Holiday Highlights

“If you can laugh together, you can work together.”

- Robert Orben

With January well underway and the days growing slightly longer, a spirit of hope and anticipation accompanies us into the new year. As we reflect on 2023, collaboration emerged as a central theme for us as we sought out ways for our various teams and programmes to come together. A particularly beautiful example of this was our year-end event, Santa’s Grotto, where the laughter and sense of community served as a testament to the power of working together.

The Main Event

Hosted at our newest office space on Oliver Bond St, the event was truly a community-wide effort. For weeks leading up to the date, staff and volunteers coordinated entertainment, treats, decorations, and of course: presents! Thanks to the fundraising support from Udemy, via The Irish Youth Foundation and other generous donors, we were able to provide gifts for 60 children who attended the event from our Junior and Senior After Schools programme and families from our Liberate programme. Some of our very own team members and young people surprised us with their artistic talents, including face painting, music, and elf impersonations.

Looking Forward

While the holidays can be a challenging time, often accompanied by various stressors and expectations, this event reminded us of the joy to be found amongst the chaos, and that things don’t have to be perfect in order to make an impact. In the words of A.A. Milne:

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in our hearts.”

As we prepare for the year ahead, we want to continue prioritising collaboration amongst our teams and community, hopefully with a lot more laughs along the way.

Meet this year’s ESC Volunteers!

December 5th has been established as International Volunteer Day by the UN General Assembly in order to recognise and celebrate the power of collective action. In light of this, we want to take the opportunity to introduce and hear from our wonderful volunteers who have joined us for the year through the European Solidarity Corps (ESC).

ESC 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. On our team this year we are fortunate to have Sara from Italy, Jean-Christophe (JC) from France, and Tess from Germany contributing to our Solas@School programmes and After School Clubs. Having started in September, we recently had a chat with them to see how they are findings things so far and to gather any advice they might offer to others looking to volunteer.

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Meet Sara!

Q: What does volunteering mean to you?

A: For me, volunteering means deciding to spend my time in a useful way that helps people and brings joy. I chose to volunteer with Solas Project because of their positive values and the opportunity to spend time with children. 

Q: What have been some of your highlights so far? 

A: I think the best times are those spent outdoors playing different sports, where we have the opportunity to connect more with the children and share both the difficulties and beautiful things of team play. More highlights include learning some dance steps together, jokes, and the children teaching me some Irish words and me teaching them some Italian. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to volunteer?

A: To those who would like to start volunteering I recommend not to wait because there are many ways to help and to approach it with a smile by bringing your own experience in different fields, and by being open to listening to the stories and passions of others.

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Meet JC!

Q: What’s one thing you want to learn during your time at Solas Project?

A: I'd love to be able to learn how to have a positive impact on the kids of the After-Schools Club, bonding with them is not always easy but when it starts it is really rewarding. I might consider teaching later and I wouldn't want to leave any student behind, that's why learning to cope with each type of personality is so important.

Q: Have you tried any new activities with the kids? 

A: We've done lots of crafting activities, painting masks, papercrafts, and tie-dyeing shirts...I'm thinking now of fun science activities that I'd love to bring to the kids, it would get them to discover fun things and might also get them interest in scientific phenomena. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to volunteer?

A: I'd say not to plan things too far in advance because it's really hard to actually imagine how things will be before experiencing them in reality. As well I’d say not being afraid because you are really supported as a volunteer in order to give the best of yourself!

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Meet Tess!

 Q: Why did you choose to volunteer with Solas Project?

A: I chose Solas Project because I have been dealing with the consequences of some bad circumstances growing up and I wanted to do something that had meaning; even if it’s only a small positive impact in the lives of the children. I think volunteering is important because you are doing something good for others as well as for yourself.

Q: What has surprised you so far?

A: It surprised me how quickly I could build a connection with the children and how much their personal experiences and stories influence me. My highlights are always the moments when the children open-up to me, show that they like me, or simply laugh their hearts out. I especially love it when I play the guitar and the kids all sing along at the top of their lungs.

Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to volunteer? 

A: Be aware of what you choose and make sure that the project feels right for you. And don't think that work is just work and that doesn't have an impact on yourself.

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We are incredibly grateful for each and every volunteer who gives of their time, skills, and energy to help support the lives of young people. A special thank you to Sara, JC, and Tess for your courage and willingness to step out of your comfort zones to come and volunteer with us. We appreciate your insights and look forward to hearing more updates from you in the New Year!

Volunteer Celebration 2023

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

– Margaret J. Wheatley

At Solas Project it is a special joy to see the power of change manifested through our volunteers who care deeply about supporting the lives of young people. In early summer we had the opportunity to celebrate and thank all those who have dedicated their time and energy to our various programmes throughout the year at our annual Volunteer Celebration.

Sharing Experiences: ESC Volunteers' Panel Discussion

As part of the celebration, we had a panel discussion of volunteers from the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) who joined us for the year to serve in our After Schools and Solas@School Sports Programmes. Berivan from Turkey shared about how this experience helped him grow:  

“After the first few months I built good relationships with the children which made me happy. Improving myself in different areas kept me motivated and I enjoyed interacting with the Irish volunteers as they made me feel at home. I couldn’t be more grateful for their presence and their help, it was a unique and valuable experience.” 

A Moving Performance

Another highlight from the evening was Eabha O’Keefe's musical performance, which demonstrated the remarkable gifts and talents of young people within our community. Eabha, who initially participated in our After Schools programme and is currently involved with Liberate, composed a special song for the occasion. In this song, she shared how Solas Project has impacted her over the years as reflected in the following lyrics:

“Thank you for everything, without you I couldn’t have been the person I want to be, thanks for accepting me."

Our sincerest thanks

Studies have found that the presence of just one supportive adult in a young person’s life is critically important to their well-being, sense of connectedness, self-confidence and ability to cope with difficulties (My World Survey, Dooley and Fitzgerald, 2012). At Solas Project we are immensely grateful to all of our volunteers who continue to show up as positive supports to young people; whether by playing football with a child at The Club, or offering a listening ear as a Step Up mentor, all of these actions go a long way in helping young people feel connected and supported.   

While one evening is not enough to fully express our appreciation and thanks to our volunteers, it was a great start in celebrating together the joy that sustains and motivates the work we do, and our commitment to creating space for laughter, freedom, and expression. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with us, click here to see our current opportunities.

Bring This Story to The Dáil

It is June 2023, John* (23) is standing before a judge in Naas District Court. This is John’s sixth appearance in court of the single charge of possession of €45 worth of cannabis.  

When the judge asked John at what age he started smoking cannabis and for what reason, John replied in a hushed tone. John explained that he started using cannabis at the age of 12, because it helped him to cope, and it made him feel better.  

John’s story in not uncommon; despite previous fines and convictions, no resolutions from the courts whether lenient or strong are equipped to tackle the underlying mental health and trauma-based issues that John uses cannabis to suppress. Addiction will not be overcome through court-based sanctions. 

John’s key worker from Solas Project informed the court that John was also engaging in a harm reduction step down approach to work on reducing his cannabis use. Despite making positive progress within this approach, due to the criminalisation of cannabis in Ireland, John continues to be caught within the justice system that is not designed to tackle the contributory factors of addiction. 

The judge struck out the case stating that there was nothing the justice system could do to change John’s behaviour. Instead, he believed that John’s story should be heard by those in Dáil Eireann. He proposed that lawmakers need to hear the stories of 12-year-olds who feel the need to start smoking cannabis to survive.  

At Solas Project we agree that John’s story should be heard, by the Dáil as well as the Citizens Assembly on Drug Use, and the Irish community at large. A new approach to managing and supporting addiction is needed that focuses on addressing the underlying causes of addiction rather than punishing the behaviour.  

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, an international day for global mental health awareness, education, and advocacy against social stigma. Let’s continue to make mental health care a reality for people like John through tackling the issues that lead people to find solace in drug use. 

 *Name changed to protect anonymity.

Resources: 

Mental Health Ireland

HSE Mental Health Supports & Services

After Schools Graduation 2023

The After Schools programme started back in 2007 as the beginning of Solas Project providing support for 10 young girls in Basin Lane. Although it has grown and developed over the years, the Club continues to strive to be a home away from home for young people. A space for young people to thrive despite challenging circumstances they may face, and receive support in becoming healthy confident and caring members of their community.

Each year we mark the end of the school year with our After Schools Graduation. This gives us the chance to acknowledges each young person as an individual, recognises their growth and achievements over the year and to celebrate that with their families.

This year, alongside our young people who received a Certificate of Completion, recognising their engagement and participation in the club, we also had 8 young people who “Graduated”. Some of these young people are moving from our Junior to our Senior Club, while others, after up to 6 years in the Club have come to the end of their time with the After Schools Club and will be moving on to bigger and brighter things!

Thankfully in Solas Project there are ongoing supports for our young people as they move into their next stage - including the opportunity to join our Liberate Youth Work programme. It was brilliant to have so many staff from across all of our teams show up a the Graduation to cheer on our young people and to remind them that they are part of the bigger picture of Solas Project.

We strive in After Schools to include our core values into our work daily which are Love, Hope, Justice, and Joy. Our value of Joy is very evident on our Gradation day! Joy began for us in the build up to the big day. There was lots of fun laughter, freedom and growth represented through music and dancing. Another element of the day where joy was represented was that every young person in the room had their famililes show up to celebrate them. The smiles on their faces as they watched the door to see who’s family was coming in next was a very heart warming moment to watch. As well as families, there was a lot of people that came to show their support: Solas Project staff, volunteers, guardians and social workers. With this wide variety of people represented it really showed the wrap around care that is there for our young people. 

The Graduation day itself couldn’t have happened without our ESC volunteers and our wider team of volunteers. 20 of our volunteers were there on the day to show their continued support to each individual and many more that couldn’t be there sent on their best wishes Our Graduation Day would not have been as successful without the support of all of volunteers and ESC students and they have made such a huge impact across the year so it was a lovely way to finish.

Thank you to everyone involved and making our 2023 Graduation a huge success.