The fruits of a new initiative to facilitate children and young people to achieve their creative goals can be seen in every aspect of an exhibition that opened on Inis Oírr recently.

The GRETB Local Creative Youth Partnership and Muintearas Teo are working as strategic creative delivery partners to support artists, volunteers, and creative facilitators in developing these youth-led opportunities for children and young people to be creative through youth clubs across Connemara.

Most recently, they worked together with stakeholders to create an exhibition and launch of this new initiative in Áras Éanna on Inis Oírr.

For the month of March, this exhibition will be hosted by creative partner Áras Éanna and open for any member of the public to find out more about this new initiative.

Expect to see young people’s ideas, samples of their creative work and information on the local volunteer-led youth clubs across the Gaeltacht and the Islands.

Part of this exhibition will be a call to action for further volunteers to get involved in their local Muintearas youth clubs and to support young people to access creative opportunities for children and young people, no matter where they are in rural Gaeltacht and Irish speaking Island areas.

Ideas and content for the Clár Cruthaitheachta do Chlubanna Óige are based on the voices of young people with support from local youth club volunteers and parents, and the new Comhordaitheoir Óige, Rebecca Nic Dhonnacha from Muintearas Teo and GRETB Local creative Youth Partnership Coordinator Jen Hesnan.

GRETB CEO David Leahy, who launched the exhibition, said that the initiative highlighted ‘the often-unseen vital role of local volunteers across Connemara and the Aran Islands’.

“It provides us a moment to pause and celebrate the opportunities that are provided for children and young people living in Connemara and on the Islands to develop their creativity through Irish, to make friends, and to be inspired with positive peer support from adults, artists and creatives after school in Clubanna Óige with Muintearas Teo,” he said.

Mr Leahy said that GRETB was particularly delighted to work with a wider network of stakeholders on this project, and he referred to as Creative Communities in Galway County Council and Ealaín na Gaeltachta, ‘who are investing further in creative opportunities for young people in the Gaeltacht and on the Islands’.

“This partnership approach to developing as many creative opportunities as possible for children and young people, is led by the work of our GRETB Local Creative Youth Partnership Coordinator supported by Creative Ireland and the Department of Education,” he said.

“It ensures that children and young people seldom heard have a voice, and that we are working towards ensuring Article 31 of the United Nations Rights of the Child is upheld, to respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.”

Pictured: From left: Donal Walsh Adult Education Officer for inclusion GRETB; Sara Ní Chuirreáin, GRETB, Jen Hesnan, GRETB Creative Youth Co-ordinator, David Leahy, CEO; Rebecca Nic Dhonnacha, Comhardaitheoir Óige, Muintearas, agus Stiofán Seoighe, Oifigeach Oideachais, Muintearas