Empowering Creative Young People
The Empowering Creative Young People project engergises and empowers a core group of marginalised young people, aged 15-25 from the Rathcoole area, who have an interest in digital technology, supports them to build their skills, design and deliver a creative programme of social action activities. Through engagement with their peers, these activities address the social issues and barriers currently impacting on their and other young people’s lives (e.g. poor social amenities, poor mental health, isolation within the home, anti-social behavour etc). NACN notes that the core group comprises of young people who have withdrawn socially and currently at risk. They see themselves as invisible and/or outsiders who do not fit in. They are not attracted to sport or conventioinal youth provision (reportedly little in the estate). The project provides opportunities and a place that people can grow in a safe environment.
Accredited training programmes
Over the five years of the project, accredited training programes will be delivered to young people (a core group of young people will be maintained throughout the project with new young people entering the accredited training programme in Years 2-5). The accredited courses will be delivered in NACN’s studios in Rathcoole.
OCN L2 Courses
Capturing, Presenting & Editing Video or Song Writing Skills
OCN L2 Courses
Event Management and/or Using Social Media to Market and Promote Events
OCN L2 Courses
Photography and/or Developing Websites
OCN L2 Courses
Problem Solving Skills within the Creative Arts & Digital Technology Sectors and/or Technical Sound & Audio Production
OCN L2 Courses
The young people will assist the 30 new recruits undertaking their year 1 Event Management courses, showcasing their work as part of community events
OCN L2 Courses
Social Enterprise and/or Digital Fabrication
Open Access Programme
The Open Access Programme delivers workshops two afternoons and evenings per week throughout the year. The programme also provides workshops during the summer when young people from the greater Rathcoole area are off school.
The Open Access Programme delivers a range of clubs and creative workshops in D-Jaying, Music Production, Creative Tech, Film/Video-making, Animation or Minecraft. The After School Clubs and evening programmes are delivered in our studios in Rathcoole.
All our programmes are deliverd by expierenced tutors from the creative and digital sector and supported by our own in house youth empowerment workers. As we are a youth empowerment programme we encourage our youth empowerment workers to learn from tutors so as they can takeover in the following years to sustain the programme.
Animation Club
Capacity: 10 to 15 children
Ages: 8 to 11 old
Duraction: 10 weeks.
D-Jaying & Music Production Creative Programme
Capacity: 12 to 15 children
Ages: 8 to 11 old
Duraction: 10 weeks.
Minecraft Club
Capacity: 10 to 15 children
Ages: 8 to 11 old
Duraction: 10 weeks.
Creative Tech Club
Capacity: 10 to 15 children
Ages: 12 to 15 old
Duraction: 10 weeks.
Film & Video Production Creative Programme
Capacity: 10 to 15 children
Ages: 12 to 15 old
Duraction: 10 weeks.
Other Workshops In Development
Details to come
social action projects
Our young people participate in social action projects exploring issues within the local community that impact on their lives such as lack of social amenities, mental health, isolation within the home and social media addiction, anti-social behavious, drugs, etcs. These issues have been raised by the young people themselves within our consultations and NACN has a track recording of encouraging and supporting young people to use crative mediums such as drama or video to highlight issues of concern and bring it to the attention of the wider communiy through community screenings or promoting the video online.
The skills that the young people learn on the accredited training programmes (in video-making, web design, social media marketing, etc) help make a significant contribution to the social action projects that helps and support to lift the morale of the local community.
During each programme, young people apply their skills to social action planning, addressing such issues as drugs and alcohol, and anti-social behavious. For example, participants contribute to planning, writing, directing, shooting film, editing and developing soundtracks for their videos. Young people create their own newsletter/videos promoting the projects, exploring social issues and publicising good news stories to raise local morale.