‘Let young people flourish’ - the voice of the teacher
YOUNG people experience happiness when they are given the time and resources to engage creatively with education. This happiness engenders an internal desire to flourish. This internal desire is like a compass guiding the young person organically towards academic success, entrepreneurship and a positive sense of emotional stability.
Creative engagement with education allows young people to develop a strong sense of belonging and identity that transcends race, religious and gender divides.
Larkin Community College offers innovative scholarship programmes in the Arts, Basketball and Football. Students come to us from areas of socio-economic disadvantage all over Dublin. Engaging with these programmes develops connectedness and self-confidence as the students rely on each other to achieve and succeed together.
Nurturing confident, skilled young people as well as a happy connected education community asks two things of educators and policy makers – vision and investment. Innovative leadership can guide the vision. Appropriate systems to support the vision can come from sustained investment.
Young people will flourish in this creative, entrepreneurial environment. Confident young people with the skills to become active, creative citizens will be the gift that our schools make to our cities, towns and communities. It is that simple. Authentic and democratic community development from the bottom up begins with giving young people a voice and empowering them to go on to make wise, creative decisions in their own communities.
Working creatively with our arts, culture and sports partners, students get to model the real world. To paraphrase the educationalist Ken Robinson, they follow their passion, they find their tribe and they get to be in their element. We can create ever more successful models of creative education in Ireland.
We have the vision, the skills and the desire to do things better. It will take vision and courage. And investment. The payback is a just and safe society for generations to come.
MOTHAÍONN daoine óga sonas nuair a thugtar an t-am agus na hacmhainní dóibh chun bheith páirteach ar bhealach cruthaitheach san oideachas. Spreagann an sonas sin mian inmheánach chun déanamh go maith. Tá an mhian inmheánach sin mar a bheadh compás ann a threoraíonn an duine óg, ar bhealach orgánach, i dtreo rath acadúil, i dtreo fiontraíochta agus i dtreo mothúchán dearfach i leith cobhsaíocht mhothúchánach.
Ligeann rannpháirteachas cruthaitheach leis an oideachas do dhaoine óga forbairt a dhéanamh ar mhothú láidir muintearais agus féiniúlachta nach bhfuil difríochtaí cine, reiligiúin agus inscne i gceist leis. Tairgeann Coláiste Pobail Uí Lorcáin cláir nuálacha scoláireachta sna hEalaíona, i gCispheil agus i bPeil. Tagann mic léinn chugainn as ceantair atá faoi mhíbhuntáiste ó thaobh cúrsaí socheacnamaíochta de ar fud Bhaile Átha Cliath. Trí pháirt a ghlacadh sna cláir seo, forbraítear nascacht agus féinmhuinín mar go mbíonn na mic léinn ag brath ar a chéile chun cuspóirí a bhaint amach, agus rath a bheith acu, le chéile.
Éilíonn cothú daoine óga atá muiníneach agus oilte, chomh maith le cothú pobail oideachais atá sona agus nasctha, dhá rud ar oideachasóirí agus ar dhéantóirí beartais - fís agus infheistíocht. Is féidir le ceannaireacht nuálach an fhís a threorú. Is féidir le córais oiriúnacha chun tacú leis an bhfís teacht as infheistíocht leanúnach.
Éireoidh go maith le daoine óga i dtimpeallacht chruthaitheach, fhiontraíocht den sórt seo. Is iad na daoine óga muiníneacha ag a bhfuil na scileanna chun bheith ina saoránaigh ghníomhacha, chruthaitheacha an bronntanas a thabharfaidh ár gcuid scoileanna dár gcathracha, dá mbailte agus dár bpobail. Tá sé chomh simplí sin. Maidir le forbairt pobail ón mbonn aníos atá barántúil agus daonlathach, tosaíonn sé trí ghuth a thabhairt do dhaoine óga agus trína gcumhachtú chun cinntí críonna, cruthaitheacha a dhéanamh ina bpobail féin.
Trí oibriú go cruthaitheach lenár gcuid comhpháirtithe ealaíon, cultúir agus spóirt, faigheann mic léinn deis chun blaiseadh a fháil ar an saol réadúil. Mar atá ráite ag an oideachasóir, Ken Robinson, leanann siad a bpaisean, aimsíonn siad a dtreibh agus bíonn deis acu ionad compordach a bhaint amach.
Is féidir linn múnlaí oideachais ealaíon atá níos rathúla ná riamh a chruthú in Éirinn. Tá an fhís agus na scileanna againn, agus tá an fonn orainn, rudaí a dhéanamh ae bhealach níos fearr. Beidh gá le fís agus misneach. Agus beidh gá le hinfheistíocht. Is é an luaíocht a bheidh ann ná sochaí chóir, shábháilte do na glúnta a thiocfaidh inár ndiaidh.
Working creatively with our arts, culture and sports partners, students get to model the real world