European Solidarity Corps volunteers at Solas Project

The European Solidarity Corps is an EU initiative that provides young people aged 18 to 30 with the chance to engage in voluntary activities that promote solidarity, foster social integration, and contribute to positive social change. Let’s see how is the experience of Lomé, Berivan and Lucas going so far at Solas Project.

“It has already been 9 months since my arrival in Ireland. After many apprehensions before leaving, here I am in Dublin, more myself than ever. This experience has been enriching in every way. The language barrier has gradually faded, the relationship with the children in the after-school program keeps improving, and Ireland itself is an incredible country with breathtaking landscapes. After all this time, I feel comfortable in my own skin. I am surrounded by people of all kinds, with different cultures and unique backgrounds. At work, my relationship with the staff is very good, and the assistance provided by the new volunteers/interns makes life easier. I have also been able to establish connections with other people outside the work environment. The warm-hearted nature of the Irish gives you the feeling of being at home. This Irish experience has allowed me to discover myself, explore a new culture, improve my English, and also take risks, face my fears, and continuously learn and grow. I will remember this period of my life as a year of discovery, changes, ups and downs, travels, a first experience in the professional world and the joys shared with people from all around the world.

 I'm really looking forward to spending the last three months with the youth club. We've had such great times together throughout the year, and I've formed strong connections with them. I can't wait to see how they continue to grow and learn. And of course, I'm excited to keep exploring and experiencing the beauty and culture of Ireland." Lome

  “Summarizing my volunteering experience and explaining it to my loved one is always a difficult task, given the immense richness and intensity it holds. Nonetheless, when I look back and reflect on the initial challenges I faced, I can't help but feel proud and grateful for the incredible journey I embarked on and the deep connections I forged with the children. One standout moment occurred in February, following my return from Scotland where my handball team emerged victorious in a tournament. Sharing that victory with the children was truly rewarding. It was incredible to witness their enthusiasm for this new sport, despite its limited presence in Ireland. They not only showed interest but also began practicing it. Additionally, my involvement with Solas introduced me to tag rugby, a highly popular sport in Ireland but less known in France. Now, I find myself captaining a tag rugby team comprising international players who are joyfully exploring this new sport. Remarkably, the children from Solas are the first to offer tactical advice and share the keys to success in matches. This small anecdote encapsulates the profound exchanges I've experienced throughout the year. It's a coming together of two worlds, forming beautiful relationships and giving rise to extraordinary stories born out of our differences and unexpected connections.” Lucas

 “My European Solidarity Corps volunteering in Ireland has been a significant experience in my life. It was challenging for me to adapt to a new routine at the beginning of the project, but the experience has provided me with valuable perspectives and instilled meaningful values in my life, for which I am truly grateful. The most rewarding aspect was the strong relationships I built with the children I worked with. My Afterschools program leader provided me with invaluable support and guidance, which empowered me to take initiative and create a nurturing environment in the club. The connections I built with the children were genuine and based on trust, respect, and a shared love for learning and growth. Witnessing their progress and seeing their smiles of accomplishment filled my heart with joy. Moreover, this experience allowed me to meet wonderful people in Ireland who have become lifelong friends.

The warmth and hospitality of the Irish community have made me feel truly welcomed and appreciated. I am grateful for this opportunity and eagerly looking forward to exploring more of Ireland's immense beauty and rich culture in the upcoming summer. This journey has inspired me to continue embracing new adventures and cherishing the remarkable experiences that await me in this incredible country” Berivan 

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to all the dedicated volunteers who have generously devoted their time and effort to our cause. Your commitment and selflessness have made an invaluable impact on our organization and the communities we serve. Thank you for sharing your skills, passion, and compassion, and for embracing the spirit of volunteerism. Your unwavering support has helped us achieve our goals, uplifted those in need, and brought about positive change. Your contributions have not gone unnoticed, and we are truly grateful for the difference you have made. Thank you for being an inspiration to us all, and we look forward to continuing this meaningful journey together.

Thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joyriding Back on the Agenda

Young people were back in the headlines this week with the very serious incident of joyriding in Cherry Orchard. Video footage was widely circulated of a large group of young people cheering at two cars joyriding, with one then proceeding to ram a Garda car. The incident that took place in the early evening while it was still bright outside has understandably generated a lot of outrage and concern.

This event has been widely condemned across society from community representatives, Gardai, politicians and the general public. Solas Project joins in condemning all activities where anyone’s safety is put at risk and supports the rights of everyone to live in communities free from fear of incidents such as these. We advocate for policies that address the root causes of incidents such as these and not knee-jerk reactions to those involved.

We believe that prevention should always be prioritised over punishment.

Joyriding is not a new phenomenon for young people. Our Youth Justice Programmes Manager Ashling Golden recently completed her master’s dissertation researching young people involved in this activity. She looked at what compels young people towards driving illegally and what supports their diversion from it. 

From our work on the ground with young people who are early school leavers, facing employment and disconnected from their communities we have seen that it is the young people who are most excluded who engage in more serious and prolific offending behaviours. Our experience has shown that the resulting further exclusion from their communities in the form of harsh punishments does not bring about pro-social change.

Extreme events like the one last week come as a result of young people continually slipping, or being pushed, through the cracks. The research we conducted is supported by international studies suggesting that joyriding lures young people who are attracted to risk-taking behaviours.

Considering the exclusion they already experience there is a sense of “nothing to lose”.

Young people engaging in these behaviours believe that the benefits of joyriding outweigh the consequences. The benefits include: a feeling of power gained in being a champion; the status of being anti-authority; and the encouraging attention of the crowd. We could see this at play in this week’s event with the significant role played by large crowd of young people cheering on. These motivations must be taken into consideration in our societal response.

Young people who are gaining a sense of worth through these activities need alternative avenues to gain this worth and to build a brighter future.

Disadvantaged communities across the city need increased support for young people, from safe spaces to build positive relationships to employment opportunities and outlets for safe high-risk leisure activities such as biking and driving.

Our research shows that the current response to driving offences in Ireland (a driving ban or on a more serious occasions, imprisonment) does not have a significant impact on preventing this type of behaviour. In fact, the opposite can be the case, as these approaches can perpetuate the “nothing to lose” attitude. Much more successful outcomes are achieved when the young people involved get the opportunity to:

• Learn to drive legally;

• Build strong healthy relationships within their communities;

• Move into meaningful employment.

Solas Project is calling for this recent incident to be a catalyst for change. One of our core values is Justice, this means actively supporting young people to overcome barriers and encouraging them to pursue a more just society where everyone can flourish. It is no coincidence that the young people involved in incidents like this are those who have been routinely excluded from society from a young age, from schools, clubs, sports teams etc.

Young people need to be invested in, to be provided with safe spaces to build their self-worth and develop a hope for their future.

Our call is for those most marginalised young people in our communities not to be further excluded. We want to see local communities, young people, politicians and the Gardai work together to tackle exclusion and break the generational poverty cycle.

Fighting for Change

Our TRY Team (Targeted Response with Youth) have come up with a brand new initiative in Solas Project, Fighting for Change. This is a structured dialogic boxing program designed to engage young people in a discussion about growing up with fewer opportunities, in marginalised communities.

The goal of the program is to show young people that change is possible by having a conversation about what it was like before, what happened, and what it is like now. 

Professional boxers and entrepreneurs who have overcame adversity and turned their entire life around through participation in sporting activities are among the invited guest speakers.  

Our pilot programme will run for six weeks. It began in August 31st lasting one hour and thirty minutes per session. 30 minutes for the speaker and one hour for boxing training (non-contact). All participants are over the age of 18. This will be held at the Donore Community Boxing Club. 

This will be facilitated by youth worker Jamin Keogh, who has a level one boxing coaching accreditation from the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, and professional boxer Craig O Brien, who is currently the Irish boxing champion and the BUI Celtic boxing champion.  

Pictured is one of the guest speakers, Gary "Spike" O'Sullivan. Spike is an Irish professional boxer from Cork. Between 2009 and 2017, he held multiple middleweight championships at world and regional level including the Irish title.  

International students - what a team!

On the 12th March 2020, an enthusiastic group of 6 European students placed in Solas Project received the news that this country (and their own countries) were about to come to a standstill due to a global pandemic called Coronavirus.

On what had seemed like a normal day in our weekly routine of running the After Schools clubs, sat a very upset and tearful group of young people at the shock of this news.

Half of these students had only just embarked on their Solas Project journey full of enthusiasm and motivation.

Our three European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteers were half way through their year and starting to make some break throughs with the young people, bonding and building trust and beginning to see an impact. This came as a shock to everyone, the non ESC students being forced to turn on their heels on return flights home…the ESC volunteers holding out to see what they could do remotely. No one knew how long this would go on for.

Then, in August 2020 three keen ESC volunteers took a risk to travel to Dublin within the limitations imposed at a national and international level in the knowledge that they could potentially get stuck here through various lockdowns which followed.

Our team was greatly reduced throughout this time and their dedication through to August 2021 was admirable.

In August 2021 another three European ESC volunteers, and one volunteer from the USA continued the hard work to support staff to keep everything running smoothly in the After School clubs. With the number of volunteers both from Ireland and abroad significantly reduced due to Covid19 concerns it was a small team and it is fair to say it was tough at times!

That was until February 2022 when our ESC volunteers did not know what hit them (in the best possible way) with an influx of students from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany arriving to join the team, two more arrived in April, and another in May 2022. It’s fair to say that this has been a unique time for the After Schools clubs, particularly in the light of the last few years.

Together with an incredible band of reliable and quality local volunteers giving up at least one afternoon per week, the team of social work students and ESC volunteers have formed a robust volunteer team!

Not only have they worked remarkably well as a team, the students and volunteers have become friends choosing to spend their free time together outside of the clubs.

The bond in this group is apparent to any onlooker and has filtered down to the children in the After Schools who have benefitted from their positivity, consistency and solidarity with the wider group of staff and volunteers.

The students went above and beyond showing initiative and flair - for example they created some new resources with the support of our staff such as a sex education course for young people.

One of the students, personally familiar with living with a disability, developed and ran an equality workshop with the Junior After Schools group working on ways we can be inclusive, respectful, and show admiration for each other’s differences.

Students have used their artistic abilities to creatively set up new spaces, to run special events, and also to partake in photography around the local Liberties area.

We’ve seen them be pushed out of their comfort zone. One ESC volunteer Sarah, made a speech at our volunteer celebration in front of over 60 people. A group of the students participated in a local school’s multi cultural week in May, each of the students have been involved in our Solas @ School Sports programmes, including our Rugby Blitz 2022 with over 400 kids.

Thanks to our ongoing team of volunteers and students, we are able to create a space for young people to grow their motivation and self-worth.

At the same time we get to see the students and ESC themselves grow remarkably in confidence and flourish.

We want to say a big thank you to the volunteer class of 2022. It has been to see a group of young people volunteering free to make the most of their time in Solas Project and in Ireland, thanks to lifted restrictions, and freedom of movement again.

We’re looking forward to welcome more local and international volunteers over the next few weeks and months.

It’s an honour to provide a space for life-long learning for those helping us run the programmes, as well as the young people and children participating.

Tag-Rugby Blitz 2022

We were very excited to be back in UCD for our annual Solas@School Tag-Rugby Blitz this year. The event which has run every year since 2011 has been really missed over the past 2 years. 2022’s event was another huge success!

With amazing weather, energetic young people and a vibrant atmosphere that’s hard to beat, we had the added bonus and excitement of this being our first year back up and running in schools and collaborating with our corporate supporters for Solas Sports since the lockdowns. 

In total we had 10 schools from across Dublin 7, 8 & 12 there on the day. Which meant there were over 400 children and 100 volunteers representing 10 global and local businesses with additional one off student volunteers alongside regular Solas Project volunteers, all supporting us on the day. 

“The atmosphere there was great; kids were happy, teachers were happy, and volunteers were happy. A fantastic day out for everyone.”  Corporate volunteer. 

It was incredible to see the teamwork, enthusiasm and positivity brought by each class, who all worked very hard with our Solas@School team to be ready for the event. 

Corporate volunteers enjoyed a morning away from the desk job and were blown away by the size and energy of the event. We got some great feedback from teachers, volunteers and all involved on the day:

“The kids of course made it and the team that I was working with really enjoyed it.”   

“Absolutely enjoyed the whole day, the kids had great craic. Loved cheering them on and running around the pitch” 

“Such a great event. Thanks for the tea and coffee also!”. 

“Great to see the kids enjoying themselves and doing really well at a sport that maybe they had not participated in much beforehand”  

A highlight of the day was for the kids was making their mark on their faces thanks to our fantastic face painters who worked tirelessly throughout the event making sure each young person went away happy. 

A big thank you to all who took part on the day, we’re already looking forward to next year!!