Boomerang Youth Café’s history dates back to 2006 when a team of Young Social Innovators (YSI) at Our Lady’s College, Greenhills initiated a project called “The Three D’s: Drink, Drugs, and Depression”. This group recognized the need for a safe space for young people, free from alcohol and peer pressure. Working alongside Drogheda Youth Development (DYD), they aimed to create such a space in their local community.
After lobbying efforts by the two groups, the Drogheda Borough Council provided support, and DYD secured the old Carnegie Library Building in Fair Street for the youth service. The building, which dates back to the early 1900s, underwent extensive planning, development, and funding before Boomerang officially opened to the public in 2013.
The name “Boomerang” was chosen through a school competition prior to its opening. The young people associated the name with the concept of returning, just like a boomerang does, symbolizing their desire to continue returning to the service.
Since then, Boomerang has achieved many milestones, including being awarded over €15,000 by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in 2016. In 2017, the youth cafe unveiled its newly refurbished American style diner, B’s Diner. In 2021, the initiative Basement Sounds, which focuses on music and arts, was founded. Boomerang secured €65,000 from the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal to support this initiative.
In July 2022, Boomerang launched its biggest youth music festival, Boomapalooza, featuring two stages: the Main Stage and the Basement Stage. In October of the same year, the collaborative album “It’s A Drawda Thing” was released, featuring various young musicians and Basement Sounds. This album, comprising 15 songs, is available for listening on Spotify. Boomerang also received €5,000 from the annual Coca-Cola Thank You Fund.
Looking ahead, in 2023, members of Comhairle and Boomerang launched the podcast series “Young Minds, Big Ideas: A Comhairle na nÓg Production