FR Peter McVerry and social innovator and campaigner Ruairí McKiernan joined Northside Partnership last week to celebrate five years of its Young Community Leaders’ (YCL) programme.
Both were attendees at an event to launch a new report highlighting the successes and achievements of the programme from 2011 to 2016.
Aimed at people aged between 16 and 25, the programme encourages young people to become the future leaders of their communities in the Northside Partnership area.
The YCLs undertake a training programme that includes the STEPS motivational programme, restorative practice training to manage conflict and the Foróige Leadership for Life programme which results in a FETAC Level 6 Foundation Certificate in Youth Leadership and Community Action for graduates.
As part of the programme, participants must also complete a Community Action Project which sees them doing at least 20 hours’ work in a leadership role within the community. According to the newly launched report, the 120 graduates from the programme have collectively devoted over 2,480 hours to projects to benefit their communities over the past five years.
Guest speaker Ruairí McKiernan, founder of Spunout.ie and campaign organisation Uplift, provided words of inspiration for the Young Community Leaders.
“Leadership is not a position, it’s an activity – it’s what you do,” he told them.
These words were echoed by Northside Partnership chairperson Lorcán Ó hÓbáin.
“Young Community Leaders is about developing your confidence and your skills. Now that you have it, you need to get out there and use it,” he said.
Mr Ó hÓbáin encouraged the Young Community Leaders to stay engaged, find a cause that resonates with them and to get involved.
Speaking at the event, Young Community Leaders’ graduate Allie Sheehan, from Coolock, said: “YCL really helped me to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I was involved in running lots of voluntary events in the community and I have now gone on to study Event Management in DIT Cathal Brugha Street. I also use the skills that I learned in YCL every day like the STEPS positive thinking skills. I made some great friends through the programme too, people who lived close to me and had similar interests but I never knew them before YCL.”
Father McVerry said he was inspired by the courageousness of all the speakers.
“I enjoyed listening in particular to the enthusiasm and dynamism of these young people. It’s empowering to see such confidence,” he said.
