Youthreach Trim

1. Youthreach Trim Quality Centre of Education Building on solid foundations of the past in meeting the needs of young people in the future!! September 2003 – March 2013

2. Presentation Outline • Introduce the panel • Overview of Centre • Presentations by staff and students • Round up • Questions and Answers

3. Where to find us in Ireland? Youthreach Trim is located in Trim, County Meath Our Capital: Dublin City Ireland is divided in 4 provinces with 32 counties in total.

4. Our Centre Overview YOUTHREACH TRIMQUALITY CENTRE OF EDUCATION MS. LIZ LAVERYFORMER CENTRE CO-ORDINATOR / COUNTY CO-ORDINATOR FOR YOUTHREACH SERVICES COUNTY MEATH VEC - IRELAND

5. What is a Youthreach Centre? • It is a second chance full time Irish education programme for early school leavers aged between 15-20 years old. • With little or no previous qualifications. • It is funded by the Irish Government. • Our centre has 33 places. • Our students can be referred by schools, outside agencies and supports systems, and by parents.

6. Our Students- Typical Characteristics • Little or no previous qualifications. • History of failed subjects and achievement. • No or lack of support from home. • High absenteeism rates in mainstream school. • Suspended/ Expelled/ ‘Encouraged to leave’ • Learning and or personal difficulties. • Non-conformity to the mainstream system. • Use of the 7 Deadly Habits. • Square Hole Round Peg Scenario.

7. Support services and agencies • The following is a list of outside supports and agencies which the centre link in with in order to support our young people: • S.M.A.R.T. (South Meath Area Response to Teenagers) • Education Welfare Officer (EWO) • Probation Services • Social Welfare Service • Local Psychologists, Counsellors and Psychotherapists • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) • Youth Advocate Programme (YAP) • Gardaí • Schools • Local GPs

8. Youthreach: Facts & Figures • Detentions + Suspensions+ Expulsions = 0 • Centre Places: 33 Learners • Breakdown: Boys Girls 60% 40% • Age Group: 15-16yrs 17-18+ yrs 70% 30% • Declared as Ireland’s First Quality Centre of Education in March 2010

9. Declaration Day: March 2010 Youthreach Trim very proudly declared itself as ‘Ireland’s First Quality Centre of Education’ in March 2010. Former Centre Co-ordinator Ms. Liz Lavery is pictured with both staff and students signing the official Dr. William Glasser document which declared Youthreach Trim as Ireland’s first ‘Quality Centre of Education’

10. Our Staff Changes • Ms. Liz Lavery (Former Centre Co-ordinator and Founder of Youthreach Trim Quality Centre of Education) was recently appointed as the new County Co-ordinator for County Meath VEC. • Mr. Brendan Pillion is the new appointed Acting Co-ordinator of Youthreach in Trim.

11. Our Staff Team • 4 full time staff members and 6 part-time staff members and 1 trainee teacher on placement • Caitriona Cullen & Kate Geoghegan Resource Officers (Choice Theory – Certification -July 2011) • Mary Hibbits & Brendan Pillion (Currently Completing Basic Practicum) • All staff – Basic week done

12. Youthreach Trim OUR QUALITY SCHOOL / CENTRE APPROACH

13. Why choose Youthreach Trim • Students choose to come to YRT because mainstream school does not meet their personal / academic needs. • They may have become ‘lost’ and ‘disconnected’ from their subject areas and indeed teachers. • They may have needed a different learning environment which meets their needs e.g. practical subjects with hands on experience, project based learning, work experience placement opportunities, a small learning environment, more 1 to 1 supports etc.

14. What students have chosen: • Morning meetings to discuss daily activities with the students. This is used as an open forum for students and staff to discuss centre issues and make choices. • Informal non school environment – No Miss or Sir. First name basis at all times. • Choice theory language used at all times. • Students actively encouraged to self reflect and evaluate on a daily basis. • An environment where they are cared for and feel happy in.

15. No Code of Discipline: Three Rules include; • Fire – You must leave the building • Banned Substances – Strictly prohibited • Assault - You are not allowed to assault anyone Everything else is negotiable!!!

16. Students take active role: • Volunteering to get involved in days like today • Representing their student body at board of management meetings • Representing their centre at county level for planning the Spraoi na Mi show. • Past student returning to help out in centre events ESSE project January 2013 • Choosing their own subjects, trips and programmes • Choosing their own future path in life • Peer Counselling Programme

17. The Mediation Process

18. How we use mediation? If an incident does arise the centre lead managementteam will engage in the process of mediation and it is usually around the following areas; • Between a student and a tutor e.g. difficulties in class • Between a student and another student e.g. personal clashed on opinions or mistaken information • Between a student and a parent e.g. where perhaps a relationship has broken down and non-judgemental support is required.

19. Youthreach Trim Our Keys to success

20. Our Interview Experience = We are all equal

21. Relationships Fun Friendship Freedom

22. Youthreach Trim A YOUTHREACH LEARNING SPACE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD!! MS. MARY HIBBITS / CAITRIONA CULLEN RESOURCE OFFICERS

23. A Quality Learning Approach

24. Timetabling using the QS model Academics in the morning and choices in the afternoon Specialism weeks: Asking the students what else they would like to do

25. Project Based Learning HOW WE APPROACH LEARNING – THROUGH CREATING GENUINE QUALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES??

26. Trim Youthreach WORK EXPERIENCE PLACEMENT PROGRAMME 2013 MS. CAITRIONA CULLEN RESOURCE OFFICER

27. Why do Work Experience?? • Learners currently complete a one day a week work experience placement in an area of their choice. Our Work Experience Co-ordinator is on hand everyday to encourage and support our learners to find and maintain a placement. • Work Experience is seen as an essential element of our programmes; • It gives learners the opportunity to sample different areas of work and is a taster for real life opportunities. • It gives learners the opportunity to possibly discover hidden talents. • It helps our learners to develop links with the outside real world work community. • It helps to build a learner’s confidence and self esteem. • It fosters a climate of maturity and responsibility in finding and maintaining their chosen placement. • It encourages the learner to take ownership and responsibility in deciding their future life choices.

28. Our Work Experience Programme Types of Work Experience Placements 2013 • Barbers • Shop Assistants • Crèches • Pet Stores • Leisure Link / Gym • Hairdressers • Local Hotels • Car Mechanics • Equestrian Centre • Butchers • Local IT Software Company

29. A Staff Story: Stephanie Ms. Stephanie Cogavin – Trainee Teacher on Teaching Practice Placement Stephanie has spent 1 month on teaching practice in our centre – March 2013. She teaches Home Economics.

30. Who am I and why am I here?? • Bachelor of Education - Home Economics & Economics • 4 year course – St. Angela's College, Sligo, Ireland. Which is course for trainee teachers. • Requirements – 5 Teaching Practice Placements; 1 of which I choose to do in Youthreach Trim

31. My experience of Youthreach • My experience has demonstrated the need to reform people’s perceptions of Youthreach • Opportunity • Relationships • The Glasser Model • Skills • Friends

32. Past Student Involvement

33. Our Current Students:

34. A student’s perspective: Megan My Quality World Story What Youthreach means to me??

35. Student Feedback & Evaluation • Students were recently asked what they liked about Youthreach and the following is what was said; ( County Survey February 2013) • You develop a relationship with staff and you have real conversations with them. • Everyone is treated equally. Family environment. I feel like I am cared for, listened to, supported and encouraged now. People ask me am I ok now too? • Classes are smaller and easier to manage. You don’t have to call teachers sir or miss. • I feel like I am respected now – treated like an adult and everything in now my own choosing. You are asked and not made do anything. You develop a relationship with staff and you have real conversations with them. • You actually want to do your work. You get to experience more things. The smaller group size means I get more 1 to 1 help. It feels more like a home than school. I do feel like I am cared for here and I can turn to people for help. • It is not as stressful and a more calming atmosphere. Your work is more manageable and not as stressful. I get to try more things here than I did in school. I have made friends here and I never thought I would.

36. Where do we go from here…… ‘CHANGE IS A JOURNEY NOT A BLUEPRINT’ – (FULLAN,1993:24) Ms. Caitriona Cullen Resource Officer

37. What the future holds? • Like so many other wonderful schools and centres like ours – we are work in progress. • Constantly striving to reinforce what we have achieved to date and use this to reach our students of the future. • Be true to ourselves….and remember everything is negotiable!!

38. Our Wonderful Students

39. Where to find us? Facebook OR www.meathvec.ie

40. Contact Us Ms. Elizabeth Lavery elavery@meathvec.ie Mr. Brendan Pillion bpillion@meathvec.ie Ms. Caitriona Cullen ccullen@meathvec.ie Ms. Mary Hibbits mhibbits@meathvec.ie Ms. Kate Geoghegan kgeoghegan@meathvec.ie Address: Youthreach Trim Quality Centre of Education Old Vocational School New Haggard Road Trim Co. Meath Ireland Phone: 046-9461203 Fax: 046-9437465

41. Youthreach Trim Quality Centre of Education 2013 CLOSING STATEMENT & THANK YOU Ms. Liz Lavery Former Centre Co-ordinator / Principal & County Co-ordinator for Youthreach Services - County Meath VEC - Ireland