Our Ireland Project, the Frank McCourt Museum, which we only began partnering with a few months ago, was recently given a stellar write up in Ireland’s Limerick Post. After a recent group of disadvantaged Irish youth attended a three-week workshop, the response was overwhelming. The students delved into literature, working together to write a play and perform it. For many, their attendance at the program at Frank McCourt was their first introduction to both literature and performing.

When the workshop was over, more than half of the students said it enabled them to become more confident, over 80% said that it helped them become more creative and tap into their imaginations, and over 90% said that the course had helped them to make decisions, express themselves, and share opinions. 100% of the young students stated that the workshop helped them to work better in a team.

The successful workshop caught the interest of the Limerick Post – which garnered some much-needed attention for this wonderful foundation which strives to engage youth in need with culture and education.

Fiona Quinn, the program’s director, stated that the workshop was an overwhelmingly positive experience for all those involved. She was very impressed with both the enthusiasm of the students and the excellent support that they received from their Youthreach teachers. The students far exceeded Fiona’s expectations to such an extent that she was able to take the class to a far higher level than she had originally thought possible.

She was also very happy with the Museum as a location for the Workshop – the ambience of the Museum, the inspirational nature of Frank McCourt’s life and writings, and the friendly nature of the staff and their welcoming attitude, all contributed to making the pilot project a success and provided the ideal venue for a non-formal learning experience.

The workshop tremendously enhanced the confidence of all participants and she noted that several students who had been initially shy and withdrawn at the beginning of the course had become fully engaged and animated by the end.

Fiona believed that the workshop had fully met its targets for it had given the students a sense of self-worth, a sense of achievement and they had become creatively empowered. The project had given the young people an opportunity to develop a ‘voice’ to express themselves; they had learnt about working co-operatively together  in a group for a creative purpose and as a result they had developed a storyline and created their own drama script.

Now, the foundation looks to a bright future. The Pilot project ‘performed’ wonderfully — gained the foundation some positive attention from local media and audiences — and impacted the lives of some children already. We are so excited to continue working with our partner in Ireland to take this project to the next level.

The Collette Foundation continues to expand its philanthropic hand to disadvantaged children throughout the world; their next stop, Ireland. Collette Vacations passengers who travel on the Countryside of the Emerald Isle will have the opportunity to participate in the betterment of local youths via education.

**This is a guest post from Patricia Grady, Operations and Customer Service Specialist at Collette Vacations!**

I am pleased to announce that we will be visiting the Frank McCourt Museum, a new project for our Ireland Foundation!

This is the second site in Ireland and we felt strongly that this museum, where the famed author Frank McCourt went to school, will be an inspiration to local youth in the Limerick area. Sponsored by the Collette Foundation, disadvantaged youth will learn various skills linked to literature such as the music of language and the art of storytelling.

Students will see that there are opportunities for everyone despite socio-economic background and will be encouraged to follow their aspirations. Students will understand their local heritage and its importance in their personal development.  The curator of the museum is passionate about developing the scope of the museum’s potential by partnering with the Collette Foundation.  In the words of the museum’s curator and artist, Una Heaton, “If we get the right funding, we could turn the large rooms downstairs into permanent class rooms; it will be a dream come true. I know Frank would love to be here to see his old school used again, to educate young kids.”

The theme of the Frank McCourt Museum relates to one of Limerick’s most disadvantaged groups who reached the heights of literature in winning the much coveted Pulitzer Prize and translates into a major attraction for Irish communities and tourists, particularly those with a literary bent.  A significant choice of building, here Frank and one of his siblings attended Leamy School as children.  This particular area is recognized as the “Georgian Quarter” and is being promoted as such by state agencies and City Hall.  The district itself is one of Limerick’s finest with the advantage of having well-kept buildings in this environmentally friendly zone.  Leamy House (formerly Leamy School) was established in 1843 as a dedicated school for poor boys.  It remained so for over 100 years, when it was purchased by the Heaton family to set up a factory manufacturing men’s clothing.  In the 1990’s, the Leamy House occupancy switched to office rentals until July 2011, when finally and appropriately, its curator, Una Heaton, set up the museum which also serves as an educational resource centre and works on projects in conjunction with second level schools, the  Paul Partnership (People Against Unemployment Ltd.) and the Limerick Youth Service, all of which have well established track records.

As an educational resource, the Frank McCourt Museum will identify 15 young people from marginalized areas in Limerick who will be given the opportunity of participating in workshops designed to encourage them to develop additional skills of a cultural nature. Frank McCourt’s inspiring story of survival coupled with his meteoric rise in the world of literature is a testament to the strength and tenacity of the human spirit.  Part of this will touch those involved in “A Limerick Project”, sponsored by the Collette Foundation.

The Collette Foundation is proud to add a new project to its global roster in beautiful Ireland as part of its cultural enrichment initiative. All of our Cultural Connections projects provide educational opportunities to local children, focusing on preservation of culture, the arts and language with the goal of engaging children in their culture and heritage.

In Ireland, we are pleased to partner with the wonderful Cliffs of Moher Visitors’ Centre. We will be funding a pre-visit downloadable video and information pack for the centre – making the visit that we already include on our ‘Shades of Ireland’ tour much more accessible to families of children with intellectual disabilities and sensory impairment and to school and respite centres. The centre has consulted with the Brothers of Charity Children’s services and Inclusion Ireland, to identify ways to make a visit to the Cliffs of Moher more welcoming for all families, schools and respite centres catering to children with these special needs, particularly those with autism spectrum disorders or Downs syndrome. This project will help over 470 children in Co. Clare, Ireland between the ages of 4 and 17.

Passengers visiting the centre on our tour will be introduced to our work with the Collette Foundation with a brief welcome talk at the centre, before their visit. In addition to helping children in Co. Clare, we will also be funding a training program for frontline staff at the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Centre that will provide disability training, autism awareness and child protection training for those coming into contact with children of special needs and intellectual disabilities.

We look forward to this exciting new partnership — and to helping children in Ireland, especially those with special needs, understand and connect with their cultural heritage.

We recently received a fantastic video highlighting the arts program at Culturlann. The Collette Foundation Ireland Task Force has been supporting the arts outreach program at Culturlann for three years now, funding efforts for a drama program, Gaelic cultural outreach as well as arts and crafts.

Their outreach program has done wonderful things in the local community to benefit children and grow the Gaelic culture. In 2011, the Collette Foundation intends to further ramp up funding for the center.

We are thrilled to announce our second funded project at the Culturlaan McAdam O’Fiaich.  We are funding the promotion of the Irish language children’s book, Plura Lura, into rural communities that do not have such a contemporary, culture rich center of their own. We initially funded the publishing of the book which is offered to the community and on sale at the center.   I am so proud to have been there and to have participated in such a profound meaningful project for the children who have been underprivileged  during the political strife of this region.

Last November, I visited the  Foundation site in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Culturlaan McAdam O Fiaich. What a great community based center! Housed in a landmark building, the center is a three storey culture and arts center in a former Presbyterian church. Within the center,  a buzz of activity greets you at the door – enter into its cosy 130 seat restaurant where all the tables are covered with paintings of the famous murals that tell the political history of the city.  The food is wonderful and cheap and offers Irish classics such as the traditional Irish breakfast to snacks and lunch and dinner menus.   Locals were meeting to  chat over a cup of tea and I sat next to a group of Spanish tourists.  I asked them what they were doing in Belfast and they told me they were visiting and looking to take a historical political tour of the city.  The center houses an Irish language bookshop and Irish interest gift shop.  A theatre on the second floor hosts performances from local and national playwright and the local Irish language radio station broadcasts from the building. There is also a TV product company that offers Irish cultural programming for Belfast Community television.   The center is a hive of Irish Language and Culture.  Our clients meet children who benefit from the Irish Language and Irish cultural interests  that are performed and offered at the center. They also have an opportunity to purchase the book that we funded.