Newsletter of the National Association of Youthreach Co ... · PDF file......

Welcome...Welcome...Welcome...Welcome...to the second edition of the NAYC newsletter for 201o.

Co-ordinators attended their annual conference at the end of February in Dublin which provided an excellent networking opportunity and a chance to learn from each other and national experts through some very informative and indeed, entertaining, presentations, some of which are available ion the NAYC section of the Youthreach website(www.youthreach.ie). This edition of the newsletter continues to showcase the great work going on in centres around the country which , over the last few months has ranged from fundraising for various good causes including the Haiti disaster; exploring community relations and peace and reconciliation and inter-centre activities such as regional conferences and football tournaments.

Dr Sandra Buchanan, NAYC Newsletter Editor , [email protected] Sandra Buchanan, NAYC Newsletter Editor , [email protected] Sandra Buchanan, NAYC Newsletter Editor , [email protected] Sandra Buchanan, NAYC Newsletter Editor , [email protected]

Newsletter of the

National Association of

Youthreach Co-ordinators Volume 14, Issue 2, May 2010

www.youthreach.ie

Castleblayney Peace Project Award

5

Tramore Fundraise for Haiti 7

Birr First Awards Night 8

East Cork’s ‘Shave or Dye’ 11

Kingscourt Working in the Community

18

West & Midlands 5-A-Side Soccer

19

Inside this issue:

Miltown Malbay Update 20

Successful Dublin Conference Youthreach Coordinators met in Dublin for their annual conference from 24-26 February. A really interesting programme addressing the agenda of Meeting Challenge with Innovation was provided for almost 80 delegates. Marian Carr, Assistant Principal Officer with the DES opened the conference by delivering a speech from Sean Haughey, Minister for Lifelong Learning who was unable to attend. The keynote speaker, Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive of Barnardos, examined the issue of ‘Second Chance or Last Chance?’ Informative and indeed entertaining centre presentations were provided by Martin Cournane, Regional Co-ordinator with Limerick City who explored the development of the Youthreach centres in Limerick City within the context of the regeneration taking place there; by Bev Cotton in Macroom who introduced us to the ‘first class sheducation’ they are providing; by Helena McMahon in Shanagolden whose centre has adopted Equine Assisted Learning (EAL—see p.9 of this newsletter) and by Eddie Manning in Swords who managed to get everyone on their feet to join in with some of the rituals used in his centre! Very useful presentations were made by Jacinta Kitt on creating a (continued overleaf)

Pictured above are various presenters from the NAYC conference, from left-right: Lorraine O’Leary, NAYC Chairperson; Marie Griffin, Acting CEO Co Dublin VEC; Marian Carr, Assistant Principal Officer, Further Education Section, Department of Education & Skills; Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive, Barnardos; Jacinta Kitt who spoke on

creating a positive working environment.

positive working environment, Deirdre Keogh (IVEA) on the IVEA’s Codes of Practice for Dealing with Complaints of Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment in VEC Workplaces and Cor-mac Russell who examined the issue of managing challenging behaviour in staff. Workshops covered such diverse topics as innovation in reading; Glasser and the quality school; adolescent mental health and managing substance misuse. The conference presented an excellent networking opportunity for Co-ordinators; the feedback provided by delegates was very positive overall and will be taken into consideration by the Executive in planning next year’s conference.

Pictured from left-right: Martin Cournane, City of Limerick Regional Co-ordinator; Bev Cotton, Macroom; Eddie Manning, Swords.

Successful Dublin Conference (cont’d. from p.1)

2 Nat ional As s oc iat ion of Youth reac h Co-ord inato r s

New Executive Committee &

Regional Representatives Elected for NAYC

Pictured left-right is the new NAYC Executive Committee: Tracy Phillips (Treasurer); Bev Cotton (PRO); Lorraine O’Leary (Chairperson); Mark O’Sullivan (Vice-Chairperson); Christine Hughes (Secretary); Sandra Buchanan (Newsletter Editor).

Following its recent AGM at the 16th annual conference of the NAYC in Malahide, Dublin in February, the new NAYC Executive (pictured below) are:

Chairperson: Lorraine O Leary (Hospital, Co Limerick) [email protected] Vice-Chairperson: Mark O’Sullivan (Subla Centre, Waterford City) [email protected] Secretary: Christine Hughes (Rush, Co Dublin) [email protected] Treasurer: Tracy Phillips (Blanchardstown, Co Dublin) [email protected] PRO: Bev Cotton (Macroom, Co Cork) [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Sandra Buchanan (Co Donegal) [email protected]

Regional Representatives for the year ahead are:

Dublin City: Paula Daly (Sherrard Street), [email protected] Dublin County: Eimear O’Rourke (Killinarden, Tallaght), [email protected] Eastern Region (Kildare, Wexford, Wicklow): Lorraine O’Sullivan (Leixlip), [email protected] Northern Region (Donegal): Sandra Buchanan (Co Donegal), [email protected] Midlands Region (Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath): TBC Southern Region (Cork City/Co, Kerry, Waterford City/Co): TBC Western Region (Galway City/Co, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo): Frank Brady (Ballinrobe), [email protected]

Mid-West Region (Limerick City/Co, Clare, Tipperary North & South): Helena MacMahon (Shanagolden), [email protected] North Eastern Region (Cavan, Louth, Meath, Monaghan): Bernadette Duffy (Carrickmacross), [email protected] Co-ordinators are encouraged to attend their regional meetings and feed their ideas and concerns to the NAYC through their regional representatives.

3 Nat ional Assoc iat ion of Youth reach Co-ord inato rs

NAYC Arts Competition Winners In November 2009 the NAYC launched an Arts Competition for all centres on the theme of What Youthreach Means to Me. The competition was open to entries in any media and were judged at Regional meetings during January. Regional winners were brought to the NAYC conference in February. The competition was sponsored by Learning Horizons. Managing Director Kevin Farrell attended the NAYC conference to present the winning entries (pictured below) with their prizes for their centres of the Spell Rite Right Programme; first prize went to Letterfrack, second prize went to Tallaght and third prize to New Ross. The NAYC would like to thank all centre for taking part in the competition and to thank Kevin in particular for providing the fantastic prizes.

The winning entries (l-r) from Letterfrack, Tallaght and New Ross.

Kevin Farrell, Learning Horizons, present ing pr ise to Theresa McLoughlin, Letterfrack and Eimear O’Rourke, Tallaght.

Theresa McLoughlin pictured with the wining entry from her Letterfrack centre.

A selection of the other entries.

Betty Doyle pictured with the New Ross entry.


Youthreach Leixlip Wish Noel Dalton, Education Officer (formerly A.E.O.) a Very Happy Retirement

Youthreach Leixlip wishes Noel Dalton (pictured on the right with Co-ordinator Lorraine O’Sullivan) a very happy retirement. Noel has worked with Kildare V.E.C. since 1981. He was responsible for the setting up of Youthreach Leixlip and has worked closely with the centre throughout these years. He was a steadfast supporter throughout his time with us and his ethos and beliefs will still be carried out in our everyday running of the centre. The staff and students presented Noel with a present and wished him a happy retirement.

Letterkenny Fundraise for Donegal Domestic Violence

Pictured on the left are representatives from the Letterkenny LCA group presenting a cheque for €620 to Donegal Women’s Domestic Violence Service. The money was raised from the Christmas Craft Fair as part of the LCA Enterprise Task for Vocational Preparation. From left-right are: Priya Mendes-McMenamin (Letterkenny Youthreach), Mary McKenna (DWDVS), Kirsty Laird (Letterkenny Youthreach), Trevor Bates (Letterkenny Youthreach), Aislin McEntee (Letterkenny Youthreach), Fiona Doherty (DWDVS) and Breda Rodden (Co-ordinator, Letterkenny Youthreach).

Youthreach Leixlip would like to congratulate Charlene Tola on receiving a Special Merit Award from Concern. She was entered in the senior category of the 2009 C o n c e r n C r e a t i v e Writing Competition entitled “Dear President O b a m a ” . H e r c o m p o s i t i o n w a s published in a book of winning and selected letters. The book was based on letters from students on child labour, climate change and world hunger. Well done Charlene—we are very proud of you!

Leixlip’s Charlene Receives Award from Concern Castleblayney Take on

Local Gardaí in Basketball Match


Lifford Explore Community Relations through Sport

On the weekend of the 13th and 14th of February, Lifford Youthreach learners along with youth groups from St Johnston, Newtoncunningham, and Castlederg enjoyed a weekend at the Áras Ghleann Cholm Cille Residential Centre in Gleann Colm Chille. The residential was part of the Community Relations through Sport project supported by the Donegal CDB Peace and Reconciliation Partnership as part of the European Union European Regional Development Fund. Over the course of the weekend the groups integrated and worked as part of a team on many different projects and tasks, while also taking part in activities such as pier jumping, rock climbing, caving, and archery. The weekend was a great success with the groups getting along fantastically, building relationships and meaningful friendships through the medium of sports exercise fun and enjoyment. As part of this programme learners will also get the opportunity to complete a Level 3 FETAC module “Living in a Diverse Society” which can be added to other qualifications and modules gained during their time at Youthreach.

Leixlip’s Michael Fundraises for Haiti

Congratulations to Michael Ryan who organised a Sports Charity Blitz in the Amenities Centre in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, as part of his F.E.T.A.C. Personal Effectiveness Level 4. Michael and his fellow students helped raise €150. The proceeds of the Blitz will be donated to Haiti Earthquake disaster fund.

Castleblayney Win Award for Peace Project Castleblayney Youthreach recently received third prize in Co. Monaghan VEC’s Peace III Project for ‘Creative Work’ within the County. This involved reading and reflecting on the legacy left from the past. Students researched a number of books exploring the historical and cultural issues that had an impact on Catholic and Protestant young people. A short film was produced on the findings. This project was very educational, entertaining and indeed challenging as many students examined their own prejudices and values. Stories were recorded on segregation, diversity and religious and political difference. Study visits also took place in Belfast to examine the aftermath of the Troubles as well as visiting many community projects in the city. Pictured below on the left is Daniel O’Brien (fourth student, front row) receiving the award for Castleblayney Youthreach and on the right is Daytona Gavin displaying the final piece of the “Peace” film produced by the students.


Work Experience in Blanchardstown Students of Blanchardstown Youthreach are studying a Special Needs Assistant (SNA) FETAC Level 5 course and had a visit to Saint Joseph’s for the visually impaired in Drumcondra in March 2010. Students were given a lecture on each sector in St Joseph’s from the Family Resource Centre (FRC) the Braille centre. The students were able to experience what each sector provides for junior infants to adults which highlighted areas of interest to further their careers in this area of special needs.

Pictured above from left-right: Students in the Sensory room in Saint Joseph’s from left Charlene Keegan, Emma O’Brien, Sinead Murray, Shauna Malone, Lyndsey Edmonds, Amy Landers, Joanne Macken and Donna Morgan; Students with Geraldine (3

rd from left) who is the training coordinator for staff and students in Saint Josephs; Amy

Landers trying out glasses that assimilate a particular visual impairment.

Pictured below are students from the centre undertaking their various work experience placements recently.

Michael Dignam in Renault, Coolmine.

Saleh Nassour in ProParts, Blanchardstown.

Laura Reid (centre) Mount-view Resource Centre.

Right Karl Brady in Mount-view Resource Centre.

Ciara Byrne (left) Tree-house Childcare, Clonsilla.

Lyndsey Edmonds (left) St Joseph’s Hospital, Clonsilla.

Phiona Kato (centre) in Dorothy Perkins.

Shane Lynch (left) & Christopher Cahill (right) in

Halfords.

Maurice Drumm (left) & Marc O’Loughlin (right) in Home Store & More. Thomas Maguire in Smiths.

FETAC Level 5 Business Group 2010; from left: Thalita Farrelly, Rosanne Byrne, Caroline Bradley, Sharon Thorpe, Phiona Kato,

Natasha Farnan & Amy Lynch.

Ballyshannon on Top of the World!


Learners and staff from Ballyshannon Youthreach recently went hill walking at Slieve League, the

highest sea cliffs in Europe. The photos below give an idea of the spectacular scenery.

Tramore Fundraise for Haiti On Wednesday the 27

th of January the Tramore Youthreach Centre held a charity

coffee morning to raise money and awareness in aid of the people of Haiti disaster, with loss of life over 150,000. Students Donna, Emma and Lavinya, along with their teacher set about organising the event. They decided to have a coffee morning which would take place in the centre. They invited students and staff to help by baking some cakes at home and donating them to the event. The coffee morning was held in the centre canteen during the break. People were asked for a minimum contribution of €2 but many people generously donated more. We were very pleased with the number of people who came into the centre for this worthy event. We held this event because the people in Haiti are in desperate need at this tragic time. The earthquake has affected the whole country. In just 11 days there has been 150,000 bodies found and that’s not including bodies still trapped under collapsed buildings. People all over the world are organising different events to raise money for

supplies to be sent and also for volunteers. This coffee morning was Tramore Youthreach’s own way of offering our support to the people in Haiti. The total amount raised was €413.08 we are very grateful to everyone who helped by baking and donating to our event.

Castleblayney ‘Grow in Peace’ Castleblayney Youthreach took part in a ‘Growing in Peace Project’ which involved many students

designing a community garden on the grounds of St Mary’s Nursing Home, Castleblayney. The garden is a focal point for people to build positive relationships and develop skills in growing fruit and vegetables. It is an opportunity for young people to learn from older members in the community and vice versa.


In the last edition of the newsletter it was reported that the Road Safety Authority (RSA) had set up an editorial group (including NAYC Newsletter Editor Sandra Buchanan) to assist them with developing a road safety education programme for hard to reach groups on the road, including young people attending Youthreach.

The RSA has now almost completed the process of developing an interactive website based on an award winning UK site. Materials to accompany the website will also be produced for staff who work with at risk young people to use with the website. It is hoped to pilot the programme in Youthreach centres across the country before the summer and have it fully available for use after that.

UPDATE:

Road Safety Authority Programme Development

for High Risk Groups

Birr Host First Awards Night Youthreach Birr had its first awards night in the County

Arms Hotel on 26th January 2010 to celebrate the hard

work and dedication of their students. In attendance on

the night was Mr. Edward Mc Evoy, Acting CEO of Co.

Offaly VEC, Cllr. Tony Mc Loughlin, Chairman of

Youthreach Board of Management and Cllr. Noel

Bourke also of Youthreach Board of Management,

students of Birr Youthreach, parents, staff and friends.

Speakers were Mr. Edward Mc Evoy, Acting CEO of

Co. Offaly VEC; Cllr. Tony Mc Loughlin; Celina Casey,

Co-ordinator; Cody Ward, student and Oliver Carroll,

student. Over thirty students received certificates for

their achievements at FETAC Levels 3 and 4. Birr Youthreach was established in September

2007 and has gone from strength to strength in terms of student achievements, staff team and

establishing themselves in the wider community of Birr. Following the Award Presentations,

Oliver Carroll, student, introduced a short film which was made during last year’s summer

programme by the students. The film was entitled Breakdown and was produced in collaboration

with Paul and Helen

Duncan of Access

Arts, Co. Roscom-

mon. It proved to be

a big hit with all in

attendance on the

night!! Overall, Birr's

first awards night was

an ou t s t and in g

success and we look

forward to many

more of these.

Michelle Morrissey receiving her FETAC Level 3 Full Award from Celina Casey, Co-ordintor.

Youthreach Birr Students and Staff group.

Mr. Edward Mc Evoy, Acting CEO, presents Lisa Loonam with her certificate.

9 Nat iona l Assoc iat ion of Youthreach Co-ordinators

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) at Shanagolden Shanagolden Youthreach centre has adopted Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) in its centre (pictured below). EAL is working with horses on the ground, it is not horse riding. Students learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with horses and then processing thoughts, beliefs and patterns of behaviour. The experiences are structured by the facilitators (two tutors who trained as such) so that the students have to take initiatives, make decisions, and be accountable for results. Throughout the process the students are actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative and constructing meaning. We have found that students who participate in EAL are extremely calm and reflective when we return to the centre. All students will get the opportunity to participate in EAL during the year as we run it within the timetabled programme in Shanagolden.

Buncrana/Glengad’s Belfast Visit Pictured below are learners and staff from the Buncrana and Glengad Youthreach centres during a recent cultural visit of Belfast. They visited the Peace Wall, the Shankill Road, the Falls Road, the Titanic Quarter and the Belfast Transport Museum.

creo


Aislin Wins European Trip! Aislin McEntee, a 19 year old learner at Letterkenny Youthreach, has recently returned from an all expenses paid trip to Strasbourg, to take part in the Euroscola day in the European Parliament with other young people from across Europe, spending the day in the Parliament and learning about the European Union, a prize she won with 32 other young people from around the country after entering the Michael Sweetman Education Trust Competition. This competition is open to year 2 LCA students and supported by the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA). Below is her trip report.

When the 10th March arrived I was really nervous because I had to get the bus from Letterkenny to Dublin and find the hotel by myself and I had never went anywhere like that by myself...but thankfully everything went well and I arrived in Bewleys hotel to meet the other people going on the trip. There were people there from all over Ireland; Meath, Cork, Galway, Wexford, Kilkenny but I was the only one from Donegal and they all had a bit of trouble understanding my accent at first but after a while they got used to it. I was a bit nervous about spending the 5 days in a group were I didn’t know anyone, but after a while I got chatting to everyone and they were all really nice. The first night was spent preparing for the day in the Parliament and the group leader Sharon told us the rules for the trip and what we would be doing.

The next day we were up early for breakfast and away to the airport. When we arrived in Germany the ground was covered in snow and it was really cold. I couldn’t believe it. I thought nowhere got worse weather than home. France and Germany are in a different time zone than Ireland. We had been told we had to be up to go to the parliament at 7 o’clock the next morning which was actually 6 o’clock Irish time. We all had dinner and headed to bed because we were exhausted from the travelling.

The next day we were all up early and dressed smartly for our day in the parliament. We got on the bus and drove to Strasburg, France. We drove from Germany to France but it was only a 5 minute drive. I had never seen a building like the parliament before. It was a massive glass dome shape building. We got separated into our discussion groups and went into the council room were all the maps sit. Each of the countries did an opening presentation and then we listened to four heads of the council speaking about the history of the European Parliament and what happens in it. There were over 500 young people in the discussion as well as teachers and groups of spectators. There was then an opportunity to ask questions. After lunch we took part in a quiz where you had to make a team with 3 other young people from a different country. This was a lot of fun and I got to meet young people from different countries and learn a bit about their lives. I was in a group with a boy from Bulgaria, a girl from Estonia and a girl from Austria. We were then split back into our discussion groups and went to a big room to debate and come up with ideas. Our group was coming up with resolutions for poverty and social exclusion in Europe. The other 3 Irish people in my group were Youthreach students as well and we spoke about how we had Youthreach in Ireland and how well it works. When all the ideas were discussed we headed back to the main council room again and a person from each of the seven discussion groups presented their ideas and we had to vote if we agreed or disagreed with them. After this we did the final round of the quiz and received our certificates. It was a very long day, we spent 10 hours in the Parliament but it was very interesting and I learned a lot of things I didn’t know about the European Union and the Parliament.

The next day we got up and headed back into Strasburg. We met up with our tour guide and went for a tour of the old city. The city is centuries old and at the centre of the town is a grand cathedral. The houses and buildings are all really unusual and ornate—it looked like something from a film. We then went on a boat trip through the city. This was also interesting as Strasburg has an interesting past. When we had finished our tours we went for lunch and the boys went to watch the rugby match in the Irish bar. The shops in Strasburg were really good and the streets were bustling with tourists and performers. When all our money was spent we headed back on the bus to our hotel in Germany, got changed, and as it was our last night the people who were over 18 went to the local pub for a glass of German beer. It was the cheapest drink I ever had and we all agreed we would be back again.

The next day we headed back to Dublin. I got the bus back to Letterkenny were my friend Lisa was waiting for me and the first thing we did was go for a Four Lights (Four Lanterns fast food Restaurant). Germany and France are lovely but they don’t have Big 4 Sauce. I swapped phone numbers, Bebo and Facebook addresses with some of the other people who won the trip and we are definitely meeting up in the summer. I made friends for life and I am so pleased I entered the competition.

11 Nat ional As s oc iat ion of Youth reac h Co-ord inato r s

The Transition Centre, Dominick Street, Dublin City, recently held its official opening of the centre, in conjunction with handing over our QFD to Jacinta Stewart, CDVEC CEO (pictured left). As you can see in the photographs, Jacinta Stewart, Dr Dermot Stokes and Stephen McCarthy, Education Officer, joined us on our big day. Also in the photographs is our Co-ordinator Chris Heffernan. Pictured right is Kelly Harrington who won the I r i s h S e n i o r C h a m p i o n s h i p ' s i n Boxing on Friday 5th March 2010. In the photograph below right (from left to right) are Joan Burke (Sports P r o g r a m m e ) , C h r i s Heffernan (Co-ordinator),

Patrick Oglesby, who recently achieved 3rd place in a swimming gala run by S.C.C., Gary Kelly and Ciaran O'Brien. This was the first time in 12 years that the Transition Centre entered this swimming gala. We are extremely proud of the three students involved.

Transition Centre, Dominick Street Update

East Cork’s Conor Participates in ‘Shave or Dye’ Students and staff of the Youthreach Centres in Youghal and Macroom have shaved their teacher’s head as part of the Today FM Shave or Dye Event. The event was held at the East Cork Further Education and Youthreach Centre, Youghal, Co. Cork on Tuesday 9th March 2010. They succeeded in raising over €600 for the Irish Cancer Society. The Maths and I.T. teacher, Conor Gurrin, allowed students to choose the colour and style and ended up with a blue Mohawk! Many thanks to all who donated and particularly to Natasha Fitzgerald who shaved his head. What is Shave Or Dye? Last month Today FM launched their first charity drive in aid of the Irish Cancer Society. They called on listeners to sponsor presenters to Shave or Dye their hair, or join in by taking part in their own Shave or Dye event. The overall campaign has been a phenomenal success. They set a lofty target of €200,000 but people’s generosity has already seen that target smashed and the sum of €500,000 has already been achieved to date.

creo


Life’s a Trip...Drugs Destroy!! Following the success Wicklow Youthreach had in the Young Social Innovators (YSI) competition in 2008 with their project ‘Bullying and Beyond’ the students decided to enter again in 2010. Young Social Innovators is a social awareness programme designed for young people who wish to get their voices heard and take action against social issues that concern them.

The title of this year’s project is ‘Life’s a Trip... Drugs Destroy!!’ A group of students in the Wicklow centre have undertaken this theme because they recognise it is a social issue that affects so many young people and their families today. The students feel strongly that the problem of drug abuse is one that needs to be revisited and publicised on a continuous basis.

The first part of the project is the Speakout Fora. It was held in Griffith College on the 3rd of March 2010 and provides a platform for young people to speak out about their social issue and present their projects on stage to a panel of judges. The Wicklow Youthreach group eagerly attended to stage their drama, presented through narration, mime and even rap. Hundreds of teenagers from all over Dublin and Wicklow also attended, contributing to a vibrant, lively day of presentations and interaction between groups.

The students started rehearsing and preparing our props for the Speakout in January so on the day they were all set to go. Although nerves were flying when they first saw the crowds of young people gathered in the auditorium they managed to remain calm and present their project. It was enjoyable watching all the other performances and some powerful messages were delivered.

The group did brilliantly and it was a real team effort with

everybody helping out, be it set design, script writing, or

acting, everyone got involved. All agreed it was a

fantastic day, definitely a worthwhile project. The students

now wish to continue the YSI project by organising a drug

awareness campaign throughout Wicklow Town. They

hope that together we can all make a difference!

Marguerite McConnell

‘A Terrible Beauty’ On the 16th February 2010, Wicklow Youthreach students participated in Art and Drama workshops in the Hugh Lane gallery in Dublin. The workshops, facilitated by gallery artists, were based on the exhibition ‘Francis Bacon; A Terrible Beauty.’ This colourful character’s quirks and eccentricities were portrayed through anecdotes and a tour of the exhibition. The artist giving the tour encouraged questions and gave the students an insight into the private life of the artist and the world of art in general. The students also had the opportunity to visit the gallery’s permanent exhibition, displaying a huge array of artists and styles, both local and international. A friendly invigilator was on hand to tell the students about the value of the work, most were amazed to find that a blank red canvas by Irish artist Ciaran Lennon is worth

approximately €20,000!

In the Drama workshop, students first took part in ice breaker games. They were asked to consider the themes of ‘Space’ and ‘Identity’ and then created ‘still images’ with their bodies representing their own identities and the overall identity of Wicklow Youthreach. Throughout the session, the students participated in discussions, engaged in dramatic interpretations and got to know the work and life of Irish-born painter Bacon. The students returned to Wicklow safely after a hectic, culture-filled day.

Students, in character, at the YSI Speakout Fora in

Griffith College.

Pictured left: Students participating in the drama workshop in the Hugh Lane Gallery.


On Thursday 4th of February 2010 at 10.00 am the young people and staff of Transforum Alley Youthreach ran a 24

hour indoor soccer marathon in the Sports Hall in the KDYS Youth centre in Tralee. The marathon was in aid of the charity GOAL as they helped with the rescue and rebuilding efforts in Haiti as a result of the devastating earthquake that took place on January 12

th. We chose GOAL because we celebrate GOAL Jersey Day each year and as an

organisation they seek the involvement of sports people. For a week prior to the event, Transforum Alley was a hive of activity as posters and banners were made, spot prizes were secured and raffle tickets were sold. Hourly slots were created throughout the 24 hours for groups such as the children from the KDYS Crèche, the staff of the KDYS, Tralee LCA, Killarney and Killorglin Youthreach, My and Connect 7 Justice Projects among many others to take part in the activities. Throughout the 24 hours the intention was to keep at least one football moving at all times and by the end of the 24 hours the main ball was unrecognisable. The activities varied from organised 5-aside football games to fun activities and challenges. By the end of the 24 hours one young person Loukas Murphy managed to kick the ball from one end of the hall into the opposite basketball hoop four times during the night. The staff and young people were timetabled to keep the ball going throughout the night. When people had a break from the hall, there was time to play the x box or to catch a sneaky forty winks. The pool table proved to be a comfy bed option at 4.00am. By the time morning came the ball was moving very slowly, everyone had aching muscles but we still had smiles on our faces. The draw for the raffle prizes took place at 10.00am on the Friday morning. Over €1500 was raised for Goal. Everybody in Transforum Alley worked very hard to organise such a big event but all be-lieve it is a small sacrifice to make in light of what the people in Haiti went through.

Transforum Alley’s 24 Hour Soccer Marathon

Damien Coffey, Maaike Verhuizen (Co-ordinator) Jake Parker, Rowena Mattock, David Henry (Staff Member), Gavin Maunsell, Tony Noctor (Resource Worker).

Ciara O’ Connor (SENI Resource Worker), Damien Quaid (Work Placement), Thomas Clifford and Monika Pastorova.

Le f t : N i k o l a

Busova, Sandra

O’ Brien and

M i c h e l l e

McCarthy .

Right: Loukas Murphy with the ball used for the 24 hours.


New Media Institute Training Attention Youthreach!! Are you interested in offering your students a short course in film-making with an accredited FETAC qualification at Level 3 or Level 5? Have you ever wondered how you could create your own short film, then add your own sound track and effects? TNMI can deliver courses at your own premises via our mobile training facilities. Learners who choose this innovative course will learn through both classroom teaching and all important practical ‘hands on’ experience how to shoot on High Definition digital cameras and learn foundation skills of film-making. The course will cover the fundamentals of directing actors and the art of visual storytelling as well as learning modern techniques of white balancing, shutter speed and varied camera angles while producing a short film. Best of all, although it is great fun and gives you some really useful skills, it is also recognised as an international qualification - and even better, there are no exams or tests to take!

Day in the life - on a Youthreach film set. A typical day will start with a brain storming session on what type of film to shoot. Everyone throws in an idea and we form a plot. Next is the storyboard, a sort of film map that tells us what we are going to do and when. This is followed by a couple of workshops such as;

Camera -how to set up, white balance and create all the effects we need in our film. Lighting - Indoor and outdoor, this creates the mood of our film. Sound - Recording the dialogue and sound effects Make-up - How to get the look right, special effects etc. Action scenes - if our film has action sequences and stunts how do we create them on film -this is the fun bit.

After gaining some basic skills its over to you to start the filming, remember every skill you use counts towards your accreditation.

For our Level 3 certification we always shoot a film and for level 5 its a film and a documentary

Why use The New Media Institute ? • Registered FETAC Quality Assured training provider. • Use state of the art digital technologies which delivers industry standard training in TV & Video Production. • Training is delivered Nationwide via our Mobile Studio. • Our Tutors have over 50 years combined experience in delivering video/film training. • Copies of Child Protection Policy, Insurance, Tax Clearance Certificate, Garda vetting available upon request. • All FETAC administration, candidate entry, verification, authentication, certificates etc. handled by TNMI staff. • All outreach projects are customised to suit the students involved and we welcome programs involving adults and students with special educational needs.

Courses FETAC Level 5 course in TV & Video Production—Cost €2,995 including: • Duration – 5 days (+ 2 Days on-line viewing exercises)

FETAC Level 3 Certificate in Video Expression Cost €1,550 including: • Duration – 3 days

Both courses include; • Max group 15 – 20 students (if larger than 20 Youthreach Coordinator assistance required). • Workbooks, Tapes, consumables • DVD copy for each student • 2 x TNMI Tutors • All FETAC administration completed by TNMI • Note if two groups join the one course the programme can be delivered between the two centres and costs shared.

Check out the award winning film from Limerick MTI at http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJSCiw-6xtY

OFFICE New Media Centre Shackleton Road Celbridge, Co.Kildare PHONE +353 (0) 1-6273589 +353 (0)87-2445505 +353 (0)86-8549635 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.tnmi.net


Youthreach Trim Centre of Education ‘Quality School Declaration Day’ Friday 5

th March 2010

Youthreach Trim proudly declared itself as the first Quality centre in Ireland and only the second in Europe. Youthreach Centre of Education in Trim recognised that our students needed a different approach to education if they were to fully engage in learning. They needed an environment where they would be cared for, nurtured, educated, respected, encouraged and above all loved. Following rigorous evaluation over the last two years we were delighted to announce that Youthreach Trim is now deemed a Quality Centre of Education. The Declaration ceremony took place on Friday 5th March 2010 in the Castle Arch Hotel, Trim Co Meath. The opening address was given by Minister for Transport Mr. Noel Dempsey, who kindly paid a special tribute to both the students and staff for such an achievement for Trim and County Meath. Other guests of honour included; Mr. Peter Kierans (Chief Executive Office of County Meath VEC), Mr. Tommy Grimes (Chairperson of County Meath VEC), Mr. Brian Lennon (Director of the WGII National Executive), Dr. Dermot Stokes (National Co-ordinator of Youthreach), Ms. Patricia Masterson (Chairperson of the WGII) and Mr. Christy Duffy (Adult Education Officer of County Meath VEC). During the ceremony a presentation of Youthreach Trim’s Declaration scroll was made to both County Meath VEC and the William Glasser Institute of Ireland. In addition both past and present students spoke of their own unique experiences at the centre and the ceremony concluded with a personalised piece of rap by current student Stephen King. To end this historical event a lunch was held in the newly renovated Youthreach centre after the ceremony and a great day was had by all. Immediately following lunch both Centre Co-ordinator Liz Lavery and student Stephen King made the trip to RTE studios for a live interview on RTE’s The Afternoon Show.

What is a Glasser Quality School? A Glasser Quality School/Centre is a learning environment which has adopted an educational philosophy and practice based on Choice Theory. In other words everyone operates under the belief that it is impossible to control another human being and the most important thing is the development of relationships between any two people. If we wish to influence people we need to create a satisfying relationship with them. People grow best in a needs-satisfying environment and this has major implications both for the relationships in a school or centre and for the quality of the work that students engage in and produce.

What is Youthreach Trim Quality Centre? Youthreach Trim Quality Centre of Education recognises that our students need a different approach to education if they are to fully engage in learning. They need an environment where they are cared for, nurtured, educated, respected, encouraged and above all loved. To this end we opened our centre under the principles of Choice Theory/Reality Therapy/Quality School as created by Dr. William Glasser, M.D. Under this model students take a student driven pro-active role in their centre. They study subjects they will enjoy; be part of all aspects of centre life including staff recruitment; have choices on how they wish to live their lives; learn to understand their behaviours and how it affects others etc. The whole ethos of our centre is based on solid relationships between all people entering the building (staff, students and visitors) alike. We have no Code of Behaviour or Code of Discipline. Thus we operate with no detentions, suspensions or expulsions. All issues are dealt with though negotiation and equality.

L-R: Mr. Peter Kierans (CEO County Meath VEC), Mr. Tommy Grimes (Chairperson County Meath VEC), Ciaran Murphy (student), Patricia Materson (chairperson WGII), Jackie Moore (student), Minister Noel Dempsey.

Staff and Students of Youthreach Trim – with Centre Co-ordinator Liz Lavery as she signs the declaration document.

L-R: Ms Patricia Masterson (chairperson of the WGII), Mr. Christy Duffy AEO County Meath VEC, Ms. Liz Lavery (Centre Co-ordinator), Dr. Dermot Stokes (National Youthreach Co-ordinator), Mr. Brian Lennon (Director of the WGII Executive).


Southern Region Host Staff Conference Youthreach Southern Region (Cork, Kerry and Waterford) held a Staff Conference (‘Innovating Approaches to Education in a Changing Society’) in the Brehon Hotel Killarney on Thursday 24

th

and Friday the 25th of March 2010. 151 staff members from 20 different Youthreach Centers in

the Cork, Kerry and Waterford region attended this conference. The conference was held for all of the Youthreach staff in the region to provide them with innovation ways to educate students in Youthreach in changing times and also to provide staff the opportunity to network with other staff from different Youthreach Centres to share best practice and resources. Lorraine O’ Leary Chairperson NAYC opened the Conference. Brian Lennon gave a presentation on ‘The Glasser Approach to Education – The Choice Theory’ followed by Liz Lavery (Co-ordinator Trim Youthreach) who gave a presentation on ‘A Glasser Quality School’ indicating how to put the Glasser approach into practice. Time was allocated to all staff to share ideas, resources and experiences by subject areas. Staff brought samples of completed portfolios, work and tasks to share with other Centres, as well as lists of good resources, websites, agencies and organizations in relation to their subject area. Each subject area was a facilitated sessions, where ideas, resources, good practice and contact

details were exchanged. There was a presentation from Eddie Manning (Co-ordinator Swords Youthreach), who highlighted the importance of humour, positivity and energy when working in Youthreach. Time was given to the evaluation of the Conference to ensure that the conference is meeting the needs of the staff in Youthreach and provide ideas for future conferences. The conference highlighted that all Youthreach Centres are as different as they are the same! The student who comes into Youthreach is the priority and we are all doing a good job, but by learning new ways and meeting people doing a similar job and sharing we can do a better job!

Pat Maher making a presentation at the Southern

Region Conference.

Daffodil Day in Wicklow On Friday 26th March the students and staff of Wicklow Youthreach

organised a Daffodil Day Coffee Morning to raise money for the Irish

Cancer Society. Daffodil Day is the Irish Cancer Society’s annual

fundraising campaign supporting

cancer patient care and informa-

tion services across the country.

On the day all of the students and

staff had to wear jerseys and pay a donation for the privilege! The

students also organised a coffee morning, raffle and walked the

length and breadth of Wicklow Town selling Daffodils. The day was a

huge success and we raised €673.09. The students would like to

thank everyone who supported the day and donated so generously.


National Tree Week Comes to Macroom Students and staff at Youthreach Macroom are

pictured planting trees in the Castle Grounds,

Macroom with local nature guide Ted Cooke. This

is our third year of tree planting - all previous

efforts doing well. Trees were supplied by West

Cork Development Partnership, and donated by

local Coilte and Hosfords Nurseries. Ted Cooke

took Youthreach Macroom students to plant trees

in the Castle Demesne Macroom as part of a fact

finding nature walk. We also planted trees in our

centre grounds at Millstreet /Road Macroom.

Mallow Update

Certificates

Presented in Buncrana Pictured on the right are learners from the Buncrana and Glengad centres receiving certificates from Hurt, a drugs and alcohol awareness group from Derry, for training led by Damien and Rachel.

Pictured above are clockwise from left: Mallow Youthreach Soccer Team A - who recently took part and won a tournament in Knocknaheeny Youthreach; Stephen Kelly taking part in a pool tournament to raise money for AWARE and also Congratulations to Stephen who has just returned from Strasbourg with the LCA Michael Sweetman Educational Trust. Well done!; A selection of past students who returned to the centre recently for a re-union, catch up and to meet FAS for career advice.


Kingscourt Working in the Community Staff and trainees at Kingscourt Youthreach have been busy throughout the year with fundraising for different causes. Firstly it was the “shoebox appeal”, this is our fourth year involved in this worthy cause, and the best response to date, producing 178 filled boxes.

Next task was the Haiti Appeal, again staff and trainees organised an activity day and raised almost €500, which was gratefully accepted by the Bailieborough branch of the Red Cross.

And finally, we availed of the opportunity to have fun by

getting involved in the St. Patrick’s day celebrations. This

is also our fourth year participating in the local parade

and we won the “best novelty float”.

Well done to all involved!

Buncrana Learners Visit New Garda Station Learners from the Buncrana Youthreach centre were recently invited to visit the newly opened state-of-the-art Garda station by Community Garda Brendan Roche in a bid to build up relations between the Gardaí and the learners. It was a very postive visit for all concerned and thanks to Brendan for the invitation!

Below: The exercise area in Garda station.

Right: Talking to detectives in the station. Right: Ryan wearing a Garda hat!


West & Midlands 5-A-Side Soccer Tournament

On Tuesday 30th March, Youthreach Ballymahon played proud hosts to the North Western Region 5-a-side soccer

tournament for the very first time. Youthreach Ballymahon, who had brought the trophy east of the Shannon the previous year, were kindly facilitated by the committee of St. Dominic’s Community Centre, Kenagh, Co. Longford who made available their state-of-the-art indoor facilities. In all, 9 centres participated from all across the west and midlands of Ireland encompassing counties Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Roscommon and Longford. All games were keenly contested in a sporting manner. Games in the group stages kicked off at 10 o’clock and from the outset it was clear that no team was here to make up the numbers. Ballymahon, playing in a rich vein of form, emerged as winners of group one with Sligo following hot on their heels as worthy runners up. Group two was a more closely contested affair with only goal difference separating eventual group winners Ballaghadereen and a gallant Granard. The first of the semi-finals was an all Longford affair with hosts Ballymahon facing their neighbours Granard in a local derby. As always, both teams played with great sporting spirit and commitment and after a closely fought encounter Granard emerged as 2-1 winners. In the other semi-final Ballaghadereen were up against strong title contenders Sligo and after an exciting contest Sligo emerged victorious by the slenderest of margins 1-0. Whilst Granard and Sligo rested and regained composure prior to the final, it was left to Ballymahon and Ballaghadereen to fight it out in the third place playoff. The sides, unable to be separated in normal time, had to go to a penalty shootout and it was the hosts Ballymahon who eventually claimed third place 5-4 on penalties. The final saw past champions Sligo, eager to put their name on the trophy yet again, face a determined Granard side. In a game that saw both sides do their centres proud, it was Sligo who managed to win 3-0 despite a gallant Granard performance. Presentations to finalists were made by Youthreach Ballymahon Coordinator Mr. Anton Glynn who thanked everybody for taking part in the tournament and for being great ambassadors of their centres. The trophy then began its journey back home west of the Shannon to Sligo where we all hope to be in 2011 contesting another exciting tournament.

Pictured from left to right: Row 1: Youthreach Ballymahon, third place medallist; Ballinasloe Youthreach; Roscommon Youthreach; Granard Youthreach, finalists and runners-up trophy recipients; Row 2: Sligo Youthreach, winners and trophy recipients; Kiltimagh Youthreach; Ballinrobe Youthreach; Row 3: Ballaghadereen Youthreach; Tuam Youthreach; Presentation of the winning trophy by the host Coordinator Anton Glynn to the Captain of the winning Sligo Youthreach Team.


Trim Receive CAAB Award Youthreach Trim is delighted to announce that they have recently received a National Award for Services to Children and Young People 2010 for Effective Practice in Education. This was awarded by the Children’s Acts Advisory Board and presented by Minister Barry Andrews at a special ceremony which took place in Dublin Castle on the 9th of March 2010. Both Co-ordinator Liz Lavery and student Sam Millen presented the 'Quality School Model' to an audience of approximately 150 people. During their presentation they explained what the ‘Quality School’ model is and how it operates here in Youthreach Trim. The centre was supported by County Meath VEC and both staff and students attended the ceremony.

Left: L-R: Dr. Dermot Stokes; Mary Hibbits (tutor); Martin McDonagh (student); Celina Brennan (student); Sam Millen (student); Liz Lavery (Co-ordinator); Paul Smith (student); Caitriona Feeney (Assistant Co-ordinator).

Right: L-R: Caitriona Feeney (Assistant Co-ordintor); Mary Hibbits (Tutor); Celina Brennan (student); Liz lavery (Co-

ordinator); Sam Millen (student); Minister Barry Andrews; Martin McDonagh (student); Paul Smith (student).

Miltown Malbay Update On the 1st of February one of our longer term students, Michelle Gregory, led a class in making St. Bridget’s Crosses (right and below right).

During National Tree Week which took place from 7th to the 13th of March, Youthreach joined with the BTEI Horticulture group and local councillor Christy Curtin in planting a number of different trees at the back of the Youthreach building (pictured left). The theme for the week was ‘Twenty Ten – Plant Again’. National Tree Week is aimed at raising awareness about trees and by doing something as simple as planting one tree, you can play your part in helping the environment. Thinking locally, we can act globally.

Youthreach Miltown Malbay again participated in the local St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade was a great success but unfortunately we did not get any prize this year. The parade was not on the 17th but took place on the 14th of March as Kilmurry Ibrickane were in the All-Ireland club football final on St. Patrick’s Day.

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