A Hive of Activity: Welcome to The Yard 2021

Welcome to The Yard!

We’re settled into our fabulous new premises. This extensive move which involved knocking down walls, tiling, painting and installing new ventilation gave some of the young people skills beyond those which they’d signed up for! It was a team effort so everyone got to take ownership of our new home for wood-turning.

Inside it’s doors you’ll find a hive of activity and a great buzz.

Speaking of buzz, we’ve expanded our range of products over the last year including one of the newest developments: our honey dippers. These have been designed in partnership and produced for local and organic business Open Hive Honey.

You’ll also find us at our online shop, We Make Good, The Green Kitchen, Fumbally Cafe and Copper Lane cafe.

We had a great uptake at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore Christmas market this month and look forward to showcasing our popular handmade gifts at other local markets.

The Yard’s mission statement is:

To produce quality handcrafted products, by empowering young people to fill their professional and personal potential, while creating a sustainable society.

This year we introduced a new bonus system and have extended working hours, now opening three days a week. Uptake has been very positive with a keen interest from young people.

Last but not least, we’ve been very fortunate to have Nicola Bigatti Woodwork Instructor with us over the last few months. We also welcomed Leisha McPartland, with experience and qualifications in both carpentry and youth work (it’s a miracle!). The team will continue to support The Yard crew of young people and bring this unique social enterprise to greater heights still.

Introducing LIBERATE Our New Youth Work Programme

We are very excited to tell you about our new LIBERATE Youth Work team.

The area in which we’re based: South West inner City (The Liberties area) has had no mainstream youth project for a number of years.

At the beginning of 2021 a tender was put out for a New Youth Work Service and we were delighted to be chosen as the organisation to take this on.

Over August and September we recruited our new team of youth workers and a Programme Manager who were all in place by the beginning of October.

The name LIBERATE is our ultimate hope for our young people that through the youth work process they know the freedom of reaching their full potential. ‘Liberate’ is also a play on ‘the Liberties’, and ‘Dublin 8’: both communities we are embedded in.

LIBERATE supports 10 – 24 year olds. Our broader reach allows us to fill some of the gaps between our other referral based programmes.

We hit the ground running at the end of October 2021. No better time to connect with young people than during their week off school. Our activities included a soccer camp, 2 Halloween themed day trips, outreach work and joining in with Dublin City Council’s funded Halloween night events in two locations. We also took a group of young people on our first ever 2 night residential to The Cavan Centre. The young people had a blast and we've already booked to go back!

Outreach has been a key part of the team’s work to date. There’s been a tangible presence of Solas Project staff with our new branded coats and hoodies around the streets of Dublin 8. We have invested in bikes to help us reach across this wide geographical area.

We’ve meaningfully engaged with 85 young people in the last month and a half since we started.

In addition to the new drop in services, mentoring, one to one work, group work and a young parent and little one’s programme, the Liberate staff have been kept busy renovating our premises to make them more welcoming and youth friendly spaces. 

This dedicated team will cover the Christmas period making themselves available to young people in the community. Fun Christmas activities and trips are planned.

Our official launch is on 21st February 2022 when we will be joined by Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman.

Contact details for the team:

Programme Manager:

Leanne Lowry, leanne@solasproject.ie, 083 456 4634

Team members:

Jamin Keogh, jamin@solasproject.ie, 083 088 2602

Aoibhinn O’Donoghue, aoibhinn@solasproject.ie, 086 043 1792

Stephen Mullarkey, stephen@solasproject.ie, 087 973 3309

Gayle Cullen Doyle, gayle@solasproject.ie, 083 088 2605

A Good Clause. The gift that keeps on giving...

Are you anybody’s secret santa this year? Would you like to give someone a gift but you’ve no idea what?! OR maybe there’s someone you’d love to say thank you to this Christmas but who you know wouldn’t expect anything from you… then this is for you!

This year we’ve teamed up with A Good Clause giving you the option of sending an E-card and in doing so to make a donation to Solas Project on behalf of your friend or relative.

Often I’ve heard my own parents say ‘sure we don’t need anything’. So in addition to the bottle of Baileys or box of biscuits wouldn’t it be a nice gesture to donate to a good cause on their behalf?

You can choose your own E-card personalising it with a message or even a photo, then whoever is on the receiving end will see that you’ve donated to Solas Project on their behalf.

The last 18 months of restrictions and rising anxiety over an ongoing pandemic has taken it’s toll disproportionality on our young people.

We’ve ramped up our supports in the last few months introducing a new youth work team in Solas Project, and we continue to reach out to up to 600 young people growing up in challenging circumstances only exasperated by the effects of the pandemic.

This Secret Santa donation is a simple, sustainable and heartfelt way of supporting our work.

Whoever you send your card to can join in on the reward of feeling like they’ve contributed to building up the next generation.

Finally, the whole process can be organised in just a few minutes. You might save yourself a few hours online or wondering aimlessly around the shops looking for an appropriate gift!

You can access the Ecards now and select a date and time for this eCard to be sent.

The link will take you through all the steps one by one.

The HOW-TO:

How to Send a Secret Santa ecard:

1. Choose from one of five different ecard designs

2. Choose how much you want to donate

3. Enter Recipient details

4. Choose a when to send your Secret Santa eCard

5. Personalise your card 

6. Your ecard will be delivered at the selected time and date to your recipient.

Transitioning to adult prison and more

Oberstown is the National Detention Centre for children under 18 years of age who receive a custodial sentence.

Some young people serve short periods, others will reach their 18th birthday and automatically transfer over to adult prison.

Oberstown operates from a care model and aims to support the rehabilitation and personal growth of each young person who goes through their door. Solas Project has connected with Oberstown in different ways over the years.

At Solas Project we have always had a focus on supporting young people through key transitions in their lives.

Transitions such as from primary to secondary school or full time education into further training or employment can be game-changing moments in young people’s lives. Similarly, for young people transferring from juvenile detention to adult prison it is a daunting and unnerving process.

Like most of us, these young people do not know what lies ahead and may only be aware of what they have seen about prison on TV or from the exaggerated stories that do the rounds.

During the summer our Compass team developed an 8 week transition programme to educate and prepare young people for their transition.

We were able to respond to some of their fears in a practical way, sharing from our own experience and knowledge of the work we carry out in Wheatfield and Mountjoy prisons.

The course covered topics such as:

• the rules and regulations of adult prison

• managing conflict and stress

• anti-racism work

We also had support from young people involved in our other programmes who themselves had spent time in adult prison. They contributed by answering questions and responding to concerns of the young people transferring over.

it was very real to talk to another young fella who had been there, you could ask questions you wouldn’t ask normally, it made me feel a lot more able and maybe it won’t be too bad if I know what I’m doing. 

It was a privilege to support 5 young people from all parts of the country who voluntarily completed this programme. Through our Compass programme we plan to continue to support them through their time in adult prison too.

Alongside the transition programme our team also delivered music sessions and sports programmes in Oberstown throughout the summer.

Young people got the chance to express their feelings and tell their stories through songs and raps recorded and edited by us. We are hoping you might hear one of them on the radio one day.

Football was taken as seriously as a world cup final but always ended with a smile and shake of the hand.

The programmes were a big success and we received really positive feedback from the Oberstown staff. But the proof comes straight from the young people who came back looking for more!

We are delighted to be back in Oberstown since October continuing to support the positive development of young people.

We firmly believe that these young people can be more than the reason they found themselves in a juvenile detention centre and we are excited to be a part of bringing about this change.

Introducing our ESC volunteers 2021

Sarah:

What are your first impressions of Ireland?

Firstly, the weather is not as bad as people say!

Dublin is not a big city but there are so many things to see that it feels huge: museums, parks, theatre, and those little streets full of hidden buildings and art.

I’m still looking forward to going to the countryside of Ireland and to discover the ‘green side’ and sheep that every postcard depicts.

So far, I’ve been to Howth by the sea where the landscape looks like Brittany where I’m from! The seagulls gave me a feeling of familiarity until they decided to steel some of my local fish and chips…

The « beep » sound of Dublin’s crosswalks gives rhythm to our journey to work. To see the people gathering around street musicians is such a relief after all this time stuck in our houses.

Why did you choose to take this year for ESC ?

I always wanted to go abroad. A friend of mine went to Germany on an an ESC project so I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to leave France after the quarantine and also take a year and think about « what’s next ? ».

Being a volunteer with children is also a way to ask myself if I could choose this as a career path. It’s a need to breathe and to take a step back.

What has your experience in Solas Project been like so far?

I’m helping the Junior After School. At first I was kind of nervous that the children would not appreciate me or just ignore me, but it’s about taking the initiative to show that you want to spend time with them and embrace their energy (which they have in abundance).

The kids are so sweet and have so much to share, being here for them is a pleasure.

Ruth:

This summer I graduated from secondary school in Germany. I decided to do an ESC year because I always wanted to live abroad. I also wanted to do something practical before starting an apprenticeship or a degree. 

I can imagine working with children later in my professional life. That’s why I was so excited when I was offered the opportunity at Solas Project. 

My first weeks were really great. The team is so nice and friendly. Their support made it easier to settle in the new work environment.

The kids in Senior After Schools are great and it is so much fun to work and to play with them.

Dublin is a very quaint city. It’s charm is due to the many pretty corners, the street art, it’s green spaces and of course the many pubs, which make the city very lively.

I am already looking forward to the coming year volunteering in Solas Project with the children and getting to know Ireland better.

Jana: 

My expectations have been exceeded and falling in love with Dublin‘s atmosphere was easy, especially due to it’s small size. Still, there’s so much to discover. Whenever I feel like I am starting to get to know the area, I encounter new corners with unusual shops and galleries. I really am looking forward to travel other parts of the country in the coming year.

Since I finished German high school in 2021, I wanted to take a gap year but be as productive as possible.

Volunteering with Solas Project seemed like a perfect way to challenge and prepare myself for my future, especially because I want to become a teacher.

Working with children is challenging. But that doesn’t take away plenty of beautiful moments.

I really enjoy spending time with the Bridge. But also outside the After Schools Club, the welcoming atmosphere of Solas Project makes me really enjoy my entire work day.

Even peeling 6kg of potatoes is bearable with such nice team mates!