enjoy our website and you are welcome to attend any of our events regardless of where you hail from or what age you are as the original age range has been replaced by children of all ages.