Echo. Summer edition 2017

ECHO

Letterkenny Youth Information Centre Newsletter 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny Tel 074-9129640

Summer edition 2017

PARTY IN THE PARK SUMMER CAMPS TRASH’N FASHION EMPLOYABILITY SUMMER TIPS

AND MORE INSIDE

staff members

Gareth Gibson

Youth Information Manager

dominic MC GLINCHEY

YIC Youth Worker

KATARZyNA KURZEJA

Youth Information Officer

Elena jimenez anino

European Volunteer Service (YIC)

billy banda

CE Assistant Youth Information Officer

dmytro khak

European Volunteer Service (YIC) emma wilkie

CE Assistant Youth Information Officer

contents YOUTH INFORMATION CENTre evs dONEGAL YOUTH COUNCIL THE LOFT Trash’n’ fashion Teentalk EMPLOYABILITY SELF-LEARNING Summer CampS PARTY IN THE PARk SUMMER TIPS

YOUTH INFORMATION CENTre european youth week 2017 solidarity workshop “Solidarity.

Cultural skills exchange� workshop held by Donegal Youth Service under European Youth Week 2017 was a very successful event.

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ig thank you and well done to all involved in the preparation, to our fabulous facilitators: Maira Ahmed from Pakistan (heena tattoo making skills), Chrissie McGinley and Annie Mongan (flowers making skills, both representing Donegal Travellers Project ) for delivering the amazing experience and sharing their culture with us! We also had a flash raffle- happy winners received EYW orange backpacks and T-shirt. We cannot forget about our fantastic young people, who were truly interested in the event yesterday.

We also disseminated other promotional materials and gadgets, as well as we raised the awareness about the idea of European Solidarity Corps.

european solidarity corps

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he European Solidarity Corps is the new European Union initiative which creates opportunities for young people to volunteer or work in projects that benefit communities and people around Europe.

be run by organisations which have been checked and authorised to run European Solidarity Corps projects.

You can register for the European Solidarity Corps when you are 17 years old, but you It was announced by the President of the cannot start a project until you are over European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, 18. You must also complete the European during his annual State of the European Solidarity Corps project before you turn 31.

Union speech in September 2016.

After completing a simple registration If you are interested let us know. We will process, participants could be selected join help you to find your perfect project. a wide range of projects. These projects will

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Youth Work Ireland Week 2017 22 April- 29 April

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his year we were talking about equality during the Youth Work Ireland Week. In Donegal Youth Service we had a week full of activities and interesting presentations about equality: young people were working on mural sheets, they were discussing differences between equity and equality. We also prepared presentation about Equality in workplace and very successful moving debate about gender equality.

#equality

Youth information: Backbone of a successful Youth Strategy European conference in Brussels, 2nd May 2017

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ur Youth Information Officer, Katarzyna, had an opportunity to attend the conference on behalf of Eurodesk Ireland. She was proudly representing Donegal Youth Service and Letterkenny Youth Information Centre.

Along with other panellist from around the Europe, Kasia was discussing a quality in distribution of mobility opportunities. Some recommendations from DYS include: importance of face-to-face contact with young people and crucial role of information provision skills.

For a full article covering all recommendations visit: http://www.leargas.ie/blogs-category/leargas/

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ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE

ALL THE EXPENSES ARE COVERED. YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MONEY

THIS IS FANTASTIC CULTURAL EXCHANGE. i’M EXPERIENCING NON FORMAL EDUCATION EVERYDAY

i’M STARTING TO SPEAK iRISH AND DRINKING TEA EVERY DAY. ALSO TRAVELLING AROUND IRELAND

i’M PRETTY SURE THE EVS PROJECT WILL HELP ME IN THE FUTURE.

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10TH ANNIVERSARY iN DONEGAL YOUTH SERVICE

25 PARTICIPANTS

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RESOURCE https://europa.eu/youth/evs20

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cyberbullying competition All primary school students are invited to take part in a competition organised by Donegal Youth Service.

We need your ideas! Be in chance to win a brand new family laptop worth â‚Ź500 and half a day Internet Safety training for your school (worth â‚Ź200).

Interested?

Contact us for more information: 07409129640 yicletterkenny@donegalyouthservice.ie

yicletterkenny

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dONEGAL yOUTH COUNCIL Supporting our girls to stay in sports - Sports Recognition for Girls Roadshow a Huge Success By the age of 14, girls drop out of sports twice as often as boys and Donegal Youth Council are here to challenge that. Over the past few months the 33 young people who make up the youth council developed a Sports Recognition for Girls Roadshow. It was launched officially at the Aura Leisure Centre at the end of April, and was met with great enthusiasm throughout the county as it toured in May reaching over 400 girls from 19 secondary schools. the most popular everywhere. They also got to try touch rugby, gaelic, fun soccer, basketball, athletics, javelin, hip hop dancing, gymnastics, king ball, and yoga.

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he roadshow travelled to the Finn Valley Centre, Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair, St Catherine’s Vocational School Killybegs and Scoil Mhuire Buncrana and there was similar feedback from everywhere, with the only complaint being that it “wasn’t long enough!”.

The events gave the girls a chance to try a huge variety of sports such as volleyball, bubble football, martial arts, kickboxing, and Ibop dance, which all proved to be

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Preliminary results from the research conducted at the roadshows are already showing interesting emerging trends from the schools. The majority of participants enjoyed sports and responded overwhelmingly that they would like to see several of the day’s sports in their schools as part of their regular fitness education. With volleyball, kickboxing, martial arts/self defence coming out on top.

When asked why they think girls participate less in sports than boys many respondents felt that girls aren’t praised, supported or encouraged enough when it comes to sports. Many also felt that girls simply are not good enough, and that sports are more masculine. There was some positive feedback from participants who described having good support and opportunities to take part in sports but there were also many who described

This is not just a local issue, but these findings are a reflection of a global issue of girls’ participation in sports. There is a lot of great work and positive attitudes towards women in sports in Donegal, but it is clear from this research that many girls may still need extra support to overcome other barriers that are preventing them from taking part in sports. A full report on the results of the project will be released in the coming months.

Reflecting on the success of their recent roadshow Carlyn Maguire, Donegal Youth Council Coordinator shared how “The overall aim of this initiative was to encourage young girls to get involved in sports in their schools and in their communities. After the event I spoke to the participants and they were

really happy to have a girls only event as they felt more comfortable trying out new sports.” And “The importance of girls taking part in sport must not be

don’t give up if you don’t like the first one you try.”

Sports recognition for girls was voted as a key priority for the 8th Donegal Youth Council at the Agenda Day back in September 2016 by boys and girls from all over the county. The aim of the roadshow was to promote more female participation in sports, so that they are more likely to continue playing throughout their lives.

It also aims to create a more inclusive environment for girls and for female participation in sports to receive adequate recognition in comparison to their male counterparts.

Donegal Youth Council is funded by Donegal County Council, HSE Health Promotion and the Department of Children & Youth Affairs and is coordinated at local level by the Donegal Youth Service.

For more information you can contact Donegal Youth Council Co-ordinator Carlyn Maguire on 074 91 29630 or email youthcouncil@ donegalyouthservice.ie

underestimated.

Taking part in sports is great for both physical and mental health, as well as team and confidence building. There is a sport out there for everyone, so

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the LOFT

world wide voices Congratulations to Hakim and Blessed from the Worldwide Voices group who will be heading to the Ireland v Uruguay match on June 4th at the Aviva Stadium!

The group received two tickets for the match after taking part in the Show Racism The Red Card national creative competition.

To see the video they made about their experiences you can check out our YouTube channel. yicletterkenny

fit FOR LIFE Fit for life is a sports group where participants will play a variety of sports from football to swimming and everything in the group encourages young people to excercise. We are meeting every Tuesday from 5 to 6.

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tea and tunes Tea and Tunes is a music group that every Thursday is centered around performances of its members and developing musicical skills and taste.

Members will often bring in vinyl and listen to others music to gain a broader taste of music outside of their own. With an acoustic guitar for performances and a full kettle the craic will be mad altoghether. All we need now is yourselves. If you don’t go for the tea, you will go for John “the man” Muldowney. Mon!

drop in hours monday 12.00- 6.00 pm Tuesday 12.00- 6.00 pm wednesday 12.00- 8.00 pm thursday 12.00- 8.00 pm friday 12.00- 10.00 pm saturday 2.00- 6.00 pm www.donegalyouthservice.ie

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TRASH ’N’ FASHION T

rash ‘N’ Fashion took place on the 18th May in The Mount Errigal Hotel. Donegal Youth Service was chosen by the public as the local charity to receive the proceeds this year. We really appreciate it. This money will

significantly support our Teen Talk service. Thank you to all people who came and took part in this fantastic event. Congratulations to talented and creativite young people from Donegal.

Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life. It’s about what you inspire others to do

Success isn’t abput

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Talking with...

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yself as a fashion designer and model I think that the fashion represents and is who you are, no matter what makes your style, and shows who you are. In my life I used to be the one who didn’t know who am I but I found out my path by making my own fashion wear style and from the past 5 years I have been being an amateur model. In last 3 years I have found my talent as a fashion designer. Now people are coming to me asking for advices and that’s my job to help them to build their unique style. This year I have designed clothes and I found

an inspiration in the theme of the WWII army mixed with the style presented in Star Wars movies. I am hoping I can launch it as a brand all around the world one day.

I really want my dreams to become true.

I wish to become a world-wide famous professional model, designer and stylist.

I am also dreaming about opening my own fashion brand. I believe that when you dream about something, anything is impossible.

Aroldis Rodriguez- Fashion design with Promotion in Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

MUST WORK HARD FOR IT AND BE CONFIDENT, NEVER GIVE UP AND STAY POSITIVE.

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TEEN TALK Stress and pressure is a normal part of life. While it can leave us feeling tired or down, a small amount has the ability to motivate a person, help them focus and provide extra energy to get through a short-term situation. In the long-term, stress can be detrimental and so needs to be managed properly or it can take over and leave us unable to accomplish the simplest of tasks.

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he Leaving Cert and Junior Cert examinations have just started and some young people are now feeling motivated and ready to tackle them all, others are feeling overwhelmed and tired. Exam stress can take its toll on psychological and physical health.

Like anything else in life, having the right tools and solutions means that there is positivity to this situation.

It is possible to manage yourself effectively and make the most of your exams and other situations you may face in the future.

Exam time can be difficult and challenging for young people.

Louise, do you have any tips how can they cope with the stress over Summer time?

Eating and Sleeping .

Often overlooked but your basic biological needs

have a huge impact on your over all well-being and brain power. During exam times you will need more sleep and good food to recover from the amount of mental energy you are exerting. Plenty of research has shown the impact of certain foods on brain power and that

giving your mind a break is essential memory performs poorly with lack of sleep. Irregular sleeping patterns and bad eating habits can increase your stress levels.

Physical signs. Learn to recognise stress! If you are

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feeling constantly tired, have difficulty sleeping, unexplained aches and pains, poor appetite, increased heart rate, headaches, blurred vision or dizziness these can all be signs you are under some serious stress and need to take time out. Your body will react in these ways and is trying to communicate to you that something is not right and it needs time to recover.

Psychological signs. If you are feeling forgetful, loss of interest in activities, increased anxiety and worries, irritability and lack of concentration. These can all be signs of other health concerns, especially depression, but reducing your stress in general can reduce these symptoms.

You can always speak to someone if you are concerned about these symptoms. Giving your mind a break is essential.

What if their expectations regarding exam results do not meet reality?

Keep in mind that these are exams, while they are important they do not define everything about you or determine your whole life.

This is a short-term situation and things will not always be like this.

If you plan on going to college then these short-term exam situations will become normal to you so learning as soon as you can how to manage them is essential. In the long run your health and well- being is the most important thing and these should always come first.

Make your own choices . If you feel others are adding to your stress try for this shorttime to stay around positive people and those who make you feel good about yourself.

Do not compare with others, nobody has walked in your shoes and what you are able to achieve is important to you. Only you know exactly what is right or best for you, take on board advice and tips from others but always do what feels right

Thank you for your time and tips, Louise. Do you have any final word for or readers?

Remember to talk. Expressing how you are feeling and having someone listen to you and understand your difficulties is one of the best ways to de-stress. And treat yourself . You are working hard, you should make plans for yourself for the summer after your exams. If you can afford to go on holiday or Is there any service in take a break - do it; if you Donegal Youth Service cannot do not worry, you that can help young people can always find ways take to survive that difficult care of yourself – celebrating time in their lifes? with friends, watching your favourite shows, eating your What about pressure If you need any extra support favourite food, spending time from parents to choose please do not hesitate to with people you love. particular course at the contact the Teen Talk or the college? In what way Youth Information Centre on young person can respond 074 9129640, both projects to that type of suggestions can assist you through exam and defence their choice? time.

Louise Lynch, Teen Talk Coordinator.

Louise began her employment with the Donegal Youth Service as a project worker on the Cross Borders Connection project. Louise then joined the Youth Information Centre (YIC) in 2012, going on to become the Youth Information Officer for a number of years. Since January 2017 she has been coordinating the Teen Talk programme full time.

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e m p l o y a b i l i t y

We are almost there. Sun, Summer, a lot of free time and millions of ideas how to use it. No more school, stress and a huge will to become a little bit independent.

What can give you great experience and money at the same time? Summer job!

Take a look at different ways of effective job search.

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Use your personal contacts: family, friends, neighbours. Ask people around you whether they heard about any vacancy in your area. Ask for references.

National and local newspaper advertisements. Take a little bit more time to search job but is also very effective.

Employment agencies: you can find them online or visit their offices in your town. Specify what work are you looking for, for how long and when you are available to start it. They will be in touch with you.

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Networking in the community: local shops, community centres. Look for information about recruitment in different shops, cafes, hotels.

Online tools: easy and convenient way to look for job. You can use local, national and international websites.

Letterkenny Youth Information Centre- we provide free, confidential and comprehensive knowledge related with job searching, CV preparation and getting ready for an interview.

You can also consider becoming a volunteer in your area or to participate in one of the European programmes: European Youth Service or European Solidarity Corps (read more on page 4).

If you need any help or support do not hesitate tocontacts us.

We are waiting for you.

important Under the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996 employers cannot employ children under age 16 in regular

An employee under age 18 is entitled to â‚Ź6.48 per hour or 70% of the minimum wage

The maximum working week for children aged 16 and 17 is 40 hours with a maximum of 8 hours a day.full-time jobs

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’Self-directed learning’ describes a process by which individuals take the initiative, with our without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identify human and material resources for learning, choosing and implement appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes. (M. Knowles, Principles of Androgogy, 1972). From the following article you will find out more about how a self-directed learning can change your life.

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he concept of selfdirected learning first appeared as a viable concept the 1970s. The self- directed learning is possible for people with different background, different social and economy status because of a rapid development of information technologies.

In other words in means that now we have access to a lot of distance learning platforms, for example, Coursera, Edx, Khan Academy and many others. It is possible also to search for courses directly on the websites of the universities. Very often it is completely for free or you have to pay some amount of money.

Some courses’ cost starts from €50, while others will cost you hundreds of euros, depending on the platform and specialisation.

I would like to tell you

a story about person, who found his vocation through his hard work and patience.

Michael and John were the best friends. One day Michael find out John needs an operation on a heart or he will die. John has been operated and he became able to live

self learning as healthy boy. After this case, Michael hit on the idea he must be a surgeon and save people’s hearts.

He went to medical school but it turned out that he has no abilities to be surgeon and he was

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expelled. The parents pressed him to continue his studies, graduate, and eventually secure a sustainable, well- fed future. But they had not enough money to pay for his education. He decided to enrol for an online course: Economy of the small enterprises. He paid much less than for the third level studies; just a few hundred euros.

For several years Michael has worked as a sales assistant. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to find a better job and honestly he was not interested in economy at all.

Michael, with good mathematical, analytical skills, mixed with biological and physics knowledge, decided to engage in biomechanics to create the best prosthesis for people who lost limbs.

He found an online course at Stanford University on Biological Arizona , and was exploring the possibility of creating an artificial limbs.

Later Michael worked at UC Berkeley on the same problem and he realised he has a talent in prosthesis development.

Now the humanity is very close to create prosthesis that imitates biological one accurately. He is a leading specialist in this area.

Apparently, after years of trying and look ing for his own career path, Michael found his vocation. And everyone can! The most important thing is to have desire, inspiration, and patience, and you will reach your goals. Everything is in your hands! Just let yourself dare!!!

Dmytro Khak- EVS volunteer from Ukraine. He works in Letterkenny Youth Information Centre as a graphic designer and assistant Information Officer. Dmytro graduated National Aviation University in Kyiv, Ukraine by specialty Security of Information and Communication Systems.

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Thank you so much We would like to say a huge thank you to the Music and Bands Society at Lyit Su who donated â‚Ź100 to us after their very successful Lip Sync Battle fundraiser!

We really appreciate when people want to fundraise for us so we can continue supporting young people throughout the county If you’re planning on running a marathon this year, or you want to shave all of your hair off for the summer, or maybe you want to convince the whole county to do a cartwheel race for charity? Then get in touch we would like to hear from you.

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DONEGAL YOUTH SERVICE We would like to say a huge thank you to both Jimmy McKinney and Sonia McKinney.

Sonia McKinney recorded a beautiful CD in memory of our much missed colleague Orla O’Reilly. She raised an incredible €1,445.00 for our Young Carers project, which provides respite care, peer, and oneto-one support for young people who take

on a caring role and extra responsibilites at home.

Jimmy McKinney auctioned off a bike and raised €400 which he very generously donated to Donegal Youth Service. We offer a range of services for young people across the county.

Thanks so much to both of you for investing, and making a difference in the lives of young people in Donegal.

We had a wonderful afternoon having tea and cake with Jimmy, Sonia and her family.

Thanks! www.donegalyouthservice.ie

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SUMMER CAMPS Summer is fast approaching, even if it may not feel like it anymore since the first heat wave of the year has been replaced by what feels like constant rain. Don’t let the weather get to you – book a Summer camp at The Loft and you’ll have something great to look forward to.

Multi-activity

cookery

(3rd - 7th of July 70 EUR)

(10th - 14th of July 50 EUR)

A fun filled week of action packed activities to start the Summer of with a Bang!

A week to learn to cook and enjoy loads of tasty food from starters, to main and sweet deserts.

rockschool

fit for life

(8th - 11TH OF aUGUST 70 EUR)

(8th - 11TH OF aUGUST 50 EUR)

Let your musical side come to life by taking part in this week.

Take part in master classes, jam sessions and gain confidence.

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If you want to try out new sports, meet new people and get confidence and skills for your future

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PARTY IN THE PARK

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23RD AUGUST

Party in the park Are you ready?

23rd August

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summer tips Summer is great time in our life. More freedom, less stress, sun, sandy beaches or maybe climbing mountains? No matter what are you plans for upcoming months, remember to stay safe and healthy.

There are some tips that can help you enjoy your Summer holidays even more:

1 Always apply suncream

Don’t sit in the sun in peak hours between 10am and 4pm in order to minimize UV radiation.

2 Drink plenty of water

A lack of water is harmful to your body and can also make you crave food when you’re not actually hungry. Bored of water? Add some low calorific flavoring to water such as a piece of fruit, or opt for healthy alternatives like green tea or coconut water.

3 Keep up the exercise regime

Before you hide those running shoes in the wardrobe, remember summer exercise doesn’t have to stop because of the rising temperatures.

4 Vacations have multiple benefits

They can help lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones such as cortisol, which contributes to a widening waist and an increased risk of heart disease.

5 Above all, give yourself the time to truly experience Nature

This can happen, even in a city park, if you relax and let in your surroundings

6 Improve your heart health

Take advantage of summer’s slower schedule by using your vacation

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summer in donegal 16/17/18 JUNE AN gRIANÀN THEATER

donegal rally 23-25 jUNE BUNDORAN BEACH

Sea Sessions 4-23RD JULY COUNTY DONEGAL

Earigal Erts Festival 21-23RD JULY ARANMORE ISLAND

SWELL Festival

what’s on?

4-7TH aUGUST rADISSON BLU HOTEL (LK)

The Beast-team bike race 25- 27TH AUGUST DONEGAL TOWN

A Taste of Donegal Food SEPTEMBER DUNFANAGHY

Dunfanaghy Jazz and Blues