Broaden Your Horizons & Community Food Initiative

Broadening Your Horizons

For the young people of Duhallow employment opportunities are limited, especially for those that have left school early with little or no qualifications or work experience. Young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) are at high risk of becoming socially excluded and may lack the skills to enhance their economic situation. The Broadening Your Horizons Programme supports and empowers young people aged between 16 and 24 years who are NEET and living in rural areas to access training, employment and recreational opportunities. This is done through one to one strengths based mentoring and coaching, person centred planning and assessment of need, group development work, core skills-based training, preemployment skills training and preparation. Training for each individual is based on their needs, capacity and aspirations.

Timmy O’Sullivan receiving his certificate of achievement for his participation on the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection YESS Scheme. Timmy is pictured with Marie O’Flynn, Principal Officer Cork Division DEASP, Tom Twomey IRD Duhallow and Rose Slattery Employer Engagement Officer DEASP.

In 2019, with the assistance of the Youth Employment Initiative fund, IRD Duhallow engaged with 11 young people applying a strengths based approach to overcome the barriers which affect participation i.e. health, social, educational, employability. Participants benefitted from bespoke training including: Manual Handling, First Aid Responder Training, Personal Development, LAMH, Career Guidance, Apprenticeship information, CV and CV cover letter building, interview techniques, styling for an interview, job search strategies and continuous one to one mentoring. Due to COVID-19, some courses were adapted and put online for the participants to access at home and they continued to receive one to one mentoring over the phone. Deciding on a future career or knowing what direction to take, can be a difficult decision for some. Many of the young Christine Murphy participating in a Skills people who join the programme Summary Workshop. are unsure and therefore are not ready to make a decision relating to this. By offering alternative learning opportunities and taster subject modules, as well as wrap around supports, the programme maximises the likelihood of achievement for the young people to either undertake further education, apprenticeships or paid employment. Using a step-bystep approach, Broadening Your Horizons, allows the participants to grow their commitment over time and the young people to progress at a pace suitable to themselves, therefore, reducing the risk of repeated drop out which can have adverse effects on their motivation and progression.

Eoin O Connell displaying his delicious apple crumble he made as part of the CFI Remote Cookery Programme. Broadening Your Horizon participants are encouraged and supported to carry out work experience- it gives young people an insight into the world of work, enables them to learn by doing and instils a strong work ethic. IRD Duhallow’s existing linkages on the ground with local employers are utilised to facilitate supported work sampling, work experience placements, work shadowing, volunteer placements and place and train schemes. Achieving a full driving license is a considerable obstacle that young people face in obtaining employment in this rural region. Many factors are Helena Scannell receiving a delivery of ingredients for attributed to this: cost of lessons and insurance, the CFI Remote limited access to a vehicle and in some instances, Cookery Programme. low literacy levels affect their ability to complete the theory component. IRD Duhallow has integrated ‘Drive2Success’, a core skills training workshops to support these young people who do not have access to a car or the financial supports to complete driving lessons. They are provided with a 3 month subscription to practice for the theory test online and classroom based learning is facilitated, if needed, in preparation of the theory test offering one-to-one support with the questions. After successfully obtaining their Learners Permit, participants are supported to complete 3 Ailbe Coffey facilitating a Youth & Resilience Mentoring Workshop with BYH participants. driving lessons. The benefits from this programme are numerous including social benefits concerning individual’s success in effectively and constructively participating in social, civic and working life. The programme empowers the young people to grow in confidence in their own employability and engage more effectively with the labour market whilst also positively attributing to their overall well-being.

Community Food Initiatives The Community Food Initiatives aims to positively influence the eating habits of families with children by focusing on the skills and knowledge around food and healthy eating, healthier shopping and enhanced cooking skills. This is done through a community event at the beginning and end of each year and 2 to 3 small projects in between. Due to COVID-19, we adapted the first small project from a 4-week Bríghid-Íde Walsh preparing a box of cookery course into a 6-week ingredients to be delivered for the CFI Remote Remote Cookery Programme. Ten Cookery Programme. families participated in the initiative and received a weekly box from IRD Duhallow with easy to follow recipes from safefoods 101 Square Meals and the ingredients to match. The second small project was also adapted into a webinar that Nutritionist Laura O’Reilly delivered on the topic How Food Affects Children’s Mood.

Broadening Your Horizons Participant, Rachel O’Callaghan, using her subscription to the online Driver Theory Test portal to take a practice test.

Youth and Education

Our Youth & Education Working Group consists of representatives from the various organisations and sectors with an interest and role to play in creating an inclusive environment in Duhallow for young people to study and live in. With a high rate of out migration of young people due to many who do not return after they leave for college or work Duhallow is an area which needs to attract its youth back to live and work here and offer a good quality of life. We have developed programmes and supports over the years to help achieve this and help make it an attractive place for young people to both return to but also to stay and live in. For our younger youth we have developed extra-curricular activities to support them both academically and socially. Parents who are socially or financially disadvantaged are encouraged to access the much needed supports to aid them to improve the circumstances for their family.

Members of the Defence Forces pictured with students from Boherbue Comprehensive Secondary School at the annual Careers Exhibition. Careers Exhibition Appropriate and effective career guidance information and skills are necessary to enable young people to make informed decisions about their future career ambitions. IRD Duhallow’s Youth and Education Working Group recognises that it is important to ensure that Young People are equipped with the knowledge and skills to make informed career choices in order to reach their full potential and to prevent early school leaving. IRD Duhallow’s Careers Exhibition, is an important event which helps young people to explore their future career prospects. Now in its 17th year, the annual event brings students from all over Duhallow and beyond to the Edel Quinn Hall in Kanturk, in early October, to meet with exhibitors from Third Level Institutions across the country. In 2019, close to 30 exhibitors from local, national and UL based Universities, Institute of Technologies, Agricultural Colleges, PLC Training Colleges, Solas, the Army, Navy Service and the local Gardaí, attended. Students had an opportunity to explore the many training options on offer and get their specific queries answered from the representatives of the many colleges in attendance. This gave the students a much-needed insight into their future career choices. A Career Guidance Counsellor was on hand to meet the students to offer additional support and advice in relation to subject and course choices.

Literacy Support Programme Funded through the SICAP Programme IRD Duhallow offers a comprehensive support programme focused on providing targeted supports to children who may be experiencing difficulty in the area of literacy due to issues such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. Our weekly classes are facilitated by teachers, have a low pupil teacher ratio and are wholly focused on the development of children’s reading, writing and spelling skillset. Furthermore, an additional resource is available in the form of our TTRS course which is facilitated by experienced tutors. Touch Type Read and Spell is an innovative multi-sensory computer programme which offers multiple benefits to the children who attend regular classes. Based on the alpha and omega spelling method, the programme aims to build literacy skills. Along with supporting reading and spelling development, one of the key benefits of the programme is that at a young age children master the art of operating a computer, the computer keyboard and mouse which are all important technological life skills to have achieved. Underscored by a ‘Can Do’ approach the TTRS programme motivates children through incremental improvements and positive reinforcement. It is suitable for users who struggle with physical impairments and specific learning difficulties such as dyspraxia and dyslexia. Throughout the Covid-19 preventative and containment measures, children have been facilitated to use this programme from home in order to complete their modules. As part of the literacy programme clinics are held with parents during the year, at which parents receive guidance as to how to best support their children with their learning also.

Transition Year Students of Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore who participated in the

Communicating Europe Initiative facilitated by PJ Cleere of the Disability Federation of Ireland. Communicating Europe Initiative IRD Duhallow received funding through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the Communicating Europe Initiative in Autumn 2019. This funding allowed IRD Duhallow to roll out a programme of workshops with Transition Year students in all five Secondary Schools in Duhallow. These information workshops entitled ‘What Europe means for a Young Person with a Disability’, focused on how the EU promotes the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities. These also focused on how the young people could practice inclusiveness. These interactive workshops were delivered by P.J. Cleere, Development Manager with the Disability Federation of Ireland.

Youth and Education

Afterschools 2019 saw significant regulations come in to place for school aged childcare facilities where all must now be registered and approved by Tusla. Newmarket Afterschool’s which is operation since 2005 provides both an afterschool’s and out of schools service for children attending 4 local primary schools. This service which was initially established to fill a gap and support mothers work or return to education continues to do exactly that 15 years later but now it also provides supports to families who may not be in employment but are in need of support with homework or from the social benefits of their child interacting with others outside of a school setting. Our facility continues to provide a flexible service to local families where parents can register for the number of hours / days they require. As registered providers of school aged childcare we operate both the Community Childcare Subvention Plus Programme and the National Childcare Scheme which provides subvention for parents deemed financially eligible.

Newmarket Afterschool’s was the first afterschool’s A special visit and present from Santa Claus to New in Ireland to obtain a green market Afterschools for all the boys and girls attend flag in 2009 and we have just been awarded our 5th Green Flag for the Theme Global Citizenship Litter and Waste . This theme enables students to discover how work on green schools has positively influenced our global economy. Actions undertaken by students included undertaking a global awareness survey and carrying out a litter and food waste audit. Staff from IRD Duhallow’s environment team and furniture restoration Revamp project facilitated talks with the students on reusing and recycling and litter, waste and water life.

Every year we operate camps for Halloween, easter and summer with children from across Duhallow availing of the variety of camps from little chefs to nature detective camps. Such camps give parents the flexibility during out of school term. Local children attending the Newmarket Out of Schools Halloween Camp on a trick or treat hunt Public Speaking around the James O’Keeffe Institute. During October and November, IRD Duhallow organised the annual Public Speaking event for Primary School Children across Duhallow. Now in its 12th year, the event took on a changed format reflecting the needs of parents and children which allowed for greater inclusion and the building of foundational skills in the world of public speaking. The vent was funded by the SICAP programme and all primary schools in Duhallow were invited to take part. As part of the focus on establishing baselines skills, IRD Duhallow’s Youth & Education Working Group sought the assistance of Siobhán Keenan Fitzgerald of the “Lets Stand Programme”. Siobhán is principal of English National School in East Galway as well as an entrepreneur, Dragons’ Den contestant and TEDx Speaker. She has developed the Lets Stand programme, a dedicated curriculum for primary school children that breaks down the skills of public speaking into an accessible, easy to understand and fun format. Over the course of three weekend workshops, children learned skills such as use of Eye Contact, Speech Structure, Facial Expression and Body language.

Paula Drumm & Michael O’Connor of Newmarket Foroige Club showcasing what their club offers to local youths at the BOI Enterprise Town Award which Newmarket was shortlisted in.

Student from the surrounding areas worked together in a collegial fashion to prepare speeches in their chosen topics and bring them to life through the techniques learned in the workshops. There were performed at a public speaking showcase event in front of over 60 friends and family members.

Group of parents at the Managing Childhood Anxiety Workshop. Stress & Anxiety in Children Workshops IRD Duhallow hosted a Managing Childhood Anxiety workshop for parents of both Primary & Secondary School children delivered by Clinical Psychologist Noreen Hogan and CBT Therapist Kay O’ Sullivan. As the main nurturers of children, this workshop aimed to equip parents with the knowledge to understand the importance of their children’s well-being. Positive well-being is critical to ensuring children reach their potential, grow and sustain meaningful social relationships, care for themselves, learn effectively and contribute to society. These practical, interactive workshops utilised a cognitive behavioural therapeutic(CBT) approach to help parents support their anxious children. Parents are more informed and connected from attending the workshops and have had an opportunity to contribute their views to the needs of children in Duhallow.