South Dublin County Council was honoured at the 12th Annual Chambers Ireland Annual Excellence in Local Government Awards – with a double win for the Council’s Libraries and Arts Services.
South Dublin County Council took the ‘Best Library Service’ Award for their programme ‘Creative Campus: Supporting our second level students in South Dublin’ and the ‘Sustaining the Arts’ Award for ‘TENDERFOOT: A volume of plays by and for young people’, a partnership project with the Civic Theatre lead by theatre artist Veronica Coburn.
In accepting the award, the Mayor of South Dublin County, Councillor Sarah Holland commented: “I am delighted that the work of South Dublin County Council and partner agencies have been recognised with these prestigious awards. South Dublin County Council strives to support the development of young people in our county – these projects offer a support to young people and encourage them to participate, learn and engage”.
Chief Executive, Daniel Mc Loughlin added “The Chambers Ireland Awards are a great opportunity to recognise Local Authority Innovation at national level. I am delighted and proud of all the staff who were winners and those whose projects were shortlisted for these awards. It is important that their efforts and achievements are acknowledged by their peers”.
The Excellence in Local Government Awards, hosted by Chambers Ireland in partnership with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and showcases the best practice in local government throughout Ireland.
Background Information on Projects / Programmes:
South Dublin County Council – Creative Campus: Supporting our second level students in South Dublin
South Dublin Libraries is carving a role in supporting young people achieve both their personal and educational needs in developing partnerships with a range of organisations to provide an appropriate range of services. Creative Campus is an ongoing and developing programme which will further expand in the coming years to meet the changing needs of our young citizens.
Creative Campus comprised of a range of initiatives and activities designed to help young people at 2nd level, in collaboration with their teachers and parents to achieve positive educational and personal outcomes. These initiatives and activities included:
The development of a specific section of Source the digital archive of local studies sources, specifically designed to support leaving certificate history projects
Study skills workshop in conjunction with IT Tallaght aimed at 3rd/5th/6 year students
Irish oral language supports in the form of six free Saturday morning classes with one-to-one mock orals at the end of the session. Mock orals offered in Spanish. Maths support classes
Junior and Leaving cert plays are presented in conjunction with Sackville productions and Boil in the bag productions which combine classical performances of the texts with modern stage setting techniques
Movie screenings of the plays are also offered e.g. Macbeth, Much ado about nothing, Casablanca, I’m not scared and Blade runner
Going to College in Ireland and the UK; Talks open to students and their parents
Provision of study spaces
TTRS (Touch, type, read, spell) literacy provision on a one-to-five basis provided by library staff. Students can access from home with license paid by library service
The programmes were not entirely focused on exams but offered also:
· NOISE Careers a series of talks provided by experienced professionals working in the arts, creative and cultural industries e.g. Preparing your Art Portfolio, Careers in Radio, Television and Journalism. This series of talks has been developed in conjunction with partners in IT Tallaght, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
· Coder Dojo sessions for young people. Young people also act as volunteers in this club
· Gaisce The President’s award supporting young people complete Gaisce projects by working in the library
· Participation in More Options: Tallaght Careers Exhibition held annually in the National Basketball arena in association with the Tallaght Guidance Association and South Dublin County Partnership. Financial support is also provided to this exhibition by the Library service
· Creative writing, beating stress with a laughter workshops and pet therapy with PEATA
· Class visits and tours of the library, young adult bookclubs, author visits by award winning writers
· Tenderfoot publication. A programme run by the Civic theatre since 2007 has provided a creative space for 40 transition year students to engage in the art of theatre. Our library and arts services have financially supported this programme in which students write, design, produce and perform their own work under the guidance of working theatre professionals. This initiative was shortlisted for the Chambers Ireland awards in 2013. In an extension of this initiative in 2014, South Dublin libraries and arts funded in partnership with the Civic theatre, the publication of a volume of the Tenderfoot plays written by 15/16 year old playwrights from the past 8 years of the programme.
· Work experience Creative Campus also offers opportunities to transition year students for work placements in libraries in partnership with local schools.
The aim of the project was to:
To help young people achieve personal and educational outcomes
To build partnerships with educational, arts and youth organisations, students and parents
To promote South Dublin’s library service
South Dublin County Council – TENDERFOOT: A volume of plays by and for young people
TENDERFOOT: A Volume of Plays By and For Young People is a selection of 13 plays and 3 monologues chosen from over 100 works written by 15 and 16 year old students over a period of 7 years as part of the Tenderfoot project. The writing in this volume reflects the lives of these young people which are full of their experiences and reveal their views of the world.
TENDERFOOT, which was initiated in 2007, is a successful apprentice theatre programmed lead by one of Ireland’s most esteemed theatre makers, Veronica Coburn and the Civic Theatre, Tallaght. Each year it offers 40 transition year students from 8 schools across the county an opportunity to learn about all aspects of the art of theatre in a very hands-on way.
South Dublin County Council Arts Office initiated the programme in 2007 with the Civic Theatre and continues to be a funding partner of the programme. The Libraries and Arts Services funded and co-published with the Civic Theatre the collection of the plays.
The aim of the project is to create a publication to give expression to a seldom heard theatrical voice of young people and provide a profound connection with peer audiences.
The objectives are:
· To reach an audience beyond the 2300 people who have attended the Tenderfoot performances at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght over a period of 7 years
· to contribute to the national repertoire of plays by and for young people
· to provide a resource and increase accessibility for youth theatre, for schools, and youth groups
· To provide a resource for literacy programmers and the second level curriculum
· To enrich the legacy of the Tenderfoot theatre apprentice programme.