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December 2012 Co Donegal VEC Co Donegal VEC Volume 10, Issue 4 W EEE ’’’ R EREE O NONN T H E W E BEBB !!! YOUTHREACH County Coordinator 24 Millfield Heights, Buncrana WWW ... DONEGALVEC ... I EIEE /// YOUTHREACH Co Donegal Co Donegal YOUTHREACH Tel/Fax: 074 93 20908 WWW ... YOUTHREACH ... I EIEE Youthreach is co-funded by the Irish Government and EU under Email: [email protected] the National Development Plan 2007-2013. News Gortahork Win Best New Centre @ Music Welcome... to the fourth and final edition of our 2012 newsletter. Over Awards! Inside this issue: the last few months centres have been busy celebrating various awards for their hard work in FETAC, music, sports and elections! Congratulations to all On Wednesday 24 October Youthreach students from across Sarah Jane Talks 2 the country travelled to Dublin to be part of the CraftZone About Chuala those learners who have recently received awards at presentations in Songs from the Youth music awards. The awards show was Ballyshannon and Buncrana as well as Gortahork learners who also received a Ballyshannon part of a series of songwriting workshops designed to give Celebrates 10 Years! 3 music award in Dublin. Happy 10th birthday also to young people the opportunity to create, share and connect Ballyshannon Youthreach. through music. The show acknowledged the young people’s Buncrana Visit Jigsaw 3 The next edition will be available in March; for now, merry creative achievements in a ‘Grammy’ style multi-media event. Gortahork Win Music 4 Christmas! The guests were treated to a visual feast for the senses and Award live music from emerging electro pop outfit, Miracle Bell, Dr Sandra Buchanan, Youthreach County Coordinator Co Football Tournament 4 Kasey Smith (formerly of Louis Walsh’s Wonderland) and others. Gortahork’s epic trip to the capital wasn’t in vain as they brought back the Best New Centre Award with them. Youthreach Makes Election History! Other winners on the day included Waterford City who took home the Best Song award for their breezy tune ‘Can’t Wait for the Summer’, while Katie Phibbs (West Wicklow) and Michael Hutchinson (Roscrea) Congratulations to Sarah Jane McCready, Letterkenny Youthreach and Claire Sweeney, Gortahork took home the Best Female and Male Solo Performance’s respectively. Best Rap went to Cootehill, while Youthreach ( pictured left and right below ), who became the first ever young people from Youthreach to Castleblaney picked up the best group vocal trophy. All the tracks from Songs from the Youth 2012 are be elected onto Donegal Youth Council in its ten year history on Tuesday 27 November! The election now available to download free from www.craftzone.ie . structures for Donegal Youth Council (DYC), which shadowed Donegal County Council, meant that in the past, young people from very small schools or centres, like the Youthreach centres, or minority groups, Successful County Football Tournament have not had access to the critical mass of votes needed to be voted onto the Youth Council. A small On Tuesday 27 November, a successful County Football Tournament took place in Letterkenny amongst group of representatives, including Co Donegal VEC’s Youthreach County Coordinator and Youth Officer Ballyshannon, Buncrana, Gortahork, Glengad and Letterkenny Youthreach centres, to determine the have been looking at this issue for a few years and earlier this year through Peace III funding a project Regional winner for the Northern Region (Co Donegal) of the National Association of Youthreach entitled Chuala was set up which aimed to create more opportunities for young people in Co Donegal to Coordinators (NAYC) national football competition. The winner on the day was Buncrana/Glengad have their voice and opinions heard by DYC. Chuala means to be heard and this project created a youth Youthreach ( pictured below left ) who will represent the Northern Region at the national final next year. forum of young people who do not have a voice into Runners up on the day were Gortahork Youthreach ( pictured right ). The tournament was organised by DYC. The Chuala Youth Forum worked in partnership the with DYC to set up structures that support more Letterkenny young people to get involved in the decisions that LCA class as affect them across the county and to establish the one of their most relevant issues affecting young people in the tasks—many thanks and county. Sarah Jane got involved in Chuala over the congratula- last few months to the extent that it provided her tions to the with the confidence to go for election onto Donegal winning Youth Council which proved successful for her. She team! has shared the story of her involvement in the Chuala project with us on the next page. Pa ge 2 Co Donegal YOUTHREACH News Volume 10, Issue 4 Co Donegal YOUTHREACH News Volume 10, Issue 4 P a ge 3 Chuala – To Be Heard! Ballyshannon Celebrates 10 Years! This year, Ballyshannon Youthreach is celebrating its 10th anniversary! I joined Chuala in June 2012. At the first meeting The Ballyshannon Youthreach programme offers a holistic approach to we did a few different fun activities to break the learning, embracing a broad, balanced curriculum, with an emphasis on ice and then got into some topics that affect achieving accreditation, while ensuring learners are encouraged to take young people today. We discussed ways to improve our community. We also discussed ASBOs, how and do they work? responsibility for their own learning and to become independent thinkers. We have also had different workshops such as public speaking, the do’s and don’ts. During the summer we went to On Thursday 27th November, the celebrations began when Ballyshannon Carrowmena Activity Centre in Limavady and stayed over night. We participated in outdoor activities such as raft Youthreach held their Presentation of Awards and Craft Fair in the building, zip line, archery and a few others. We also discussed topics such as racism, discrimination, stereotyping etc. This Lakeside Centre in Ballyshannon with proceeds from the fair going to the residential brought us together and made the group stronger. We also got to meet with the steering group and we RNLI in Bundoran. All presented them with a power point the group had put together and showed them why we want Chuala to continue and produce on sale was handcrafted by the Youthreach learners what it is we do for young people. I really enjoy these meetings because I get to meet up with other young people and it themselves and ranged from wooden crafts ( pictured right ) to is a great forum for young people to give our views and opinions. Chuala is there to give young people a voice and to homemade carrot cake. Ballyshannon Youthreach would like to take stand up for the rights of young people. Chuala project is aimed at young people who do not usually participate in the this opportunity to thank everyone that attended the day and Donegal Youth Council. The Chuala group put together the following mission statement: “Things that involve fun, group supported the very worthy local cause. Also on the day, learners discussion and us! Chuala is also about commitment, change for the better and sharing ideas. Chuala is based on trust, received awards for their hard work for various FETAC modules at honesty, and openness and for everyone to feel comfortable. Chuala needs people to make an effort and push both Level 3 and Level 4. Modules included Communications, IT, themselves, while having fun, in order to achieve their goals. In Chuala we hope to achieve young people’s voices to be Personal & Interpersonal Skills, Maths, Woodwork, Art & Drawing to heard and to have an opportunity to listen to representatives from other organizations that might be able to help us in name but a few. On top of all the FETAC awards that were presented achieving this! We hope to go on visit/trips that will help us learn and have fun. We want to create a positive and fun on the day were GAISCE bronze pins. Michael Collins from GAISCE atmosphere where everyone can learn and feel safe!” We hang this up on the wall along with our contract for every was there to present the learners with their pins. Another great achievement for the learners of Ballyshannon meeting so we can remind ourselves what Chuala is about. I find Chuala really enjoyable and it is worth putting my time Youthreach! There were a few speakers, who also need to be thanked for their participation who spoke about their th and effort into the group. Chuala also gave me the confidence to run for the Donegal Youth Council on the 27 experiences of Ballyshannon Youthreach. We heard from family members, past learners and from organisations that November and I knew they would back me up throughout it and so would Youthreach. Youthreach deal with on a regular basis. Their input into the day helped to make it extra special for everyone. Sarah Jane McCready, Letterkenny Youthreach PEACE III Donegal CDB Peace & Reconciliation Partnership Lifford Update Buncrana Visit Jigsaw Congratulations to Pictured below are learners from the Buncrana and Level 3 Learner Colm Glengad centres who recently visited the Jigsaw premises Melaugh who was (the Hub) in Letterkenny. Sean McGrory, Project Manager, Project supported by PEACE III Programme managed fo r the Special EU Programmes Body by Donegal County Council awarded Minor Player gave them a tour of the premises and explained this new of the Year at the mental health project for Letterkenny Attended Domestic recent Red Hughs, young people. K i l l y g o r d o n Violence Campaign Launch presentation function. As well as being a p r o l i f i c s c o r i n g Pictured are learners from Letterkenny Youthreach with art forward for his club, Colm has also represented tutor Dolores Dunleavy who attended the launch of Donegal Donegal, as a panel member of the Donegal Minor Women's Domestic Violence 16 Days Awareness campaign.

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