Carrick-on-Suir Neighbourhood Youth Project, Co.Tipperary are the winners of the ‘Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards 2013’ with their project "Glamour Gels". This project offered a series of beauty and pampering sessions to the local Day Care Centre, Active Retirement Centre and local residents to help combat elder loneliness and improve intergenerational relationships.
The project was conceived as part of Foróige's Youth Citizenship Programme, an out-of-school programme which teaches young people how their community works and encourages and supports them to be active citizens. The awards were held in Dublin Castle on Wednesday 30th October and the trophy was presented by Minister for Children & Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald. The awards show was presented by radio favourite DJ Ruth Scott and our own Foróige alumna Marc Gallagher from Blanchardstown.
RTÉ Drivetime covered the story in their evening broadcast yesterday. Listen here.
The crew from RTÉ TwoTube interviewed the finalists and they will be featured later this afternoon from 5:30pm. The story also made it to page 2 of the Irish Examiner.
The Finalists
MC Teens, Tallaght: An ‘Operation Generation’ event to promote friendships between the generations
The young people in MC Teens in Tallaght organised a fun dance party for people aged 9 – 90 to get people together on the dance floor to learn moves from Jive to Gangnam. More than 100 people attended their ‘Generational Groove’ music and dance event, which boasted DJs and live music. The group also organised novel ways to encourage both young and old in the community to get together - from self-defence classes to a pitch and putt contest and art workshops. Locals – young and old – also worked together to create a modern art piece that will soon be on permanent display in Tallaght Hospital. The group says it will continue to organise activities that are socially inclusive as “we don’t believe operation generation has an ending”.
Ballineen Foróige Club, Cork: A community festival to promote volunteering in the area
‘No Limbs No Limits’ teenager Joanne O’Riordan and Britain’s Got Talent stars Jack & Cormac were amongst the celebrity guests who gathered to launch a community festival revitalised and brought back to life by the young people of Ballineen Foróige Club in County Cork.
The teenagers worked tirelessly over many months to ensure the festival was a success, including building momentum and community spirit by organising a Community Awards night recognising the work of people and organisations in the area. They also designed and created a sculpture to symbolise the improving of community spirit amongst the locals.
Such was the success of the festival at bringing the community together both young and old, it was decided to rename it the ‘Le Chéile Fest’ meaning the ‘Together Festival’.
Loughglynn Foróige Club, Roscommon: A Fire Safety & Carbon Monoxide Awareness Project
‘You can’tput a price on life’ was the central theme of Loughglynn Foróige Club’s Citizenship Project. Following a local tragedy which resulted in three people losing their lives as a result of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, the young people in Loughglynn wanted to raise awareness about the importance of fire safety and the dangers of carbon monoxide. The project included the organisation of information evenings with talks from the local fire officer. The group also sourced a local supplier who would supply carbon monoxide alarms at cost price. They also organised a number of fundraisers in the community to help support local families to purchase carbon monoxide alarms for their homes.
Carrick on Suir Neighbourhood Youth Project, Tipperary: A pampering project for the older generations
‘Because you’re worth it’ - That’s what the young people in Carrick on Suir Neighbourhood Youth Project wanted the older ladies in their community to feel. The group – who called themselves the Glamour Gels - educated themselves through a visit from the HSE about Alzheimer’s and Dementia. They then fundraised to raise money to buy beauty products and were trained in hand massage, manicure and make up skills. They then organised pampering sessions for the older ladies in their community. The group also volunteered in the local day care centre to get to know the older generation better and they invited their neighbours and the local active retirement group members to pampering events in the local resource centre. “Older and young people got to talk and interact in a way that we had never done before,” the group say of their experience.
Falcarragh Garda Youth Diversion Project, Donegal: Developing a recession busting business directory for their local area
After witnessing a number of local businesses and services closing down due to the recession and the resulting impact on youth emigration in their town, the young people in the Falcarragh Garda Youth Diversion Project decided to tackle the issue head on. The group developed a ‘one stop shop’ directory of all the businesses and services in the locality in an easy to read format for the public to use. “We always hear stories of how Falcarragh used to be a very busy market town long ago and we would love to be a part of making it vibrant and alive again,” the group say of their project.
Barryroe Foróige Club, Cork: A tourist and community awareness enhancement project
The young people of Barryroe Foróige Club wanted to promote fitness and tourism in their local community. The group approached the local GAA club and set the change in motion for the local playground to be renovated using funds the GAA had available. The group also contributed to the renovation by developing an information board detailing local walking routes and places of interest in their area. “Our project is all about helping the local people to expand their knowledge of the area, encourage fitness by showing the times and distances of each walk, illustrating to tourists what Ballyroe has to offer once explored and giving all those who see our information board a healthy appetite for fun,” the group said.
