ECHO ISSUE 6

E E R F

Issue 6: Jan - Mar 2009

This edition of ECHO takes a closer look at the European Volunteer Service. We look at the latest from Donegal’s attempts to reclaim the Irish Youth Music Awards and we hear about new groups and activities happening in the YIC and Loft LK.

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Enjoy!

Martin Keeney

Youth Information Officer

G N U YO !

S T S I T N E SCI IYMAs e h t k c o or get set t e c n e i c Dear S

News

in Europe r e te n lu o v a e m o FYI - How to bec oming Up? C ’s t a h W p U Speak

YIC & LOFT NEWS DYS SET UP LGBT GROUP The Donegal Youth Service in partnership with Belong To and the Donegal LGBT Steering Committee are setting up a new LGBT drop-in service for young people from Donegal. The group for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transexual young people will meet once a week starting from Saturday April 25th.

If you would like to find out more information on how to get involved you can call or text Marty on Sheena on 085-7411607 or email lgbt@donegalyouthservice.ie. Confidentiality is assured.

DEAR SCIENCE TO REPRESENT DONEGAL

L to R: Anroai, Justin, Brendan and Paul of Dear Science

Letterkenny band Dear Science are all set to take part in the national final of the Irish Youth Music Awards on April 4th in the Village. Brendan McGlynn, Anroai Kerr, Paul Magee and Justin Dunleavy will take to the stage as they bid to become the second band from Donegal to claim the prize.

On the day the band will compete against other young acts from all across the country. The Irish Youth Music Awards is a unique competition in that the Dear Science guys have been supported by young musicians from all over Donegal in the run up to the final.

Young people have taken on the role of press officers, fundraisers, image consultants and myspace managers and all their efforts will also be judged on the day.

Last year Donegal were victorious in the national final when Boy Number 7 took home the prize after a hotly contested final in the Sugar Club.

A big thank you must go out to all those who have put in a lot of work to help the band on their way.

YIC GROUP VISIT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Frtont left: Michael Gallagher and Jennifer Aicken on a visit to the European Parliament

A group from Letterkenny Youth Information Centrre were recently Irish representatives at a conference in Brussels..

The project involved young people from all over Europe who met with members of the European Commission and Member of the European Parliament to impress upon them the importance of maintaining levels of funding for European based projects and exchanges.

The Youth Information Centre are involved in annual European and International exchanges. We have also completed several projects through the European funded Youth in Action programme, including the recent When Cultures meet DVD and sculpture project.

This year the Youth Information Centre is hoping to take part in a European exchange in Italy and the Donegal Youth Service will also be sending a group to Lisbon for Part 2 of the Different Triangle project in August. If you are interested talk to a member of staff now or phone us on 074-9129640

TAKING LOOK PARTYAIN THE BACK PARK We take a look back at all that has been happening in the Youth Information Centre and Loft LK over the past number of months.

Loft Cooking Day

Pramerica staff paint the YIC and Loft on a Volunteering Day

Left Mid: Dear Science photoshoot at Sculpture Centre Middle Right: Danding at one of our Urban Nights Bottom Left: Loft Peer Ed group researching

Shauna McDaid performing at the IYMA prep gig

EUROPEAN VOLUNTEER PARTY IN THE PARK SERVICE Letterkenny Youth Information Centre has been fortunate since last October to have had Maria Barbera here with on a European Volunteer Service placement. Maria decided to let us know a little bit more about how she got involved and how you could take part.

WHAT IS EVS AND WHO IS IT FOR?

EVS offers young people, between the ages of 18 and 30, the possibility of volunteering in a different country for a period of between 2 to 12 months. The Project can be done by participating in different activities that develop your experience and skills and at the same time contributing to Local Community Development.

These activities must contribute to a local projects development and the activities must have no commercial benefits. EVS Projects offer a non-formal educational experience and provides the participants with contact with other cultures and languages.

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE?

The volunteer’s profile is aged between 18 and 30. The volunteer must be a legal resident or born in one of the EU states or associated with a country who is participating in the program. Also the volunteer must be open-minded for learning new and different social, intercultural and personal skills. It is essential that you are willing to participate in all aspects of the project.

HOW DOES A PROJECT BEGIN?

First of all you have to keep in contact with a sending organisation that offers you information about the EVS process. From here, the Sending Organisation contacts the Hosting Organisation. Both parties make a commitment and they submit an application through their appropriate national funding body for EVS. The selection, in this case, will be the responsibility of the National Agency.

EVS IS NOT:

An occasional and unstructured volunteer scheme, nor is it work experience for a company. Neither is it a paid job, it is a completely voluntary. It does not represent a tourist, leisure activity or language course. You will not have to pay for accommodation or household bills however and will receive a monthly allowance for food and other costs.

WHAT IS A HOST ORGANISATION?

Pre Departure Training in Spain

The Host Organisation will have a mentor who offers support constantly to the volunteer. They will also provide training and integration into the project activities. The Host Organisation will offer decent accommodation and maintenance, as well as help with the linguistic, cultural and social integration into their new surroundings.

PARTY IN THE PARK EVS

YOUTHPASS

Volunteers have the right to receive a Youthpass Certificate that accredits the non-formal learning experience. This certificate could be very useful for future education or profesional career purposes.

Through the Youthpass Certificate, the European Commission guarantees that the volunteers activities are recognised as an educational experience over a formal and non-formal learning period.

The results report must to be filled in by the volunteer and a Hosting Organisation agent. This document has to be signed by both parties and finally the document must to be handed in directly to the volunteer at the end of his/her volunteering experience.

HOW TO FIND OUT MORE

For further information on EVS the following websites The European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/program/ sos/index_en.html The Youth networks database: http://www.youthnetworks.eu/ LEARGAS: www.leargas.ie If yo would like to find out more you canalso come and talk to us in the Letterkenny Youth Information Centre.

A COLOURFUL PLACE Maria Barbera is from Reus near Barcelona in Spain. She has been with the Youth Information Centre since October 2008 on an EVS placement.

She tells the story of her experience living in Letterkenny.

“After having completed over 6 months in Ireland, it is true that time flies and that October 8th does not seem that long ago. I came alone and now I’m surrounded by beautiful people, who at the beginning, didn’t understand me when I talked and I felt totally on another planet. Now sometimes I still feel like I am on another planet, but only occasionally and are increasingly less often.

The two major barriers for me are certainly the language and climate. The harsh winter of non-stop raining sometimes made me feel very weak, and the weather has been one of the most difficult things for me to overcome! Now I have won this battle and I’m used to the climate and people are always around to help me.

Despite these setbacks, and moments of solitude and homesickness I appreciate that living in Ireland has a lot of advantages because this island is full of beautiful places and full of nice, kind and funny people. The Irish people are certainly very sociable. The weather may be grey, the island is green colour but the Irish people are full of colours and I feel very lucky to have lived among you. “

SPEAK UP! TOUGH LOVE

Speak Up to Save Lives is a new road safety campaign aimed at girlfriends and families of young male drivers who you feel may be in danger of killing themselves or others. You can text or call 087-9809999 confidentially and a Garda will then come and talk to him. We asked young people from the town whether they felt the idea could work.

Anthony Friel- 15 “To me this campaign is really good for the safety of the Public, it will be help us be aware of the dangers of driving and that’s really helpful to the youth of this country.”

Christopher Gallagher - 18 “It’s a good project that could potentially reduce a lot of accidents on the road. Donegal has a big problem with this and with this being confidential it could help in putting pressure on young speedy drivers to slow down. So hopefully this project will be very effective.”

Mary Gallagher- Age 17 “I think that is a good idea because drivers don’t have to get in trouble because the Gardai can hopefully have a talk to them and give them a warning first. It gives drivers a chance to be better drivers without getting in trouble and give them a second chance.”

Laura Cromar - 17 “I think the project is a good idea because when some people get away with something once they will think they’ll never get caught and keep doing it. Having the Gardai talk to them will make them realise it’s dangerous and will hopefully stop!”

Catherine McGlynn - 16 “It’s a good idea but I would be a little careful around talking to careless drivers who disobey road safely rules. They can still drive carelessly after a “friendly chat” with the gardai but perhaps it will work for some drivers.”

Barry Mac Donald- Age 17 “ I think that is a great project because it can help save people’s lives, stop speeding and I think it should be done because people are still drinking and driving all the time and get away with it so this could actually help people to stop it and it should be a very great thing!”

PROJECT PROFILE

An overview

Donegal Youth Service set Daybreak up in response to the need for a programme aimed specifically at 12-15 year old early school leavers, potential early school leavers, poor attendees and those struggling with school life.

Young people’s needs guide what Daybreak is because each person is very different. Daybreak works directly with the young person, their schools and families and with other agencies in order to provide the best support for each young person’s needs. Young people attend the programe one or two days a week at the same time that schools operate throughout the term.

Daybreak is a mixture of academic education and youth work. Development of life/interpersonal skills that will enable the young person to take responsibility for choices they make in their own lives is the most important aspect of our work. As well as formal education young people get the opportunity to budget for, prepare and cook their own lunch. Students are also enabled to develop their interest in non-academic activities such as sport, music or arts and crafts and to design their own personal development programme and to take part in group activities.

If you or someone you know is interested in taking part in the Daybreak Programme contact Daybreak at 074 9126155 or email daybreak@donegalyouthservice.ie

STAFF PROFILE

Deborah Mc Mullin Job Title: Daybreak Outreach Worker Tell me about yourself: I’m from Donegal Town, where I am currently living, but have been lucky enough to live, study and work in a variety of different places over the years. I taught in a primary school for two years and then trained as an English and Drama secondary school teacher. I taught for a while in a post primary school and then decided to work as a youth worker as I wanted to work with teenagers outside the classroom. This has given me a powerful new perspective on education and how important it is to invest in young peoples’ future through both formal and informal education. I still don’t really know what I want to be when I grow up but I love working with young people and will continue to work with young people as long as I have the energy to do so!

What does your role in Daybreak entail?

I work with young people aged 12-15 on a one to one and group basis. This work is a mixture of academic and personal development and each young person takes responsibility for the type of support they need. I respond to these needs and we (including all Daybreak staff) work together over a period of time to support the young person in achieving their goals. I also work with parents, schools and other organisations in order to support young people to get through their Junior Certificate qualification.

Why did you want to come work in Daybreak?

I thought that the Daybreak programme was (and still is obviously!) a brilliant programme for young people for whom formal education is a challenge.

I really wanted to put my teaching experience and my youth work skills into action to help young people have a positive educational experience and realise that they can enjoy learning whilst taking responsibility for what they want to achieve.

What is your favourite thing about your job?

No two days are ever the same and I love having the chance to really get to know the young people in the programme. I learn something new every single day!!

Anything you don’t like?

I like it all, even the tough days – there are no such things as problems, they are opportunities for learning!!!

WHAT’S COMING UP?

EURODESK Euro Desk is a service that provides the youth of Europe with information from a range of things from rights in different countries, to information for travelling across Europe and a whole lot more. Letterkenny Youth Information Centre is a local agent for Eurodesk so if you are looking for information ask a member of staff now.

UPCOMING LOFT & YIC EVENTS Fri 3rd April Band Night at Regional Cultural Centre (tickets now on sale) Sat 4th April Irish Youth Music Awards National Final Fri 17th April Acoustic & open mic night Fri 1st May D.J. / Disco Fri 8th May Indie band night Fri 15th May Urban & hip-hop Fri 22nd May Metal/Rock night Fri 29th May Acoustic & open mic EASTER HOLIDAY PROGRAMME 6th - 18th April.

This will include arts & crafts, activity programme for 12 - 14 year olds, music events, an egg treasure hunt and much more.

Full details will be available on our website shortly: www.donegalyouthservice.ie/loft http://www.bebo.com/LOFTLK OPEN NIGHT AND GRADUATION 15th April - 7.00pm - 9.00pm This is an opportunity for young people and volunteers to receive recognition for their work with the project and to showcase their achievements. Young people, parents and members of the community are all invited.

WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 29th May To mark World No Tobacco Day, the LOFT are joining with the Smoking Cessation Service to offer an information session on tobacco awareness.

About the Loft LK The Loft LK is a Youth Project and Adolescent Health Advice Café managed in partnership between the Donegal Youth Service with funding being provided by the Health Service Executive.

Now enrolling!

Youth Health - Art - Drama - Media Skills - Personal Development - Peer Leadership - Peer Education - Young Women’s group - Much more....

Call in and see how you can get involved.

Loft LK Youth Project & Health Café 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Phone 07491-88271 or email lkyouthcafe@yahoo.ie

STUDENT TRAVEL CARD Student Travel cards are available at the Letterkenny Youth Information Centre. These cards get you discount off travelling with Iarnrod Eireann, Dublin Bus and the Luas.

You can also get discounts off certain shops which you can check out at their website. The cost of the card is €12 if you take a photo in with you and €15 if you would like us to take your photo. Their website is www.studenttravelcard. ie. Check this website for more details on where you can get discounts from.

WEEKLY ACCOMMODATION & EMPLOYMENT LISTS Our weekly Letterkenny employment and accommodation list is now available online for downloading purposes. Just see our wesbite at www.donegalyouthservice.ie/yic and click on the link to download a copy. Our lists are available each week from 11am on Friday.

PEER EDUCATION The Youth Information Centre will soon be running an OCN course in Peer Education. If you would like to take part talk to Frankie in the YIC now.

YIC YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE The Youth Information Centre Youth Advisory Committee is currently seeking new members. If you would like to take part talk to Frankie or Marty now.

PARTY IN THE PARK 2009 If you would like to be part of the organising committee for this year’s Party in the Park 2009 then talk to a member of staff in the Youth Information Centre now.

About the Letterkenny Youth Information Centre The Youth Information Centre is a well established resource for the local community providing Young people and those who work with them a one stop shop for information and training opportunities in the following areas: Job and Housing Lists - Law and Justice - CV Preparation Travel opportunities - College applications - Student Travel card service - Practice for Driver Theory Test - Leadership training - Media skills training - Drop in service Letterkenny Youth Information Centre, 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal Tel 0749129640 or email yicletterkenny@donegalyouthservice.ie