NAYC Newsletter Summer 14

VOLUME 18 ISSUE 2
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF YOUTHREACH CO-ORDINATORS
newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE:
MOVIE MAKING IN BALLINCOLLIG.
YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALISTS IN
CARLOW.
BALLYMAHON GRADUATE CAPPED
FOR LEINSTER.
MUNSTER LEGEND IN BANDON.
VIRTUAL BABIES IN LIMERICK.
AND MUCH MORE INSIDE
1
Marathon Medals for Ballincollig Youthreach
T
Left to right: Niall O’Connor, Michael Carmody, Jessica Carmody, Darren
Shanahan, Beverly Collins, Jonathan Carmody, Megan Quinn, Trish
Lavelle, Urla Kelly Coomey and Breda Dennehy
eamwork, participation, communication, cooperation,
dedication, discipline and organisation are all words
to describe Brilliant Ballincollig Youthreach Learners
and Staff who finished the Cork City Marathon Youth
Relay Team Challenge 2014. This event is becoming one
of the most popular annual occasions on the centre’s
calendar. The staff at Ballincollig Youthreacwh - who
also had a relay team – were delighted with the whole
centre approach and participation in this major event.
Funds raised by Youthreach learners and staff for running in this year’s Marathon are in aid of Penny Dinners,
Little Hanover Street, Cork. On the left Ballincollig Youthreach proudly display their Marathon medals outside
Cork City Hall.
Movie Making at
Ballincollig Youthreach
D
uring the month of May learners and staff at
Ballincollig Youthreach were engrossed in movie
making for the X-Hale Youth Awards. This project
involved learners with the help of staff making a
two minute movie portraying the tobacco industry
enticing young people to smoke.
What are the X-Hale Youth Awards?
X-Hale Youth Awards is an Irish Cancer Society
programme that aims to prevent young people from
starting to smoke. X-Hale works with youth organisations and services and supports the development of
youth led activities and projects that tackle smoking
amongst young people. The programme aims to
empower young people and youth organisations to
explore issues around smoking that are relevant to
young people in their own community. Ballincollig
potential protagonists will travel to Dublin in July
hoping to achieve an X-Hale Youth Award.
Ballincollig Youthreach & Show Racism The Red Card
A
s part of their Equality Project class, the Level 4 group, decided to enter the ‘Show Racism The Red Card’ poster competition.
During the year, we discussed the many aspects of Inter and Multiculturalism, and how Ireland has changed in the last few
years from being a predominantly monocultural society into a country with many
cultures. Eastern Europeans and Sub Saharan Africans are two of the most noticeable
immigrant groups to settle in Ireland. One negative aspect of this shift has been the
spectre of racism. The learners at Ballincollig created an interactive poster where the
viewer has to look behind the red cards, similar to an Advent calendar, to see their
thoughts and impressions on racism within sport. The poster also showed Soccer fans
gesticulating and displaying racist salutes against black players alongside the red cards,
thereby juxtaposing the negative with the positive. The class felt that this exercise of
creating the poster taught them a lot about the effect that racism has upon individuals.
2
Ballinrobe Youthreach Educational Tour to England
A
wn excited and enthusiastic group of Ballinrobe Youthreach students headed off on their school tour
on Monday night at 2.00am on 6th May for the boat for Holyhead. There destination was Old Trafford
where they had premium tickets for The Premier League Game between Man United and Hull City. They
arrived at 7.00pm after fitting in some quality retail therapy in Trafford shopping centre. There were
about 80,000 attending the match and the atmosphere was electric. None of the students were there before, so understandably they were all in awe of their surroundings. The crowd was chanting different anthems egging on the two sides. Wayne Rooney did not play due to injury, which was disappointing for one
of their students, Jonathan Lawrence. The game was particularly special, as it was Ryan Giggs’ last game for
Man United. Also it was the Captain of Man United last game at Old Trafford. At the end of the game, Nemanja Vidic paid farewell to the Old Trafford Faithful. However the result made up for his disappointment,
Man United 3 and Hull City 1. All the students loved this trip and want to return again next year. Next day
the group left early for Alton Towers. They met up
with “The Glen” Youthreach, Cork, where they compared notes about their escapades in their different
centres. Overall this was a very successful tour.
Back row Left to right – Dylan O Regan, Matthew Reville (The Glen Youthreach),
Frank Brady, Ballinrobe Youthreach Co-ordinator, Eugene O Callaghan (The
Glen Youthreach), Aisling Sheridan, Simon Quinn, Thomas Lawrence, and Bus
Driver Desmond McManus.
Middle row left to right – Precious Vaughan, Adam Murphy, James Byrne, Katie
Walsh, Ellen Tobin, Stephanie Hayes, Jonathon Lawrence, Shane Mulchrone.
Front row left to right – John “The Legend” Kenny, Laura Murphy, Michelle Daly,
Susan Coyne, and Elaine Daly.
youthreach carlow win at the
young environmentalists awards showcase
ongratulations to Youthreach Carlow on winning the Senior Category ‘Health & Wellbeing’ at the recent Young Environmentalist Awards Showcase.Youthreach Carlow wascompeting with schools from
all across the island. The students project ‘Nip it in the Butt’ wowed the judges and impressed all the other
schools. The project was carried out by all the students of Youthreach Carlow and it had three aims: firstly
to highlight the negative impact cigarette litter is having on Carlow Town. Secondly to raise further awareness of the dangers of smoking and the harmful impact it can have on health. Thirdly to work together
as a team to complete the project. The students carried out a number of activities including; litter picks,
creating pieces of art work, writing a song about their project and raising awareness in the local community, etc. The students were delighted to accept their prize on the day. Over 600 young people showcased
their projects on the day. The Young Environmentalist Awards is an all-Ireland environmental awards
programme that recognises and rewards young people who raise environmental awareness and improve
the environment in their school, community or even further afield. ECO-UNESCO’s Awards gets young
people involved in taking environmental action. Thousands of young environmentalists in schools, youth
groups and Youthreach centres throughout the island
of Ireland are already making positive contributions to
their environment and community. An exhibition of the
finalists' work is currently taking place at ECO-UNESCO
St Andrew Street, Dublin 2 and will run throughout the
summer. An exhibition will also take place in European
Union House on Dawson Street from the 15th of August - 5 September so be sure to check out the finalists'
amazing eco-action projects in either location.ww
C
3
Ballymahon Youthreach Graduate capped for
Leinster Junior Rugby team
T
here were great celebrations in Youthreach
Ballymahon as recently successful LCA
graduate Dylan Quinn, was selected as tighthead-prop for the Leinster Junior Rugby team
to play Munster in Wexford on 26/04/14. Dylan
played in all three inter-provincial matches.
Leinster were crowned champions for the
first time since 2010 and were undefeated
during the campaign. They beat Munster and
Connacht and their final match with Ulster
ended in a draw 21-21. This is a great honour
for Dylan personally and also for his club,
Longford RFC not to mention all in Youthreach
Ballymahon who also wish Dylan all the best on
Leinster Captain TC Campbell, Dundalk (Scum half), Dylan Quinn, Longford
his debut for his province. It is our understand- (prop) and Niall Smullen, Wicklow (2nd row) in action against Connacht
ing that Dylan is the first Youthreach graduate
to represent Leinster at adult level in Rugby. He has earned his honour through self-discipline, self-confidence, self-belief, excellent attitude, hard work and self-motivation, which were all nurtured and were self
evident throughout his time in Youthreach Ballymahon. During his time in Youthreach Ballymahon, Dylan
displayed his sporting prowess across all the sporting activities that Youthreach Ballymahon took part in.
Particular mention must be made of his important contribution towards winning the Western Region Soccer Tournament, twice during his time. This was a great example of what is possible when a young person
puts their mind to achieving a goal and hopefully will serve as an example for others to pursue their dreams.
Donegals Restorative Practices Project Receives Further Peace III Funding
D
onegal ETB has received further substantial funding from the Peace III Phase II Extension programme
to continue to lead out on a major Restorative Practices project which ran in the county from May
2011-May 2013 (also funded by Peace III). The six Youthreach centres, along with twelve out of the county’s
twenty-seven post-primary schools (nine of which are Donegal ETB schools), Donegal Youth Service and
Foróige will continue to work towards embedding restorative practice in their organisations from MarchJune 2014. (Pictured are learners from Lifford Youthreach centre working with Restorative Practices Trainer
Margaret McGarrigle.) The first phase of the project (2011-2013) saw around 3,250 learners, staff, parents
and volunteers undertake restorative practices training across the county. In addition sixteen staff, six of
whom where Youthreach staff from three centres, also completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Restorative
Practice through the University of Ulster. The University of Ulster’s Restorative Practices Team (Dr Derick
Wilson, Tim Chapman and Hugh Campbell) were also commissioned to conduct the project’s research element which sought to ascertain the level of development and delivery of restorative practices in participating organisations as a means of resolving conflict situations and restoring relationships. It also looked
at developing a whole system approach to embedding restorative practice in schools, centres and youth
work projects and designed a method of measuring and evaluating progress throughout the lifetime of the
project. The research report (Developing a Whole System Approach to Embedding Restorative Practices in
Youthreach, Youth Work and Schools in Co Donegal) can be found in the Restorative Practices section of
www.donegaletb.ie which also contains many other useful resources for this work.
Project supported by PEACE III Programme managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by Donegal
County Council
4
Youthreach Bandon
F
or the 3rd consecutive year,
we held our Annual Open Day,
incorporating a family fun day.
The students embrace the event
and use it as a platform to showcase their work, and the centre.
The preparation and planning
is the most important feature in
ensuring a successful day, teachers and students are given tasks
to perform and prepare for the
occasion. It was decided 3 years
ago to make the event a more
user friendly one, thus the beginning of the hugely successful
family fun day.
The activities of the day included
a raffle, an Easter egg hunt, arts
& crafts for the children, a Mathematics contest, Bouncy Castle
and the ever popular Face Painting. This has to be self-financed
by the students raising funds
through a raffle and requesting
donations from various town
traders in Bandon.
Permission for the raffle was
sought from the local Garda Superintendent way back in January
of this year. Once we received
permission, we set about the task
of gathering donations and raffle
prizes from local organisations
and businesses. Students and
5
staff then took a raffle card, each
containing 20 lines to sell. Everybody did well and over 300 lines
were sold in total. As a result of
all the work and effort, there were
more than 15 prizes available on
the day to raffle.
A reception table was setup near
the entrance and visitors were
greeted by students and escorted
to the recreation room, where
they were offered refreshments,
and also given the chance to
speak with staff members. Emma
and Mary Clare Kehoe and Chamayne Savage did a very professional job in providing sandwiches and cakes as required, under
the watchful eye of our catering
advisor Cyril McSweeney.
Shauna O’Donovan was in charge
of the waitress section, providing
service with a smile. The bouncy
castle and face painting were a
huge hit with the smallies (and
the not so small)!! Our Students,
Cillian Hunt and Dusan Jano with
Billy O’Driscoll did a great Job
painting the children’s faces. The
student Council decided that the
children visitors should have
something other than sugar loaded food, so they suggested that
we have a barbecue for them.
Luke O’Donovan, Conor
O’Donoghue and Gavin Wright
oversaw this operation which
proved to be a great success. Apparently, adults are fond of barbecued food; we had to extend our
catering to accommodate them.
The Mathematics teacher ran a
fun competition in the math’s
room, which our young visitors
really enjoyed. The winners were
awarded with Easter eggs before
the raffle.
All of the students were involved
on the day, showing people
around, supervising children and
telling people about what we do
at Youthreach. The day would
not have been possible if the
students did not put in the hard
work of preparation and planning.
There was a fabulous turnout
from the students’ parents,
guardians and the general public. We were able to display our
works and have friendly chats
with those that joined us. The
day is a great opportunity for
the students to show off some
of their work, allowing parents
to discuss their progress with
staff in an informal setting. In a
nutshell, everybody thoroughly
enjoyed themselves and had a
great day. The generosity of the
local businesses was overwhelming; the day would not take place
if it were not for them. Everyone
at Bandon Youthreach would like
to thank them for their continued
support and generosity
S
Munster, Ireland and lions Hero Visits
Bandon Youthreach
tudents and staff at Youthreach Bandon were
pleasantly surprised when Peter O’ Mahony called
in to visit the centre, on Wednesday 11th July 2014.
He spoke to the students on the benefits of hard
work and particularly teamwork as being important
in his success as Munster team captain.
We are fortunate to have his uncle, Frank Conroy, as
a tutor in our centre, the Co-ordinator Larry Dorgan
was delighted with Peter’s down to earth approach.
He is a thorough gentleman with an unassuming
nature and as a consequence the students found it
very easy to approach him and were given the opportunity to ask as many questions as they wished.
The students were delighted when Peter accepted
their invitation to join them for lunch in the centre
and his passive and quiet demeanour was a joy to
behold given what we know of him on the fields, as a
player and leader with both Munster and Ireland.
Larry Dorgan Co-ordinator, Marian Dorgan Administer
and Peter O’Mahony
Group of Students
Tricia McCarthy Assistant Co-ordinator
6
E
birr, banagher Youthreach
Inter-generational Health Project
arlier this year Youthreach Banagher’s FETAC Level 4 students took part in an inter-generational project
with the Banagher Active Age Group.
This project involved each student being assigned an individual from the Active Age group to work with.
The student held an initial interview with their assigned person to go through a questionnaire with them
identifying their health issues. Once these health issues were identified the students then set about
putting together a brochure for their individual. These brochures included foods to avoid and foods to
include in their diet, an exact description of their particular ailment and any treatments that would be of
benefit to them. They gave typical symptoms of their health ailment and identified famous people with
the same ailment. The students also designed a menu which would benefit their particular health issue.
The final part of the project was to cook the above mentioned menu. All the participants from the Active
Age Group were invited into the centre and the students cooked them their meal. There was great activity in the kitchen on the morning in question and a lot of stress!! All the invited guests arrived and were
duly impressed by their three course meal cooked for them by their individual student. The day was a
huge success and fantastic interaction took place between both groups. This project was designed by our
Home Economics teacher, Tess Egan and is definitely something we will be repeating again.
7
Blanchardstown youthreach
raise money in aid of child vision
M
From left, Lauren Whelan, Shannon Molyneux, Jennifer
arch was a busy month for the FETAC level 5 stuMooney, Stephanie Farrell, Aliex Connolly and Emma
dents who put a lot of time, effort and planning into
Keegan.
their cake sale in aid of Child Vision in Drumcondra, which
was a huge success. In April they revisited the pre-school with sensory toys that will be used as assessment tools for the pre-school children and they also painted two walls with bright and colourful murals in
the sensory room to make it a fun space for the children.
Blanchardstown Youthreach students highlight environmental
issues and get involved in fundraising and community projects.
A
s part of the Young Environmentalist Award the
students of Blanchardstown Youthreach went
to UNESCO head office to present their project on
the Amazon and the effects humans have on the
environment. We wish them the best of luck and
hope they make it through to the showcase and
award ceremony.
Back left care worker Catharina Molloy, Shannon Molynuex, Patrick
Hackett, care worker Lorna Walker and Stephanie Farrell. Front left
Lauren Whelan, Ciara Byrne, Emma Keegan, Jennifer Mooney, Aliex
Connolly and care worker Audrey Farrelly.
Back left Aidas Kutaitis , Shurelle Doyle, Shannon Matthews, Marese
Sherlock, Dylan O’Doherty, Jason Durran and Darragh O’Connor. Front
left Katarzya Copiak, Karl Maguire, Lucky Sithelo and Dylan Smith.
8
F
ETAC level 5 business students held a cake sale
to raise funds for Child Vision which is a school
and residential setting for students aged 1-21 with
visual impairments and special needs. The group
raised €400 for the pre-school and purchased a
sensory tent and educational equipment which will
help to staff to carry out assessments and also aid
in sensory development. The students also donated money to the Family Resource Centre to pay for
transport of two students who are going to Space
Camp in
Florida this year.
Blanchardstown youthreach
showcase & awards ceremoney
O
ver 250 groups registered for Young Environmentalist Awards and Blanchardstown Youthreach students were one of the 75 projects invited to the Showcase and Awards ceremony in the Mansion
House. Special Guests Mr Han Qunli, Director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences and the
Secretary of the Man and the Biosphere Programme for UNESCO and Mr Charlie Flanagan T.D., Minister for
Children and Youth Affairs praised the ingenious efforts of young people in highlighting environmental
issues.
Blanchardstown students help their neighbours
S
tudents also started
a project with the
neighbours to help tidy
up the roads around the
area. The group made
flower boxes to put
around the trees and
they will plant flowers in
May. Dean Moran, on the
right of the picture, just
realised they still have
two tons of top soil to
move. It is a big project;
it will be finished by the
next edition.
9
cabra youthreach
Memoir My Life.
POEM
by
Dale Cahill
Cabra Youthreach
Some people use music
to drown out their sorrows,
because the lyrics
cry with them.
Some people use books
to live in a different world,
because the words
help them not feel alone.
Some people use drawing,
to paint their problems
in different colours,
because the paint brush
makes their sorrow beautiful.
Some people don’t use anything
to express their hurt,
because they think nothing
could ever make them feel again.
…
by
Joe Ahearne
M
y name is Joe Ahearne, I am from Dublin and live in Cabra.
I have three brothers and three sisters which is quite a
big family. I am not in a mainstream school anymore, I am
attending Cabra Youthreach. School wasn’t for me as I just got
through the first two years until I was expelled for fighting, I
was then home schooled for the end of second and most of
third year which wasn’t that bad as I was learning more then I
was in my old school. As I got to the end of third year I had a
choice to go back and finish my Junior Cert. I ended up going
back to sit my exam and got five honours and five passes.
I went on to attend two other secondary schools after that
to try for my leaving certificate but over those two years
I started to change as a person and started taking sleeping tablets, even in class which leave me ‘off my head’.
At the time I was fighting, getting thrown out of my house
which lead to me getting thrown out of school again. After
about ten months to a year of sitting around wasting away I
got myself up off me arse and applied for a place in Cabra
Youthreach. By the end of the summer I found out that I had
been accepted, I was over the moon because it was just what
I wanted and I knew I had made personal changes and I was
finally ready to turn my life around and get an education.
When I finish Youthreach I will hopefully be going to college to study to become a Chef or even an Electrician,
I know I will have to put my head down and work hard to
achieve this. Hopefully over the next year or two things
will start looking up for me and going the way I want them.
Another dream of mine is to go to Australia, work there for a year
and travel around seeing the sights and have fun. By the end
of that year if I liked it over there I would definitely think about
moving over there for good and enjoying the rest of my life.
I am seventeen now and I know what I want to achieve in
life. My goals are clear, what I need now is a structured plan
and motivation, positivity and determination to carry it out.
Full Revs in
w Ballymahon
w
10
Youthreach students brighten up Durgarvan
T
he students in Dungarvan Youthreach are developing a great
reputation as community artists.
Over the last few years under the
supervision of their Art teacher
Maria Conroy, they have completed three murals in their local area.
Dungarvan Town Council supported
the students to brighten up some
of the dark and dreary areas of the
town with their art projects. The
results are excellent and a positive
statement to the community. The
murals will remain in the town for a
long time to come as a reminder of
the great work that can be achieved
when people work together. Well
done to Maria & her students!
11
Crumlin students in photo-shoot for eatright.eu
Crumlin Youthreach was recently offered the opportunity to get involved in a photo-shoot for a new resource www.eatright.eu' that was launched by Safefood. It was a fun experience, and brought some excitement to our centre here in Crumlin because our own kitchen was used on the day. Four of our students
were photographed, they are : Emma Lennon; Laura McGuinness; Stephen Bennett and Mathew Hegarty.
They did a great job, although the first three were slightly more shy than Mathew, the lad who you can see
really played to the camera. We all expect him to be picked up for a modeling career as a result, (well actually we had all predicted that could be his destiny long before safefood came on the scene). Students were
given this chance as teacher Dave Mulvaney Resource:Catering (pictured) was involved in the consultation
phase in respect of this new resource. He finds the online-resources offered by safefood to be excellent,
and for the past two years he has included the safefood pass within both the Kitchen Skills and Short-Order Cooking modules. This new resource is all set to benefit future students who pass through our doors.
We would like to wish Alice Sheahan (also pictured) and all her colleagues at safefood the best of luck, and
would definitely recommend their materials to all staff teaching in the catering area.
12
edenderry students get their
safe-pass registration
Youthreach trainees from Edenderry, Co Offaly (Laois/Offaly Etb) successfully achieve their Safe Pass registration cards. Back row left to right
Aaron Campbell, Adam Whelan, Wesley Heavey and Ben Falco. Front row left to right Conor Dunne and Graham O’Brien. Missing from the
picture is Owen Mc Anulty.
T
he aim of this course was to provide eight trainees (six from Youthreach and two from Oaklands Community College)with safe pass certification, which is a valuable qualification. This training develops
awareness for individuals of safe pass practice in the workplace.
The planning was brought up at a trainee meeting by the lads as they wanted to complete this course and
got Margaret and Lorraine to look into organising a day where they could get the course done. Margaret
contacted the ETB to find out the cost for the course and what date it could be held on. Cormac Talbot was
available on the 8th of April to come to Youthreach Edenderry to deliver the course. Cormac needed a
minimum of eight trainees to attend the course for it to go ahead. The cost of the course was 80 euro but
the trainees only had to pay 40 euro towards this and the Youthreach paid the balance. Staff felt that it was
important that trainees made a contribution towards the cost of the course so that they would appreciate
it more.
On the day of the course it started at 8 am and finished at 5 pm. It was intense and we had to concentrate and were conscious of the exam at the end, so nobody wanted to miss out on any vital information.
We got three short breaks, there were a few hand outs given during class, then there was mostly videos
shown throughout the day, these videos are very helpful as they show you the right and wrong things to
do on a building site. They were informative and it was easy to spot examples of good and bad practice.
All eight trainees passed the exam on the day, and received their certification within two weeks. This certification will help when applying for a job as it’s an extra qualification on all trainees CV.
It was a very long day but it was worth it to help me to get a job, it was also great to get the certification at
such a cheap price as it’s such an important and valuable qualification.
Wesley Heavey (trainee from Youthreach Edenderry) Safe Pass Training Report,
13
ennis youthreach Our Trip to Kilfinane
A
s part of our Gaisce we went on an overnight trip to Kilfinane in County Limerick. This is an
outdoor education and adventure activity centre run by the Limerick Clare Educational Training Board. Eight students and three staff went on the trip. The students were Karina, Chloe, Jessica,
Amy, Danielle, Flan, Eli and myself and the tutors were Eddie, Emer and Michelle. We all took part
in a group walk/hike in the Ballyhoura Mountains.
When we arrived the weather was horrible and it was freezing. Firstly we were shown to our
rooms. We all had to share, I was sharing with Karina, Amy and Danielle. Once we had put our
stuff away we went outside to get ready for the walk. We were given rain jackets to use if we
needed them. The centre instructors gave us a safety talk and some general information on the
trail and on the area and then we set off.
A bus brought us to the start of the walk, which was the base of the mountain. The walk was very
long and exhausting and the weather couldn’t have been worse but somehow we all seemed to
really enjoy it. We all jigged each other along, and when you felt like giving up there was someone
there to give you a pep talk. We all completed the walk and although very tired we felt the elation
that come from achievement.
We got back to the centre, had hot drinks, hot showers and changed into warm cosy clothes and
then sat down to dinner, it would be fair to say that it probably wasn’t the best dinner any of us
had ever had but at the same time it soon disappeared as we were all ravenous from the exercise
and all the fresh air. Once dinner got a chance to digest we were given the opportunity to play
dodge ball and do rock climbing on a great indoor climbing wall, I didn’t think anyone would have
energy left but everyone had a go. We spent the rest of the night chatting, watching DVD’s, drinking hot chocolate and eating loads of chocolate and popcorn.
After a great and refreshing night’s sleep, a quick breakfast, clean up and a gathering of all our bits
and bob’s, we assembled once again in the car park for the mornings activities, this time we got
to choose between archery and cycling. Both of these were thoroughly enjoyed by all and were a
first for some, I chose the archery as I had never tried this before, I was amazed at how strong you
have to be to pull the bow. We had a quick lunch and then packed up the bus, the journey home
was quite as everyone was tired and pensive, reliving the events of the past few days. A great time
was had by all and we enjoyed telling the other students all about it and showing them all the
pictures we had taken, I have a feeling that Kilfinane may become an annual trip for the centre.
Edel Hoey
14
ennis Youthreach Has Given Me
A Brighter Future
B
efore I joined Ennis Youthreach I was a student in a local secondary school. I stayed there for
three years and I left before my Junior Cert because I hated being there so much. I have very
negative memories and feelings of my time in the school mainly because during my time there I
always felt excluded as I felt it was thought that I would never be one of the high achievers and
therefore would do little with my life. I know school isn’t for everyone so that’s why I wanted to
leave, I didn’t know what I was going to do until a friend of mine told me about Youthreach. The
day I got accepted on the programme was the start of my building a brighter future for myself.
Two years on I have just completed my Level 4 FETAC General Studies Certificate and I am proud
to say I got a Distinction. The high point of my life was last week when I got confirmation that I
had secured my place on a PLC Canine Husbandry Course in St. John’s College in Cork. I really
enjoyed my time in Youthreach, the tutors are so supportive, kind, understanding and treat you
so respectfully that they feel more like family and friends than teachers, the centre is run in such
a way that you are learning everyday but it’s so varied, practical, hands on and relevant that you
don’t realise you are learning, it’s nothing like school. I am so glad I joined Youthreach, I have had
the time of my life here, I am truly sad to leave, I will miss everyone and most of all I will miss all
the tutors they have been great to me during my time here. I might be leaving but I know that the
door will always be open to me and that I will be a very welcome visitor for years to come.
Karina Haugh
glen youthreach go to alton towers
O
n the 6th of May my class
mates and some teachers went
on a trip to Alton towers.
We travelled by a bus our centre
had rented. We set off on our trip to
Dublin to get the ferry. It was a long
trip at that hour of the morning. We
got on the ferry and headed to Holyhead. We then drove to Liverpool
to a hostel were we were staying
in. The hostel that we stayed at was
really nice and very welcoming.
That night we went for a walk down
trough Liverpool town to see some
shops that were open and had a
bite to eat. On Wednesday we got
up really early and headed towards
Alton towers. It took us about an
hour to get to Alton towers from where we were staying. When we got to Alton towers it was huge, there
was a lot of different rides in the park everybody then split up and went around the park to see what was
there.
We had a brilliant day there and were all really tired. At the end of the day we met other students from
Ballinrobe Youthreach in Co. Mayo. When the park closed we got back on the bus and travelled back to
Holyhead to get the ferry. We arrived back home at ten o clock in the morning.
We were all shattered but delighted to have got the chance to have the experience of Alton towers. I really
just want to say a big thanks to our teachers Eugene, Matt and Marianne for making it possible.
BY KATIE WALSH (LCA 1 Student)
15
Youthreach Education Centre Glentworth
Street Limerick
Virtual Babies
W
e had three sessions with Mary from the HSE
who was coming in to let us use virtual babies.
It was part of our SPHE class. MaryAnne, Molly, Abby,
Sherisse, Sophie and I learned lots about pregnancy and how to care for a baby. We really enjoyed
the sessions. It was great fun and we learned a lot.
On the third day, Mary brought the babies into the
centre. Even though it just looked like a doll, it was
very heavy and it felt like holding a real baby. It was
important that we held the dolls like a real baby, supporting the baby’s head in case it got hurt. I named
my baby Max. After a few minutes Max cried and
I had to change his nappy. A few minutes later he
cried again and I had to feed him. He took his bottle
but he got fussy so then I had to walk around the
room rubbing his back. Any time I stopped, he would
cry again so I just had to keep rocking him. It felt
like hard work. I would like to mind the virtual baby
again but I think I’ll wait a good while before I have a
real baby to mind.
Maryanne Phelan, Molly Moloney and Abby Greaney attending the
Careers Day in LCFE and Central College
E
Denika Hehir and MaryAnne Phelan taking care of their virtual babies
as part of their SPHE class.
O
Careers Day
n the 4th February 2014 our class went to the
Limerick College of Further Education and The
Central College. We wanted to find out what you can
study when you finish your Leaving Cert. I will know
what I want to do and get advice off people teaching
on these courses. As part of the careers day I spoke
with a girl that did a course in Science for a year and
then went to Edge Hill University in England. This
is something I would like to do. I want to become a
paediatric nurse as I want to work with children.
By Maryanne Phelan
16
Evening Courses
very Tuesday evening I attend a dressmaking
(fashion design) course in the Limerick College
of Further Education. My Youthreach teachers
helped me to apply for this course. We are learning how to thread and use a sewing machine and
how to cut out patterns. I will learn how to follow a
pattern, design and make a skirt. I am really interested in fashion design and I would really like to do
fashion design in college when I finish my Leaving
Certificate. I went to a careers day in the Limerick
Central College and the Limerick College of Further
education where I got some information on college
courses that I would be interested in doing.
By Abby Greaney
Gortahork Participate in Activ8 Project
Y
outhreach Gortahork and The Yard Youth project recently undertook some action research
exploring the reality for young people who have
left school and are trying to do something with
their lives. This project involved the Yard team
workers organising meetings for young people in
Youthreach and at the Yard to help them explore
their story of school, exams, unemployment and
their future. The project, Activ8, was part-funded
by the Community Foundation, Ireland, and wanted to document and present the experiences and
demands of young people in the 16-25 year old
age range.
The Yard team helped the group look back over
their lives since primary school and look at what
dreams they and their friends had and what has
happened to change these dreams over time.
Over a series of weekly workshops, Youthreach
learners worked with the project to explore this
topic and offered their stories and opinions on
how things could be improved for their generation. The contribution of the young people was
written down, photographed and filmed and was
presented in various ways at the community
seminar in the Yard on March 28th. The aim of the
seminar was to listen to the issues, feelings and
frustrations of the young people; this was particular evident at the seminar where Youthreach
students spoke-up, debated and argued with
political representatives, youth organisations and
community activists. There has been great talk
about the Youth Guarantee that the government
and the EU have said will address the situation.
The seminar explored this and attempted to
develop some real and practicable solutions that
can be develop and applied at local level. What
we learned from the process is that we can't waste
time, we utterly reject the idea that this is a lost
generation - but there's no time to lose getting
them engaged and active! Suggestions were then
made to community, youth, education and training
bodies and the state about what needs to be done
to give our young people hope for the future. “We
are specially indebted to the young people and
staff of Youthreach Gortahork who have worked
tirelessly over a period of four months and given
freely of their time and stories” Paul Kernan, Yard
Co-ordinator.
17
Final Newsletter Entry from Granard Youthreach
T
he C.E. of the LWETB Dr.Christy Duffy announced on the 27th of May to the BOM of the Granard Youthreach Centre that it was moving location to the town of Longford. This will bring to an end our 13
year intervention in the town of Granard where the number of early school leavers no longer merits a
Youthreach Centre in the town. We are very proud of the success of our Programme in Granard and have
enjoyed many uplifting days there. I only hope that our new home in Longford town will be equally rewarding and successful.
Gr an ar d gir ls ta k e part in in au gur al 4 - side
T
he 6 students who represented Granard Youthreach in the inaugural All-Ireland 4-a-side
Ladies Football Tournament really enjoyed the experience and despite finishing runners –up to a very
polished Ballinrobe side they still came home with a
great sense of achievement. It was the end of a very
productive year for our ladies who reluctantly togged
out only 4 months ago for the first time ever and are
now basking in the knowledge that they were only
1 goal away from being the best Youthreach ladies
football team in the country!! Congratulations to
Samantha Rossiter, Shannon Kelly, Róisín O Leary,
Siobhán Reilly, Lisa Donohoe and Rachel McDonagh
and many thanks to Frank Brady and his staff from
Youthreach Ballinrobe who did an excellent job in
organising the tournament.
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granard students attend youth 2 work seminar
O
ur Leaving Cert Applied students attended a
“Youth 2 Work” seminar hosted by FIT in Partnership with Microsoft in the Sheraton Hotel in
Athlone . All the students left the occasion with a
clearer understanding of the requirements of major companies when they recruit employees and the
Career Goals young people need to set themselves
if they wish to achieve in life. One of our students
was the lucky winner of a Microsoft Surface and keyboard and she was thrilled with this unexpected gift
which she now intends to use when she continues
on into Further Education in Dublin in September.
Our lads have qualified for the All-Ireland Finals in
Athlone and it would be a great way to leave
Granard as All-Ireland champions!!!!
Granard Abú!
Priory Ladies Day
Priory Lads Day
I
O
n the 16th of April as part of our Easter programme the ladies from the Priory went to the
cinema. We kindly allowed Paul our Co-ordinator
to come with us as he had to drive the bus and we
also allowed him to choose the film, Noah. From
Left-right Stephanie Cummins, Jasmine Keena, Amy
Peggs, Rebecca Cullen, Nicole Gannon, Gemma
Walsh, Tirna NiChonrain and Alicia McDonnell
We had a lovely time and the film was okay, the
book is better!
f the girls can go out so can the lads. We went to play Footee, which is basically golf played with a football. It was great fun but unfortunately Paul got injusred on the first hole so we will have to go again.
From Left-Right Paul Curtis Coordinator, Dylan Gear, Michael Mooney, Darly Berney, Carl Byrne, William
Ward, Martin C Ward, Dylan McGowan, Christopher Delaney, Daniel cousins, Martin Ward, Lee O’Grady and
Kyle Adamiw.
19
Killarney Youthreach Pilots New Volunteer led
Paired Reading Programme
K
illarney Youthreach launched an innovative
eight week “Paired Reading Programme” in
January, organised by Linda Murphy, Killarney Youthreach Resource Worker and Literacy & Numeracy
Co-ordinator. Paired reading is a technique which
helps a young person with their reading practice.
The method involves a volunteer and a young person, reading together.
This Paired Reading Programme is used in many
primary and secondary schools, but this is the first
time it has been piloted in Killarney Youthreach.
It involved eight Garda vetted volunteers from
the community, working with eight young people
for one hour per week in the KDYS Youth Centre home to Killarney Youthreach. The main benefits
for the young people are that it increases a young
person’s reading attainment, interpersonal skills,
confidence and self-esteem. The volunteers also
benefits from this experience. It increases their
interpersonal skills, creates positivity, and is personally rewarding as the volunteer is “giving something back to the community”. The programme also
benefits the local community as it creates a positive
supportive link between young people and local
volunteers. It also highlights the work of Killarney
Youthreach in assisting Early School Leavers overcome literacy issues.
One of the local volunteers spoke about her experience saying: “I found it to be a lovely experience,
meeting other volunteers and the young people.
I think my young person gained confidence and
an added awareness of his skills and strengths by
doing this programme. Overall, I found it to be a
warm, welcoming environment and it was a great
learning experience.” Her contact young person
found the Paired Reading Programme “a welcoming
and confidence building experience, my mentor
helped me to improve my reading and writing
skills.” Killarney Youthreach Co-ordinator John
Adams thanked Linda Murphy for her efforts in
getting this innovative programme up and running. He also thanked all the volunteers and young
people involved who made a huge commitment to
making this programme such a success.
Killarney Youthreach, was set up in 2001 as part of
the Kerry Youthreach Programme – a partnership
programme between the KDYS (Kerry Diocesan
Youth Service) and the now Kerry Education Training Board, in order to meet the needs of young people from Killarney and South Kerry, who have left
20
school early. The full-time educational programme
is based in the KDYS Youth Centre, Fairhill, Killarney
and offers a range of FETAC subjects and additional
supports allowing students to progress on to further education, training and employment. Literacy
and Numeracy provision has always been central to
all that Killarney Youthreach delivers and the Paired
Reading Programme will hopefully run again in the
Autumn.
John Adams Co-ordinator on the left and Linda Murphy
on the right along with paired readers and students
News for Laytown Bettystown Youthreach
X-Hale film Workshop
T
here are potential Oscars in the future of LBYR because some of our staff and students are entered
into the X-Hale video competition and the preparations are very advanced at this stage.
The team recently went to Dublin to participate in a
film making workshop and they had a fun, productive
and informative day. The classes were well organised
and they really enjoyed meeting the other participants from around the country.
The movies from around the country will be produced and available online for voting soon so keep
an eye out and please vote for whichever you feel is
the best.
Spraoi Mor
R
ecently all Youthreach centres in LMETB came together for our Annual talent show, Spraoi and this year
was the first time that we all came together.
Laytown / Bettystown Youthreach had a number of acts involved and they did really well as did all other
participants from the other centres.
The acts included singing, dancing, as well as wonderful projections, the work involved in the show was
evident for all who attended to see.
Tralee Youthreach Leaving Cert Applied
I
n LCA I have done two work
experiences. I did my first work
experience in Mags Hair Salon in
Ardfert and I did my second work
experience in the Irish Cancer
Society Charity Shop Tralee. I
enjoyed working at the charity shop more than I did in the
hairdressers. When I was on work
experience in Mags Hairdressers
I got on very well with staff and
helped serve customers and she
taught me how to dye hair and do
up styles and more. What I didn’t
21
like about this job was all the
cleaning up after other people
and making tea and coffee for
customers. It was a good experience but it’s not what I want to
do. it’s good for people who have
an interest in this work.
When I was on my second work
experience in the charity shop I
loved it, I got on super with the
staff and felt really comfortable
doing what was asked. I did a lot
of things in this job I worked on
the cash register and steamed
clothes I tagged clothes and I
ragged clothes. What I didn’t like
about this work experience was
you could sometimes get very
rude customers and they would
be very rude but you still had
to be nice so they wouldn’t go
crazy or get angry but other than
that I really enjoyed this work
experience. I would recommend
this work experience to anyone
interested in retail.
Ceim Eile, Youthreach Progression, Templemore
Photographs for Céim Eile, Youthreach Progression, Templemore for academic year ending
2013/2014.
The photographs include the entries to the Junk Kouture competition, some Woodwork
pieces and recent Graduation photographs.
22
Letterkennys Successful Health Promotion Month
W
hilst Letterkenny Youthreach promotes health and well-being generally across the mix of activities offered during the programme, this year we decided to have a focused period on the Centre
Calendar where health promotion in its widest understanding was the focus of the timetable. Based on
guidelines from the National Youth Council of Ireland, we focused our attentions on the five key areas of
youth health and well-being; mental and emotional health, physical health, social health, sexual health and
spiritual health. With these principles as our guidelines we addressed diet, physical health, sexual health,
substance misuse, mind-fullness and stress reduction and developing a peer leadership programme in the
Centre. The main aim of the month, which took place in April, was to create a spotlight in the Centre on
issues surrounding health and health promotion in the hope of affecting positive changes amongst staff
and learners in some of the areas mentioned above.
O
Mallows Mural of The Lake
n our Fishing Trip to Shrone Lake we did catch a fish but it escaped again off the rocks so on our
return to our Youthreach Centre in Mallow, we decided to produce our own fish and created the perfect environment for it. We made clay fish and birds of prey and placed them onto our Mural of The Lake.
It will be framed and Daffodils will be planted out front using the compost produced from tea bags in our
well deserved tea breaks. A further development of this project was with the addition of a Make a WishFish to the Mural of The Lake. Onto a blank clay fish shape, each person at Youthreach could make a mark
on this fish + make a wish for something positive for themselves or another person in the Centre. Mental
health awareness theme was being promoted at this time. This Wish-Fish was to become the “centerpiece”
in our Mural of The Lake here at Mallow Youthreach. The core group involved were Art teacher, Marguerite
Lodge, Horticulture teacher, Niall Ó Liatháin and
Woodwork teacher and Resource Person, Bob Ward
with their students, Katie Cahill, Conor Creed,
Shane Cummins, Sylvia Gorry, Johnny Jones,
Aisling Looney, Shane Lynch and Amber Sheehan,
while others took part on occasion. This Mural of
The Lake was produced during Sports and Recreation time. During Sports and Recreation, our Art
and Activities led to enhancing our environment
further with the Glass Painted Doors leading us
through to the vegetable and flower garden with
its Hazelwood frames, painted flower mural, painted fences and designed, state of the art composting facility at Youthreach Mallow. Students will
receive certificates for their valuable contribution
to this
23
Lucan Youthreach Poetry Competition Winners
Well done to Ryan Kennedy, Rosita Lukauskaite, Chloe Kelly, Jake Seal, Ronan Keegan
and Mary Jo Lee who all won prizes at South
Dublin County Council’s Poetry Competition.
The theme was inclusion and the prizes
were presented by Lord Mayor Dermot
Looney.
24
the life story book
macroom youthreach
M
ay 8th 2014 was a beautiful sunny day this year, a
perfect day for more than 30 schools from all over
Cork to meet at the Saint Vincent de Paul’s annual Youth
for Social Justice Exhibition and awards at the Silver
Springs Hotel Cork City. The charity SVDP was started
by a young 21-year-old student 188 years ago and the
Irish branch do their damnedest to keep the Irish Youth
involved in this very well known and busy organisation.
The Youth for Justice project encourages our youth to get
involved in charitable acts with those on the fringes of
society. It is a time to give, to become aware and to act. The Exhibition is a day that recognises those that
are more than just compassionate, it recognises those that take action.
Youthreach, Centre for Education Macroom once again took up the challenge of Youth for Justice and this
year embarked on a project called “The Life Story Book”. A fantastic intergenerational project that took our
students on a weekly visit to Sullane Haven Nursing Home in Macroom. Here they partnered with elderly
residents to chat and reminisce about their life’s. These stories were carefully gathered and hand written
into a “Life Story Book” to be presented to each resident to keep.
Students Myles O ‘Driscoll, Aaron O’ Callaghan , Graeme O Donoghue and Jack Dineen did a marvelous
job of presenting their project to over 200 people at the exhibition hall in Silver springs that day, with a
stand exhibiting their findings and a stage presentation giving valuable insight into how the project effected them and the participants. The group was highly-praised by the Southern Region Development Officer
on how touching and worthwhile the Life Story Book project was. Each student received a Certificate and
the group received a beautiful cut glass trophy to mark their efforts. Congratulations and well done to all
involved, and keep up the great charity and community work.
The Glen Youthreach Cuisine Corner
O
ut of 1,400 entries Curtis Kent qualified for the national Fine Dine at Mine cookery competition in St.
Angela’s College Sligo. The competition was organised by St Angela’s in conjunction with The Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI). Curtis’s entry was:
Heather Smoked Salmon, with a Lemon and Chive Potato Cake, Land and Sea Vegetables
Curtis was coached by RAI executive chef Michael Ryan of the award winning Cornstore Restaurant in
Cork city; he travelled to Sligo with his teacher Annette Corboy and his family and competed in a cook off
against 15 other competitors. Although Curtis did very well he did not come away with the trophy but was
very proud to have got so far. Congratulations Curtis.
25
Tralee Youthreach
Green Day Event
O
ur LCA 1 class organised an
event as part of our enterprise task. We decided to call our
event Green Day because we
wanted to base it on Saint Patrick’s day. First we had to decide
what we wanted to do for our
event and who was going to
come. So we all sat down and
talked we decided to have a nail
bar, play fun games, have a shop
and sell breakfast rolls. We then
decided to invite Killarney and
Tralee staff and Youthreach students to our event. We were all
given jobs my job was being part
of the organising committee. As
part of the organising committee
I had to ring and email photographers to ask them to take photos of the day, I had to organise
meetings and write up a press
release. We held our event on the
14th of March. In the morning we
decorated the centre in green.
We all wore something green to
support the day. When people
started to arrive Paulina and I
registered them and gave them
a sticker that represented which
group they were in. Then they
were given time to get their nails
done or buy something from the
shop after that they were brought
to the hall where the fun and
games started. They played games
for 45 minutes then they had a
break and people bought breakfast rolls. Prizes were given at the
end of the day to the team who
scored best. It was a really good
day and everybody enjoyed it.
26
Health Week
F
or our Social Education module, our class came up with
an idea to run a health week. We
decided to make posters and orgenise a time table for the health
week. We put the posters in our
classroom and around the KDYS
building, so we could get all the
staff involved.
Monday we did sports, and
walked in the park. Tuesday and
Wednesday we had nonsmoking
day, for students and staff. Thursday we made a healthy lunch, we
prepared smoothies and fruits
salads and in the afternoon we
did relaxation.
Also speakers from CH Chemist
came in and talked about smoking, and how bad it is for you.
They also took our blood pressure and showed us what medication without prescription is
available in the pharmacy to stop
smoking.
I think the talk was the most interesting part of the week, people
that smoke were really disgusted
after the talk because the heard
what might happen. Also other
staff in the building got their
blood pressure taken which was
good.
In my opinion this week went
really well and people participated. Some people even stopped
smoking since our health week
which is really good and others
are still trying to cut down on the
amount they are smoking. I think
if we did more of this, maybe
run a healthy month it might
help people stop smoking for
good and get more people to eat
healthy as well.
Magpies on the
Pylon
W
e went to see a play in
Simsa Tire, Magpie on the
Pylon. Michael Collins wrote and
performed on the play. It was
about a Traveller man who was
trying to deal with his 23 year old
son’s death and why he committed suicide. It was his first born
child and he found it hard to talk
to the rest of the family because
traveller men don’t like to talk
about their feelings because it
will make him look soft. He never
spoke to his family because he
thought he had said something
to his son to make him commit
suicide and was afraid he may
say something to the rest of his
family and they would do it as
well. He was always arguing with
his wife and his son. He spent
all his days in the room crying
and he tried to use alcohol to get
through it as he was in a world of
self-hate. I found it sad to watch
to see what it’s like for someone
to loose someone and blame
himself for his son’s death. The
father talked about the things he
did with his son and what he was
like growing up. One night in the
father’s sleep his son had come
too him in a dream but as a little
boy and told him it wasn’t his
fault, there was nothing he could
do it was just how he felt for a
long time. The set was dark there
was a bed, Jameson bottle, holy
statues/and pictures, a picture
of his son, a dresser and a chair.
There wasn’t any music only a
bell toll when he said the rhyme
one for sorrow, two for joy……… I
think people should watch this
because when people see this
they will realise suicide affects
the whole community.
the miltown malbay news
Sinead off to Adventure
Challenge with Defence Forces
O
ne of our students has been successful in her application
through Gaisce to attend a defence force 4 day training programme in Athlone in June 2014. Her challenge will take place in
the Athlone/Carnagh/Slieve Bloom area and she will take part in
many new challenges including activities required to complete
the final phase of the Bronze Gaisce award. She is thrilled to have
been selected as there is a long reserve list of eager participants
and even though she is facing new challenges – she I guaranteed
that all challenges will be pitched at an appropriate level and the
adventure will be enjoyable experience!
Trip to Cork
Y
outhreach Miltown Malbay has been successful in securing
some funding from the NALA Student Development Fund.
The fund is available to spend on events for adults or young
people who are working to improve their literacy and numeracy
skills. This fund is a subsidy or a contribution, not covering all
the costs of the event. Events should have a strong student development focus with the students deciding what to do. As part
of the requirements to receive the funding NALA asks for centres
to give feedback on specific topics. This year our students will
be giving feedback on, “How can we make sure students’ experiences are known where decisions are made that have an impact
on us?” Because we are based in West Clare and do not have
our own bus, the price of bringing learners to events outside
of Miltown is extremely costly. We regularly get the learners to
investigate activities for our summer programme and invariably it
is the cost of transport that tips things over the edge and makes
them unachievable. Of course our budget is tight and really just
covers the normal day to day running of the programme. Any
extra funding really benefits our learners life experience. We
plan to take our learners to Cork and attend a play at the Cork
Opera House and stay overnight on the 10th of June. For some of
our students it will be their first time in Cork and for more it will
be their first time at a play. For others it will be their first night
away without their family. This is a wonderful chance for them
to experience some real culture. They have already expressed a
great interest in this event and the excitement is growing.
All- Ireland Ladies In-door Soccer
T
27
he Miltown Malbay girls travelled to Bohola in Co.Mayo on
27th May to represent the North Munster Region at the All- Ireland Ladies In- door soccer final. They didn’t reach the final – but
had a great day out and received great welcome from the hostsBallinrobe Youthreach.
From sitting at home..
to Wicklow Youthreach..
to College..
M
y name is Jaclyn Lyons. I started Wicklow Youthreach in September
2012. I joined because I was moving house and I didn’t want to do
5th year in a new school all over again, I got bored sitting at home all the
time and wanted to do something with myself.
Since I started, I have benefitted from learning and completing portfolios
in all my subjects and participating in as many activities as I could. I did
two mock interviews which have prepared me for when I finish college
and want to apply for a job. Work experience taught me what it is really
like out there in the working world.
Before I started Youthreach I had a fear of water but with the help of the sports teachers I participated in
swimming and water safety and achieved an Irish Water Safety Swimming Certificate.
I participated in the X-Hale Youth Awards through the Irish Cancer Society where we made a video to encourage young people to quit smoking.
Through the Young Social Innovators group I had the opportunity to work with other students to produce
a book of real life stories highlighting the violation of people’s human rights.
I am very grateful for the opportunities Wicklow Youthreach has given me, especially, returning to continue my education. In March I had my personal advisory meeting for college, I was delighted when I was
informed I got a place.
My Personal and Interpersonal Development class group decided to write this poem to mark and celebrate
our time in Youthreach.
On behalf of all the students I would like to thank all the staff and other students for making our time
here in Youthreach unforgettable.
I Am Me...
Adam, Elliot, Kerrie, Jaclyn, Alan, Cian and Kyle,
Who are confident, creative, original, friendly, educated, motivated and determined,
Who love music, food, T.V, learning, fun and good times with friends,
Who feel happy, excited, positive and ambitious,
Who need money, happiness, independence, opportunities and a job,
Who would like to see the world, people smiling and an end to cruelty and poverty,
Who fear failure, loneliness, ill health and unhappiness,
We are who we are,
The finishing group of Wicklow Youthreach ’14.
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