Liberate Launch

Cause for celebration

The Liberate Launch on 21st February 2022, was a youth centred event and a much warranted celebration of our new full-time mainstream youth service in the Liberties! We’ve shared some extracts from those who participated including songs, poems and inspirational speeches below. As well as that there was food, dancing, karaoke and a lot of fun had!

“Do you know what’s really special about today? [Young people ask what?] What’s really really special about today is this is the first time in nearly 10 years that there has been a new youth project in Dublin city the first in 10 years, and it’s here and you’re part of it! [cheers]”

Christy Duffy, director of CDETB, City of Dublin Education and Training Board

Our guests at the launch included staff from local schools, local youth and community workers, politicians, local residents, community Gardaí, representatives from CDETB and CDYSB, our own team of staff and volunteers, and most important of all young people!

It was a pleasure to welcome Minister of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O Gorman. The Liberate programme has come out of an extra 5million provided in the 2021 budget for this area of development. We were honoured to be able to showcase what the Liberate team of five staff plus volunteers and young people have accomplished thus far.

Liberate still in its formative stages already engages with approximately 100 young people through a variety of targeted groups, community outreach, drop-ins, one-on-ones and mentorships.

CHANGE makers

The Liberate Youth Work team at Solas Project operates under the shared vision, ethos and values of love; hope; joy and justice with a vision for the young people to realise their true potential.

Minister Roderic O’Gorman challenged young people to see themselves as change makers:

“See yourselves as people who are able to actually change your community, do something different, make something exciting happen.”

Christy Duffy, director of CDETB had a great rapport going with the young people and challenged them to use their voices for change with the help of the service provided by Liberate:

“It’s all about having a place and safe space for you the young people to find your voice… It’s about being able to use that voice here in the local community and in the whole of Ireland…. The key piece of that is actually using your voice to help one another, as you grow through the years.”

As well as creating the safe environment where critical conversations can take place, Liberate hopes to inspire young people to use their voices to influence change. Solas Project’s long term model engaging with a young person from childhood into adulthood allows for a greater impact over time.

Young people are encouraged to cultivate a sense of ownership in their life, their community and develop a sense of belief in themselves. One of the young people who has been a part of Step Up, Solas Project’s mentoring programme for the last 4 years spoke on the night about his growing confidence as a result of being part of the club, Eric demonstrated this increased confidence by standing in front of the crowd to share his experience:

“Hello everybody my name is Eric. I’m 18. I’ve been coming to club since 2nd year, and the club has basically given me a lot of confidence to like grow as a person even through lockdown I started doing a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t have necessarily had the confidence to do before. I started up doing a podcast. I took acting up again… Also talking to people was something I struggled to do but club really gave me the confidence to talk to people… But even just coming to club chatting to your mentor about how you feel or anything that’s going on during the week or if there’s anything at all that you want help with, they’re there to help you … at club you just relax, chill, learn new skills, talk to new people, try new experiences.”

PREMISES

Another young person Ellie, new to us since Liberate’s inception, wrote a poem for the Minister:

‘Minister, we are glad to see that we are finally free for this cup of tea. We never feared that we would meet this year, thank you for UBU, this group has just begun, we’re all having so much fun, and it’s well up and running, all because of your funds We are glad there’s something new to do, Liberate is really great, unfortunately we’re tight on space, we would really love a bigger place, somewhere that’s inclusive and is always safe’

Eddie D’Arcy, board member and former Solas Project CEO elaborated on Ellie’s request to the minister reiterating our imminent need and ongoing plea to secure a suitable premises in Dublin 8. He detailed our endless attempts to gain access to unused sites owned by public bodies or vulture funds in the area.

Addressing Minister O’Gorman directly, he listed the buildings in the area which would provide ideal spaces for Solas Project but have been lying empty for several years. He pointed out the disparity between youth services in the north inner city compared our part of the city which has the most Dublin corporation tenants of any other:

“If you walk from Gardiner street to the canal there’s 14 different youth projects all with their own premises.      

We have this vision of a youth village where we’d have… a performing arts centre and workshop and music space, and our youth café all within that. And it’s lying there and it’s empty. We just need somebody with a bit of mouth to say to the corpo stop selling off these resources. The community deserves them.

The Liberties hasn’t had a youth service in 10 years. And it’s a needy community. And it’s a great community. So I mean they’re getting a good package with Solas Project.”

Credit goes to

Our dedicated Liberate youth work programme manager and superhero, Leanne Lowry is responsible of much of the event's planning, smooth sailing, and success. Without Leanne and her team’s vision, determination, and dedication to all things youth work, none of this would have been possible.  

Liberate's young people were central to the success the launch. The event would not have been such a joyful success without their enthusiasm and energy. Although, it should be said that things did become heated at one point over who got to sing Maniac 2000! We resolved this problem where everyone got to sing their own rendition of it. Oggie Oggie Oggie… Oi! Oi! Oi!

We’ll leave you with these lyrics written and performed by young person Hannah, along with one of our Youth and Community work university students on guitar:

“Monday 21st and the ministers here, What do we do, get up and cheer, Let me tell you about what we do, Because its all brand new, Need somewhere to have the chats

Don't worry Gayle always has your back, And what is her motto here, YUP THE FLATS

Jamin is always bouncing with cheer, Stephen gets you involved with no fear, When it's cold Leanne brings us in, Makes us hot chocolate that’s a win! Aoibhinn is the creative gal Her and Gayle are great pals.

Emily helped me with this today, She’s got her own musical way, There is so much to achieve this year, Thank you all for being here… (Shout) DUBLIN 8 GIVE US A CHEER