So Close and Yet Worlds Apart

As you can see from the map above the two cities of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are exceptionally close but their location is about the only similarity these two cities share. Ciudad Juarez is in Mexico and is embroiled in a vicious drug cartel power struggle and has one of the highest murder rates of any city in the world. Whereas El Paso, Texas is ranked consistently as one of the United States safest cities. It made international news and caused outrage when a stray bullet from Ciudad Juarez managed to strike El Paso’s City Hall. It seems staggering that so much inequality can exist in two cities only minutes apart.

Yet what about our City- the City of Dublin does this inequality exist here?

The answer is yes it does.

Compass works with young men from all over the city of Dublin who have spent time in prison for the crimes that they have committed. A large proportion of these young men though are concentrated in the North Inner City area of Dublin 1 and it is here that you can most vividly see the contrast and the inequality that exists in our city. Drug abuse and crime are rampant in this area- even as I have waited outside houses to pick up one of the young men Compass works with it has not been uncommon for me to have been offered drugs by a young gang member passing by. Compass supports two brothers from this area and they both have spent serious time in prison and various youth detention centres. The older brother describes what it was like for him growing up in this area:

“It was tough, hanging around with all the other young fellas doing drugs. My own Da was on drugs I had to watch him take a bad road- doing drugs, hitting my Ma and stealing from our house.”

These two brothers have grown up in Dublin 1 in terrible circumstances where entire communities are ravaged by fear, drug abuse and criminality and yet only a stone’s throw away still in Dublin 1 we have the IFSC and many other important financial services that are so vital to this City’s wealth and development. It seems staggering that so much inequality can exist in our City with such contrasting fortunes only minutes away.

Compass is trying to close this gap of inequality and we would love your help. Of the two brothers one is back in prison serving another sentence and we would love volunteers to help us run activities in prison to reach him and others in similar situations. The other brother is currently doing well in our post release mentoring programme and we would also love help reaching out to young men like him as they transition from prison back into their communities.

For more information check out our volunteer page or email Emily@solasproject.ie  

Tim Gaston - Compass

Who wants to build a rocket?!

 

Who wants to build a rocket, the question every 9 year old dreams of hearing! For 7 weeks Solas Project are partnering with University College Dublin to inspire the next generation of young scientists.  Each Tuesday the kids from The Club make their way out to UCD.  On arrival they are greeted by scientist Philip Smyth, who takes them to the new O'Brien Centre for Science.

Once the kids have completed homework in the outreach classroom they enter the labs where science comes to life.  So far the kids have made catapults and launched their own rockets, as they learn about the effect mass has on movement. It's been a hugely exciting project for everyone, learning all sorts of new interesting things. 

Thanks to Philip and the staff at UCD who make this possible.  The kids now have UCD in their sights as a place to study when they are older.   

An awesome trip to Awesome Walls!

The young people from Step Up along with their mentors recently enjoyed an evening at Awesome Walls to celebrate the end of term.

Awesome Walls is one of the largest indoor climbing centres in Europe with 2,000 square metres of climbing surface and over 200 climbing routes.  The wall certainly presented both challenge and adventure.   Throughout the evening there was wonderful team spirit, as all involved were cheered on, encouraged to overcome fears and celebrated as they journeyed towards the summit.   Some even accepted the blindfold challenge, where they had to climb with a blind fold on, relying only on their mentor or mentee to guide them.  This was a real test of trust!

Trips are a vital part of the programme, rewarding our young people for their hard work and commitment over the last term and providing a relaxed environment where we can all relax, have fun and continue to build relationships. 

Well done to all who took part.  A big thanks to all the staff at Awesome Walls and to our mentors who helped make it a memorable evening.

We are hoping to run a Step Up Summer Project this year to ensure we can continue to support young people over the long Summer holidays with fun structured activities, if you can help make that happen by donating €24 to support one teenager  - please click here to donate - for further details please contact Clodagh

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