Emmanuel member Neil Harrison is a full-time youth worker with Youth For Christ (YFC) and is based in Monkstown.

Monkstown Youth for Christ is based in the Care Centre (known locally as 'the Green Hut'). It is situated in a prime location across the road from the local High School on the edge of Monkstown estate. The centre caters for young people from the ages of 11 up to early 20's.

The centre is open five days a week at lunchtimes when an average of 70 kids from the High School (ages 11 - 18) come in to get hot food / sweets and play the games (i.e. pool, snooker, table-tennis and PlayStation). Four afternoons a week we open for the kids (20 - 30 on average) to come in after school to hang out. In addition we are open 2 evenings every week.

Monkstown is an area of high unemployment, high drug and alcohol use and significant paramilitary influence. A lot of the kids we see come from broken homes and the Green Hut is often the one thing that is stable and consistent in their lives. Seeing the same young people every day means relationships can be developed very quickly and you can really begin to have an effect on their lives. Many of the young people we come into contact with have no hope in their lives and have no dreams or ambitions.

The aim of our work at the centre is to try and challenge them about God.

Another very exciting and groundbreaking aspect to the work at Monkstown YFC is the mentoring scheme that has been set up with the High School to provide support to selected students who are struggling with the school system. In addition to this work in the school we provide a resource for the High School and a Primary School in the area, taking assemblies and some classes.