YOUTH worker Gerry Luczka has been helping youngsters realise their potential for nearly a quarter of a century. Gayle McBain reports

GERRY Luczka's philosophy on life is simple yet effective.

He tries, each day, to make a difference in the lives of young people.

Gerry's enthusiasm for his role as a Bolton Council senior youth worker is matched only by his enthusiasm for life.

It is thanks to that drive that Gerry has helped thousands of young people who otherwise could have slipped through the net.

To Gerry, aged 49, his work is a way of life. His greatest achievement in the 25 years he has been working for the Youth Service is the difference he has made to youngsters on the Johnson Fold estate.

As a young "detached" youth worker -- not assigned to a specific base -- Gerry helped tackle the estate's growing crime rate.

He says: "Young people today have the same problems they had 25 years ago. When they are bored they get in to trouble. They want someone to show an interest in them."

Football is Gerry's passion -- he is assistant manager of non-league Stalybridge Celtic -- and he encouraged the estate's youngsters to take up the game.

Gerry, who lives in Bromley Cross, was instrumental in raising funds for a synthetic grass pitch on the estate, which is still well used today.

Gerrry is married to Denise, aged 51, also a youth worker and they have two boys, 14-year-old Andriy and Joseph, six. He says he owes much of his success to his parents, Ukraine-born Walter and Anna, who gave him a strict, but loving, upbringing.

"It is something you do not always see today. There are many youngsters who do not have encouragement at home."

Gerry's parents were horrified when their son, who trained as a teacher, decided not to pursue a career in the classroom.

Instead he went on the dole and then spent four years at what he describes as "the university of life".

His career in youth work started when a friend told him about the Johnson Fold job.

Gerry now runs the Genesis Youth Project, based at the Burnden Sports Centre, in which he works with young people who need a guiding hand.

The success rate speaks for itself. Around 93 per cent of the youngsters stay with the project -- the Learning and Skills Council says 25 per cent is a success -- and 57 per cent find employment or go on to further education afterwards, when 20 per cent is considered good.

Gerry says: "The most rewarding thing is to see young people make the most of their lives and achieve their potential."

He adds: "Ultimately I would like to work for the Government.

"If the Government wants to tackle crime among young people, then there is a simple solution. Get more youth workers out there and give the youngsters something to do and someone to organise their time."

It is easy to see why Gerry, although he is fast approaching 50, commands respect from young people.

He says: "We are all kids at heart."

My Style

Gerry Luczka

Q: How do you spend your spare time?

A: My passion is football and I'm assistant manager of Stalybridge Celtic.

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: No, not since I left home, where I had a cat.

Q: What is your favourite meal?

A: Borsch. It's an Ukranian beetroot soup that my mum, who died 11 years ago, made and my dad still makes. I also love little Ukranian pasties filled with potato and cottage cheese.

Q: What is your favourite piece of music?

A: Land of Hope and Glory sends shivers down my spine.

Q: What is your favourite holiday destination?

A: We've got a time-share in Gran Canaria and I love it.

Q: Which person has influenced your life most?

A: My parents from my early childhood, and Bolton man Ken Heathcote more recently. I met him through my youth work and he introduced me to positive thinking.

Q: What was the last book you read?

A: Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography.

Q: What was your last major buy?

A: A scanner and printer for my computer.

Q: What is your favourite TV programme?

A: I love Only Fools and Horses. I don't watch television a lot, but I also like a good documentary.

Q: If your home was on fire, what would you ensure you grabbed?

A: Obviously my family first, and then my computer back-up discs, because they contain so much work.