Solas Business Community Final (Part 1!)

Solas Business is one of 3 programmes we run in (15) local schools as part of our Solas @ School programme. Based on the concept of Dragons Den, each group of students are paired with local corporate mentors to come up with a concept over 5 weeks in the classroom with the final week taking place in the businesses boardroom where they face the 'dragons'. A winner from each school then goes on to take part in the Community Final. This programme helps build confidence, self-worth and character in the young people. They gain a glimpse into the business world and what it would be like to work in a local business. 

Last Thursday we had the first of our 2016 Solas Business Community Finals where 6 schools finalists battled it out to take the ultimate prize. It is no easy job standing up to present to a big room of over 150 people and we are incredibly proud of each and every young person who took part. 

Our M.C. for the day was Solas Project Head Gardener Graham Jones:

Schools taking part were: Marist Primary School, St Brigids Primary School, Warrenmount Presentation, St Endas Primary School, Scoil Treasa Naofa and Brunswick St National School with each class coming along to support their finalists with some fantastic posters. 

Corporates mentors were from: Quantcast, Web Summit (2 schools), State St, McCann Fitzgerald, Maples & Calder

We had some fantastic ideas, (with the Poover being a personal favourite!) and it was a tough decision for our judges but ultimately it was the Phablet from the Marist Primary School together with their mentors from Quantcast Dublin who won out in the end. (pictured below)

We were delighted to have Lord Mayor Criona Ni Dhalaigh join us to kick off proceedings. 

Thank you to all our judges (pictured below), Rev. Craig Cooney, Ray Murphy (Chairman of Solas Project), Derek Tynan, Mary Lynch (Dublin City Council) and Karen Healy (Hilton Hotel)

A big thank you to St Catherines Church for providing the venue - and especially Lara for all her help.

Last but not least, a huge well done to Amy Ryan who kept the show on the road!

If your company is interested in taking part in Solas@School more information can be found here or contact Clodagh@solasproject.ie

The Life of a Solas Project Communications Intern

At the beginning of 2015, after graduating with a degree in Media and Public Relations in the previous summer and taking some time to travel in Chicago, I began searching for an internship to introduce me to a career in the world of communications. During one of my many 'googling' sprees, I stumbled across an advertisement for a Communications Assistant role in Solas Project which sounded just like what I was looking for so I applied for the position and got called in for an interview. Not too long after my interview with Clodagh, she got in contact to say they would like to offer me the position and I was over the moon! 

When it came to my first day in Solas Project, I was a bundle of nervous energy. As with any new job, I didn't quite know what to expect. I spent the first week or two meeting all the lovely staff and other interns and familiarising myself with all things Solas Project and soon my nerves were a thing of the past. Everyone was so welcoming right from the start and I knew the next 9 months were going to be great.

My favourite part of this whole experience has been the fact that no two days were ever the same. From organising events, to managing and overhauling a website design, to spending time in various programmes getting to know the amazing young people supported by Solas Project, there was never a dull moment. Throughout the last 9 months I had the chance to be on the committee to help organise the first ever Solas Project Black Tie Ball, I attended WebSummit with the wonderful kids who invented BullyBug which was an incredible experience, I got to single-handedly organise the Solas Project Christmas Fair (despite the weather trying to ruin my plans!), I completed the revamp of the Solas Project website alongside the wonderful Jaclyn Visbeen and I got to meet some outstanding people along the way. These are only a few highlights of my time spent working with this incredible organisation, I would be here all day if I was to list everything! 

I have been shown so much support and kindness from everyone I have met throughout this experience and I will be forever grateful for it all. Not only have I gained invaluable knowledge for my career but also for general life. If you get the opportunity to carry out an internship with Solas Project, then please do. It's one of the best decisions I have ever made!  

I want to say a huge thank you to my wonderful mentor Clodagh O Reilly, who looked after me and guided me over the last 9 months, it was great to have someone who genuinely cared and wanted me to get the most out of my experience. 

It's safe to say I will miss all the staff at Solas Project a lot, thank you all for being so warm and welcoming to me right from the start!

Katie x

RETURN OF THE YARD CREW

It has been an exciting week here at Solas Project with a new group of lads joining us in The Yard Crew last Wednesday!

Over the next 16 weeks, these young men will focus on developing personal, practical and business skills in order to increase their opportunity for employment. Through various activities such as woodwork, bike repairs and IT training, each participant will get an insight in to what it takes to run a business and the importance of teamwork and working towards a common shared goal. 

As part of this Social Enterprise, The Yard Crew will be crafting handmade wooden pieces which will soon be available to buy from our website in the coming months. The Yard Shop will include things like bowls, bottle openers and pens, as well as some made-to-order items such as rocking horses and candle holders.

We're looking forward to seeing what The Yard Crew get up to over the next 16 weeks and we'll be sure to keep you updated! 

If you would like to volunteer in The Yard or find out what's involved, click here for more information.

WE NEED YOU!

We are looking for volunteers to join our team in both The Club and The Yard. Slightly different skill-sets are needed for each volunteering opportunity but they both work towards the same vision - to unlock the youth's potential and to help them truly know their self-worth. 

Volunteers are the heart and soul of Solas Project, and without their generosity and skills it would be impossible for us to achieve our vision.

THE YARD

The Yard supports young people by equipping them with the necessary skills required to get and hold down a job. These skills range from woodwork and bike repairs to punctuality and teamwork. Working with young people from the ages of 6-23, each day in The Yard is guaranteed to be different!

For more information or to fill in a volunteer application form, please click here or contact emily@solasproject.ie.

THE CLUB

The Club provides a safe home-like environment after school each day for children living in challenging circumstances. Catering for over 40 children between our three locations in Dublin 8, The Club is always a hive of activity and lots of fun to be a part of!

For more information or to fill in a volunteer application form, please click here or contact emily@solasproject.ie.

2015 Year in Review

2015 was an exciting year at Solas Project! We reached more than 600 young people and had more volunteers involved than ever before - delivering 20,393 contact hours in total.

You have helped us make a huge impact in the community, for young people like Susie.

*Susie is 7 years old & attends The Club, her home life is particularly challenging & this was evident in her behaviour. She found it hard to play with her peers, was often tearful and particularly struggled in group activities. 
         Over the past couple of months, things have really improved for Susie, the stability of attending The Club every day has seen her really settle, work on her homework by herself, if things don't work out the first time - she is now eager to try again. She has come a long way since she started at The Club and we have high hopes of her future. 

A few other stories stood out in particular:

SOLAS SPORTS

At the beginning of June, we saw over 200 children from local schools come together for our annual Tag Rugby Blitz. It was great to see the children demonstrate the skills they had learned throughout the year with Solas Sports. As well as learning tag rugby skills, the children are taught about team building, communication and taking part - all skills they need to take advantage of their potential. 
Thank you to all our corporate volunteers from Google, Web Summit, Savills and Maples and Calder who kindly helped out on the day!

THE YARD

A huge highlight of this year was the expansion of The Yard workshop. The Yard sees over 70 local school children through its gates each week, who all come to learn wood work and team building skills. 
The older group - The Yard Crew - had the opportunity to make a hand crafted Canadian Canoe. We believe it has been quite a number of years since a canoe was made in the Liberties! After launching the canoe at the Sporting Proud triathlon, we then put the 'Jeanie Mac' up for auction at our ball in The Hilton Dublin and were delighted when it sold for €1,800!
Thank you to everyone who has supported The Yard over the course of the year. 

WEB SUMMIT - BULLYBUG

Each year, 12 local businesses and schools take part in our 6 week Solas Business programme. The aim of this programme is for young people to realise the opportunities that can lie ahead. Along with their mentors, the children come up with a business idea or product which they will then develop to a point where they can pitch it to a boardroom of 'investors'. There is a winning team picked from each school, who then continue on to compete in the Community Business Final in May. 
The overall winners in 2015 were St Audeons School, along with their mentors Laurence and Kris from Boys and Girls Creative Agency. Boys and Girls were so impressed by the winning idea, BullyBug, that they supported the children to develop the concept further. The children even went all the way to Web Summit to pitch their product on the main stage in front of over 4,000 people! 
For more information check out the Bullybug website. 

HILTON HOTELS PARTNERSHIP

We were delighted to be selected as charity partner of Hilton Hotels Ireland this year. Their support of our work has been incredible - from volunteering with our young people to fundraising Cookie days to helping install our new kitchen in the transition club. 

Without a doubt one of the highlights was our first Black tie ball held in the Hilton Dublin hotel. Such a fantastic evening & we are so grateful to all our supporters who attended. We were astonished to be announced as charity partner for Hilton Hotels in 2016 also! 

None of this would have been possible without the help of our wonderful supporters. We hope 2016 will see even more opportunities for growth and we'd love for you to join in. From all the Solas Project team, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!