Annual Conference of the Association of Coordinators of Youthreach

Picture:  Sean Gallagher with Gillian Kennedy, Youthreach Coordinator, Donegal Education & Training Board & Dr. Fiona Mc Grath, CEO, Cavan Monaghan, Education and Training Board.

I was delighted to be invited to deliver the opening address at this year's Annual Conference of the Association of Coordinators of Youthreach in the Farnham Estate Spa & Golf Resort in Cavan.

Celebrating its 35th year, Youthreach is the national training and education programme for early school leavers aged 15 - 20 years old. Over that period, Youthreach has worked with some of the most challenging and vulnerable young people across the county, offering them a second chance opportunity for further education and employment. Before becoming an entrepreneur, my decision to become a professional youth worker in the 1980s came about from my personal experience teaching on Youthreach programmes in Cavan and Louth. We all deserve a second chance at a better life, so congrats to all the staff of Youthreach for the excellent and inspiring work they do with young people who have fallen through the cracks in the more formal education sector.

'Our objective in life should not be about revealing to others how great we are but in helping reveal to others how great they are'.