YOUTHREACH County Coordinator

24 Millfield Heights, Buncrana

Co Donegal Tel/Fax: 074 93 20908

Email: sandrabuchanan@donegaletb.ie

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Donegal ETB

Letterkenny’s Victoria Wins Strasbourg Trip!

My name is Victoria Mongan - I am a Year 2 LCA student at Letterkenny Youthreach. I would like to share my amazing experience of participating in the Michael Sweetman Trust competition to Strasbourg.

A man called Vincent Taigman who was the interviewer for the competition came to the Centre on Tuesday morning 3rd December 2013.

He explained how Michael Sweetman had left money in his will and that he wanted twenty or more students from Leaving Cert Applied to be brought to the European

Parliament for three days. During my interview I had to talk about my Social Education task which was about contraception. On Monday 16th December 2013 Gillian Kennedy our Coordinator asked to speak to me in the office. She congratulated me on getting picked to go on the Michael Sweetman trip. I was delighted and couldn’t wait to tell everyone. I went head first into planning for the trip and couldn’t wait to go.

The group of twenty-four met at Bewley’s hotel in Dublin. We stayed the first night there and got the flight from Dublin Airport the next morning at 7a.m. to Frankfurt.

When we arrived at Frankfurt we booked into our hotel. The following morning we were taken by bus to the European Parliament. I was amazed at the size of the place and the amount of people that were walking about. We stayed at the parliament for ten hours!! During that time I represented Ireland in that I was chosen from the group to talk to the parliament about Ireland. I was so proud of myself. We had lots of free time where we shopped and talked to each other.

It was by far the best experience of my life I would like to thank my Social Education tutor Mary Ross and my English tutor Deirdre Gallagher and Gillian Kennedy for encouraging me to go forward for this and preparing me for the best time of my life.

Welcome...Welcome...Welcome...Welcome...to the first edition of our 2014 newsletter. This year Youthreach is 25 years old! Since our last newsletter, the funding of Youthreach has been moved under the remit of SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority (www.solas.ie). The last few months have been busy ones for the Youthreach programme in Co Donegal. Learners worked on CVs and interview skills as part of a skills focus session in early January (see below) and have been working on their FETAC modules since. We’ve continued to build our Twitter account as well (@DonegalYR) - you can read all about it inside! The next edition of the newsletter will be available just before the summer.

Dr Sandra Buchanan, Youthreach County CoordinatorDr Sandra Buchanan, Youthreach County CoordinatorDr Sandra Buchanan, Youthreach County CoordinatorDr Sandra Buchanan, Youthreach County Coordinator

Donegal YOUTHREACH Donegal YOUTHREACH Donegal YOUTHREACH Donegal YOUTHREACH NewsNewsNewsNews

Donegal ETB March 2014

Volume 12, Issue 1

Lifford Love Metalwork! 2

Ballyshannon’s New

Classrooms

2

Sen. Kathryn Reilly

Visits Gortahork

3

Buncrana Visit

Dublin 3

Victoria Wins EU Trip 4

Inside this issue:

Youthreach is funded by

SOLAS and the European Social Fund.

Future Skills Focus for Youthreach Youthreach had a busy few days from 20-22 January focusing on future skills and opportunities. On 20 January,

learners from across the county attended a skills day organised by the Advocacy Service (see pictures below)

whereby they could sample various skills and obtain information to assist with future decision making about courses

and jobs. On Tuesday 21 January, learners also attended mock interviews. For many this was the first interview they

had ever completed. Finally on Wednesday 22 January, learners attended the annual Adult Learner Fair organised

by Donegal ETB’s Adult Learner Guidance Service. The week helped learners to focus their thoughts on future

education and job opportunities. Well done and thanks to all who assisted with the organisation of these days.

Above: Skills

demonstrations.

Left: Information

stands.

Right: Lifford learners

attending the Adult

Learner Fair on 22

January 2014.

Page 2 Donegal YOUTHREACH News Volume 12, I ssue 1

New Classrooms for Ballyshannon

Lifford Learners Love Metalwork! We started a metalwork class in the North West Regional College, Springtown, Derry at the

beginning of January. For the first four weeks we learned how to make an ash shovel. We

were each handed sheet metal and had to find and figure out the measurements and mark

them on our piece of metal. We then cut out the shape with a pair of snips. Once that was

done we went and bent the metal into the shape of the shovel and had to tack it in place.

We drilled holes in the back of the shovel and added a handle by riveting it into place. We

have moved onto Arc welding in the last couple of weeks. Arc welding was easy to learn

and was very easy to pick up. We were each handed a square piece of metal and told to try

and make as many straight lines across the piece as we could as this was the best way to

learn with the welder. Metalwork is good as it gives you a chance to learn different skills

that you could use sometime in the future. I think metalwork is very interesting as you can

make almost anything out of metal and welding is a very good skill to learn and I hope to use it sometime in the future.

Each year Martin Moloney, heritage specialist and

falconer, visits the Buncrana Youthreach centre as

part of their Wednesday programme and spends an

hour with the learners discussing local wildlife and

birds of prey. The learners get an opportunity to

hold the birds and absolutely love it!

Birds of Prey Visit

Buncrana

NAYC Update

The prefabs in Ballyshannon Youthreach recently underwent a makeover (pictured below) and after a lot of hard work, they are now in action. Included in the new rooms are an Art room, a Communications room and library and a Maths room. Staff and learners alike are delighted with them.

The NAYC held its 20th anniversary conference in Fota Island Resort, Cork from 26-28 February. The theme of the conference was ‘Time and Change—Managing the Challenges, Celebrating the Years’. It also marked the 25th anniversary of the Youthreach programme. Two specific Youthreach resources were launched—www.yo-yos.ie and www.eatright.eu. Vivienne Brannigan, Laytown/Bettystown

Youthreach was elected Chairperson, with Maura White, Mahon Youthreach elected Vice-Chairperson and Josephine Dempsey, Miltown Malbay elected Secretary of the Association. Tweets about the conference can be viewed on the Association’s Twitter account (@NAYCEXEC) and through #NAYC2014.

Page 3 Donega l YOUTHREACH News Volume 12, I ssue 1

Forthcoming EventsForthcoming EventsForthcoming EventsForthcoming Events

Buncrana/Glengad Visit Dublin Pictured below are learners from the Buncrana and Glengad centres during their recent annual residential trip to Dublin on 16 January. Amongst other activities they visited Kilmainham Goal and on their way home, the Ulster American Folk Park, outside Omagh, Co Tyrone.

Senator Kathryn Reilly Speaks to Gortahork Learners

Kathryn Reilly, Sinn Fein Senator, recently visited Gortahork Youthreach to talk to learners about issues for them living in a rural setting in modern Ireland. The discussion was energetic and covered areas of

employment, travel and training.

Miss Reilly is the youngest Senator in the Seanad and was impressed by the knowledge and communication skills of the young people; she also congratulated them on their grasp of the issues which were of concern to them as young people facing the realities of life in 2014.

10-14 March: Stand Up! Awareness Week against Homophobic Bullying

31 March-4 April: National Alcohol Awareness Week

7-11 April: Let’s Talk About Sex Week (Donegal Youth Services): Sexual Health Clinic for Youthreach,

Letterkenny Women’s Centre

17 April: Annual County Blitz, Letterkenny

Happy 25th Birthday

Youthreach! The Youthreach programme in Ireland celebrates its 25th birthday this year. First set up in 1989 as a response to the high youth unemployment rate of the 1980s recession, the programme has gone from strength to strength since with 108 centres operating across the country to cater for the needs of over 3,500 early school leavers on an annual basis.