Dublin YMCA

Dublin YMCA works with young people in Dublin's Inner City through youth work, education and family support programmes.

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The Lighting of a Fire, by Eva

Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.

W.B. Yeats.

Let me start my final post by borrowing William Butler Yeats words. I have already borrowed his eyes and warm feeling about Sligo, a place I visited two weeks ago and that definitely inspired me for the best. After 29 years on Earth, I have had this deep feeling of belonging to some random places across the globe and I cannot ascertain what makes me connect with them. A distinguished flair of mysticism and folklore probably helps, as I spent a good part of my childhood reading mythological and traditional tales from all the countries and find classic narrative compelling.

The Benbulben (Sligo).

However I am borrowing also his words about education because, after pondering for a while, that is the highlight of my European Voluntary Service, if I were to choose just one. I have become more conscious about my learning processes and aware of its possibilities. Definitely, education it’s a fire, and I will make sure it keeps burning. Also, education holds the key, in my opinion, for addressing almost every major issue in this world. Indeed, people like Malala have taken bullets while standing up for education, and the ones that have been blessed with a guaranteed learning path and opportunities I reckon we have the moral obligation of at least, once in our lives, pay it forward. That is precisely the feeling with which I am flying back home. I am adamant that I must put this into practice and some of the ideas that are at the moment sparks on my mind could, maybe,become flames for somebody else’s benefit.

While at the YMCA in Dublin, I spotted people of all nationalities and backgrounds lighting fires everywhere. Regardless it was a healthy eating workshop for young people or team working to make a fundraiser achieve its objectives, I saw people sharing their knowledge with their peers all the time. This openness I really enjoyed during my European Voluntary Service and I would like to thank everybody at the Y for it.

Slieve League

Slán abhaile!

Eva

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Thanks, by Eleonora

Hi everyone! This is my last post on this blog so I'm taking the opportunity to thank all those of you who has shared my EVS experience here with me.

I'll start with thanking the YMCA for having given me this opportunity and for what they do for people day after day.

I'd like to thank my colleagues of the STEP Department, the core of my EVS project here. It has been an incredibly interesting journey.

I'd also like to thank all those who I've had the opportunity to work with on a casual basis during my ten months here. I've learnt something positive from all of you and for that I'm grateful.

A special thank you to those who have supported and encouraged me. I'll never forget your help.

[dublinymca]

Good bye Dublin, by Max

I knew from the beginning that I'll have to leave once the project is over, however now when the time has come - I realized that I've unwillingly grown deeper roots than can be removed painlessly. But I am thankful for those. For people I'll miss and people who will miss me, for moments we shared, opportunities I got and lessons I learned. It's all so vague because it's actually all so personal, too personal for a blog post. Hence this post is the hardest to write. 

I am definitely going to recommend volunteering to all of my friends. Last weeks were the most contemplative, as the mists of future are slowly creeping up to the line between Autumn and Summer, and the certainty of the past year is vanishing with it. It's time to make big choices and decisions again, time to move on (and move back in a way, as mother-Russia still has a firm bureaucratic hold of me). However, one of the most unexpected revelations for me was newfound appreciation of my own country and of many things I used to take for granted, but that made my home so special. So it's not all that sad, coming back home (or I'm trying to persuade myself it isn't).

I don't really know what else to say. I am full of "thank you"s, doubts, concerns and hopes. Thank you, YMCA, thank you, my fellow EVS-volunteers, thank you, Ireland. Good bye, Ireland. Good bye, Dublin. And hopefully see you again some day.

P.S. and it's so great to understand this poem now

[dublinymca]

It’s time to be back home. Thanks for the great craic over this year! by Chiara

Over this year, in the Pakt club (Parents and kids together), we have introduced a very good practice at the end of each club. It consists in saying, writing or drawing a few words about things they were grateful for that had occurred not only during the club, but also during the whole day. We usually help kids with some questions like: who or what inspired you today? Of what you are proud today? Anybody said something nice to you that makes you smile and cheer you up? This practice became immediately an habit, the kids loved it! They enjoyed it so much, it seemed they really needed a few minutes just for themselves to reflect upon the day, their feelings, thoughts, behaviors and the people around them. Gratitude is a way for children to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new or complaining. What's more, positive psychology and many researchers, show how expressing thanks may be one of the simplest ways to feel better. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships, improves psychological health, self-esteem and increases mental strength. 

As a result, I also enjoyed this practice so much over the year, that eventually I decided to introduce it into my private life. Therefore, I’m practicing gratitude with one of my closest friend, so every night before going to sleep we send to each other a thankful-text in which we write one short sentence summarizing for what or who we are grateful today. Gratitude attitude helps me refocus on what I have instead of what I lack. Practicing an attitude of gratitude on regular basis is a simple way to feel better. Gratitude helps us realize what we have and decrease our need for wanting more all the time. 

For all these reasons I want to say thank you to all the people who contribute to make this year so special. I’m very grateful to have spent a European Voluntary here in Dublin with the YMCA. Thanks to all the YMCA’s staff, you made me feel at home, helping me to overcoming the homesickness. A special thanks to West Dublin where my project was based, thanks to Norma, Brian and to my mentor Elaine who has been my personal and formative guide during all my EVS's year. A really big thanks to Jen who has thought me a lot of Irish slang that I could never learn from any English books and has gave me a lot a good advice on how to deal with Irish weather: an umbrella in one hand and sun cream on the other hand! ;-) Thanks to Kathryn who helped me in the halfway to tackle difficulties when I was about to quit the project. A very special thanks to my temporary Spanish family: Eva, Sonia and Roberto who have shared with me this memorable experience, sharing travels, adventures, fears, joys, challenges and daily life difficulties. I can tell, beyond doubt, that without you all this year wouldn't have been so amazing. Thanks to all people I encountered during this year and that I can't mention all here.

  It's time to come back home, back to my comfort zone but with different eyes and different attitude, because I'm not any more the person I used to be, even thought my motto is still the same: “life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” (Albert Einstein)

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It´s time to say: THANKS, by Roberto

This year has definitely been one of my best in life. I couldn’t be happier of having made the decision to work in Dublin with YMCA. I truly recommend this experience to everybody. I have learnt a lot of myself and from my colleagues and friends in Dublin. This chapter of my life is over, but I´m convinced it will help me to face better the next ones.

Thanks to Brian, Elain, Norma for teaching me so many things along this year. Thanks to Bobby and Kathryn to help me whenever I have need any help. Thanks to my colleagues, Melissa, Sonia, Max, Eva, Chiara, Jane, all of you have improved my experience here, and our laughs will be wonderful memories which we will repeat in the future.

I would like to share with you the pilot of One2One project, which I learnt and met amazing people from, made by Brian and me, in order to make known the project and get funding for the next year. I hope it will help children who don´t have the support that a child needs.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5KE_JA2S_bIYUZrX0VTMXd4TkE

THANK YOU.

[dublinymca]

My penultimate post, by Sonia

This is my penultimate post in the blog, so I would like to do something different.

First of all I need to say that the Family Fun Day that we organized was great, in spite of the Irish weather! Kids really enjoyed the bouncy castles, all the circuits and games, as well as the workshops. Moreover, I have to say that I was delighted during the day. For me it was an opportunity to plan activities and carry out them. In my opinion the event was successful due to I could appreciate that the children with who I work were really having fun. So, thank you for that day!

Then, I should mention about the trips we have done, which were amazing! The first one with two EVS and with two friends from Barcelona. I really had a great time around Kerry! We could enjoy the sun so much that even we had a bath at the sea. And the landscapes were amazing, especially the Skelling Michael island, which was the most meaningful and different place. At the same time, some beaches and towns were very nice, as well as the Killarney National Park.

The second trip I have done was with my parents and sister. The best was to be all the family together travelling, as always. And it was perfect, because they could visit the most important landscapes and attractions of Ireland, but also very tired because we almost did 1900km by car! Therefore, it was a really nice time to disconnect, but at the same time to connect with them.

Now, there is just 1 month and a half left, which means 48 days!!!!! I can't believe at all...but well, at this point I have two contradictory feelings: on one hand I want to arrive home, be with my people, enjoy the weather...But at the same time I don't want that this experience finishes. Here I have discovered lots of things about Ireland, people, the life and myself...

1.  We always want what we don't have. 2. Nothing is black or white, there are many shades of grey. And it's true, if you think clearly. 3. All is relative, and time will show us. Fortunately, I have experienced situations that I couldn't understand, and now I do. 4. When you give without the intention of receive, you will be surprised receiving. 5. Love yourself, you are the only person who is going to be with you forever. 6. Do more things of what makes you happy. 7. Nothing is impossible... like doing a Spanish plate in Ireland which is like a tomato soup.  (I have discovered as well that I love cooking and try different and new recipes) Here it is the recipe:

Salmorejo

Ingredients 1kg of plum tomatoes with skin 200gr of telera's bread (which is similar like country style bread) 100 gr of extra virgin olive oil A clove of garlic A pinch of salt A can of roast peppers (We do that at home)

What to do next? Simple! Put them in a blender and mix them. Serve it cool with some pieces of dry-cured ham and a boiled egg. Enjoy!!!

See you in some days to say the final goodbye!

[dublinymca]

Time to harvest, by Eva

Last January I decided to take advantage of the freezing weather to lock myself up, save some money, and study for my English certificate in Advanced English, which was one of the goals I was set out to achieve during this year. I am aware that tests rarely speak the whole truth because there are so many factors influencing the result, but for me it works as a motivation. Having deadlines always makes me go the extra mile, and this time it has paid off. I was hoping to have a C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and I scored an A grade, therefore I am officially C2, as English as it gets! I am flabbergasted since is a better mark than expected, plus this will allow me to apply for any Master’s Degree or PhD in the future if I ever decide to continue my studies. Furthermore I realized that self-studying and being in charge of my own learning curve is what works best for me, since I can concentrate better, and choose which part deserves more time and attention. 

However, this is suitable up to a point, and I am aware that I couldn’t have gone this far without the wonderful lessons donated by Englishour School to the EVS volunteers. Thanks to the superb teachers there I was able to correct the huge amount of mistakes I was making without me noticing. Anyway, all this doesn’t mean my real English is perfect, so I will keep working on it. At this point I’d like to thank everyone at the YMCA that has ever spoken to me more slowly, repeated an idiom, explained a new word, taught me Irish slang, or taken the time to be patient with my failures translating Spanish terms to English and come up with an alternative for me (you guys don’t have the word touristic! My bad. But I seriously think you need put it into the dictionary, as it accurately describes what Temple Bar is, much more accurately than the correct one, ‘touristy’, which for me sounds unnecessary posh)

Happy days!

On another topic, these days I have had the opportunity to join the Youth Work team in a Residential in Carlingford -lovely place-, a cooking workshop, and in an outing in Howth. 

The young people had a good time and it was a great way of strengthening bonds with the leaders, keeping the young ones engaged. My mission there was to take pictures of all the experience in order to create a thank you album and video to send the sponsors. But I really appreciated the time with the kids, and it has granted me a deeper knowledge regarding the YMCA mission and its importance in these children’s lives & opportunities. 

All this makes me reflect about the great opportunities I have had in life. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have complained a lot. I would like to have an advanced degree by now, or to have studied in a college abroad when I was 18 so my English would be perfect by now and I could have aspired to a writing job in, say, The New York Times or a big cinema studio. But now I appreciate much more all the opportunities I did have, the efforts my family made to help me with all the means they had, and the work I did towards my goals. Also, I am more satisfied with how I re-scaled my dreams according to the chances I got in life. I am much more closer now to make peace with that idea, which gives me an overwhelming sensation of gratitude. Who knows, everything is possible in this life if you do your bit and maybe get a lucky break.

Certainly, my EVS has granted me that state of mind. 

My wish now is that the young people here learns to be resilient as soon as possible (ideally much earlier than me) so they can grab the best options they are provided with and don’t let them go without fighting!

[dublinymca]

One step at a time, by Eleonora

Hi everyone! In the past days I've often thought about my EVS experience so far. The students of the second chance education programme in which I'm involved here graduated at the end of June, so the core of my EVS project is now finished. It has been an incredibly enriching experience and I can't believe that the academic year is already gone.

During the past months the students and I have studied different vocational subjects. I really enjoyed the process of working together and the byproduct is that now I know more about the world of work too. Anyway, the most important lesson I've learned isn't a particular knowledge of some topics, what I can now deeply understand is the importance of giving a chance. One way to give a chance to others is not being afraid to show your true self and being comfortable with showing some vulnerability to establish true connections. One way to give a chance to yourself is willingly embracing new challenges and raising the bar, and then valuing more your eagerness to put yourself to the test than the perfection of your results. Also, I've come to realise the fundamental role of soft skills in our lives and the impact of our capacity to encourage, sympathise and be there for others. This positive vision is what I want to take with me from now on.

Besides, in my free time I like walking and relaxing in the many parks of Dublin. I recently visited the National Botanic Gardens and St Anne's Park once again, so I can compare their summer versions with their previous winter ones. Generally I don't mind the weather but I have to recognize that the bright summer days in June created a totally different atmosphere! I recommend a visit to these parks in this period of the year as their rose gardens have bloomed and the amount of colorful flowers is just amazing.

Views of the National Botanic Gardens

Views of St Anne's Park

[dublinymca]

Listen to West Dublin YMCA healthy eating song!

Last week was the last week of our clubs in PAKT Brookfield this year. Kids are out for the summer, and for us it meant that it was time to look back and reflect at what we’ve achieved, congratulate the kids on finishing and growing through another year, give out certificates and show end of the year videos. Here I’d like to share a video/song about healthy eating me (Max) and Sonia had made.

At the end of our ceremony one child came up to me, gave me a hug and said that I was her favourite leader and she was going to miss me. This was the most special moment of PAKT for me this year, probably. Summing up my time in Brookfield, I can say that I have definitely learned a lot and became much better with kids, started to understand them better. I reckon we’ve really had a breakthrough with some kids, and almost all of them have benefited from our clubs more or less. 

I also learned a lot about myself and what kind of working environment suits me or not. I missed some good opportunities and hadn’t shown the best of myself in some cases, which is a lesson rather than a regret. I’m going to always remember my time in PAKT and my manager Elaine, who really has the future of PAKT in her heart and who taught me probably even more than I wanted to learn. I wish PAKT growth, better financing and more really caring people like herself. 

My brother and my friend came to visit 2 weeks ago, and only when they left last Saturday and I was left alone in my room I realized how much I actually missed home, family and friends. We had a great trip with them, visiting Galway, Connemara, Cliffs of Moher, Cork and Kinsale, some places around Dublin of course.  

Next week my work in a different department starts, which is going to be marketing most likely, so I’m looking forward to gaining new skills and living a new experience. But PAKT will definitely be missed, especially the «K» part of it.

[dublinymca]

Educational challenge: promoting a healthy lifestyle to kids, by Chiara

How can we help our kids and the new generation to improve their lifestyle? 

That’s the question that we have been trying to answer and put in practice in our PAKT afternoon club in Tallaght. During the last few weeks we have been working on how to spur the kids to follow a healthy lifestyle. It’s not an easy duty at all. Firstly, it is not something they can be learned by reading a book, it’s far more difficult than learning some historical dates or multiplication table, therefore it’s also much more difficult to be taught. Secondly, from my point of view, the lack of sun makes it even harder. I don’t want go through “weather theme”, which is a constant topic of conversation here in Ireland, but let me explain. What I meant to say is the weather makes it more complicated to follow an active lifestyle and an healthy diet, for two main reasons: first of all because of the cost of vegetables and fruit. For instance: in Italy I can buy 1kg of lemons or oranges for 0,50€, here I can buy just one lemon or orange for the same price, because they need to be imported. So, how can a middle-class family try to eat five portions of vegetables and fruit per day, as the World Health Organization (WHO) advises? The second reason concerns the outdoor activities: due to the lack of sun, the time that kids can spend outside, in the open air is much less in North Europe. 

To sum up, I found it a bit challenging promoting healthy food and an active lifestyle in this kind of environment which is very different from where I was brought up. Anyway, we planned some different activities with the kids, showing videos about how dangerous sugar is, encouraging them to avoid sugary snacks as much as they can, explaining the long-term consequences of following bad habits, letting them try a new healthy snack, such as yogurt mixed with fruits and raisins. It’s not easy and the results of such activities are not immediate. That might be one of the reasons that makes our job (youth worker) a bit frustrating: not being able to see an instant and concrete result, after putting in a huge effort. For example: one day after the club, lots of kids asked to bring home the left-over fruit, to show their parents a new kind of fruit they had discovered, like watermelon. I know it is just a very small achievement, but little by little, my hope is that lots of fruit will be spread around their family, school and so on. 

But it will take a lot of time and patience, since the time of education is not the same time of real life. The time in which our lives are running is fast, quick. We’re always in rush, always run out of time, in our modern societies it is no longer the strongest one who wins, but the quickest one. The world is changing so quickly, we have to learn as quickly as possible new strategies to adapt ourselves. The quicker you are, the better chance you’ll have to be a success in our society. However, the time of education is slow. The time of learning goes by in an other dimension, different from the time of our busy life. For instance: a book takes time to read, breaking bad habits and learning new ones takes a lot of time as well. Promoting a new lifestyle for kids and new generations, encourages them to take care of themselves but it takes time and patience. It's not impossible to change bad habits, it's a question of time and patience. Wellness is a slow conquest.

[dublinymca]

I won´t stop learning, by Roberto

Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, Connemara, GALWAY, and a feeling inside you saying that you are really enjoying life. Those lands are unbelievable, the last County I will visit in Ireland. Previously, I loved the rest of big cities in my new Island: Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway. Poker. Furthermore, If one travels with a good company, one will never forget the trip.

We rented a car to go to Connemara. It was the first time I have ever drove on the right seat of a car. However, I got the hang of that fast. Along our journey, we came across a lovely ewe lamb lost on the road. We stopped the car and we made possible that the little lamb was with its mother again, as you can see on the photo below.

Last weeks, we have been developing “Paralympic Games” in the different clubs we are running, in Brookfield, Crumlim, and MCulliam. So I contacted with The Irish Amputee Football Association, in order to bring somebody who talks with the children, because I personally think that education through Sport can be highly effective for children, above all for difficult ones, and If you add something about overcoming difficulties, it will just be a success.

Chris Mc Elligot, the coach of the Irish National Team of Amputees, came over and told children his experience as "a normal footballer" in a professional team such as Ballymore County Football Club, before an accident resulted in him losing a leg following a road traffic in Carlow in 2000. The former league of Ireland player was pulled from the cab of his truck by fire fighters during the rescue. After that, he decided to help other amputees being football coach. Later, he became the coach of the Irish National Team, which played the World Cup in 2014 in Mexico. We even did some exercises with crutches! The children really enjoyed putting themselves in the amputees footballer´s situation.

You can watch his story in the video below, interviewed by Sky Sport 3 some years ago, when the accident had already happened:

The skills of the Amputees Footballers are surprising, as you can check in the video below, in which Irish National Team was playing against Brazil in the World Cup in 2014. The rules of the game follow those of standard football, but with a few notable exceptions. Outfield players must have an amputation at or above the ankle, and use crutches. Goalkeepers must be amputated at or above the wrist. The use of prosthesis´s is prohibited.

On the other hand, I had a talk with the mother of my Mentee in One2One project, whom I really thanks to come over, having had very goods words to me about what and how I am working with her son, and the overcomes we are getting in his life. It made me so happy.

[dublinymca]

Dublin is changing, by Sonia

Do you think the weather can change a city and its environment? From my point of view and my experience, the answer is completely affirmative. Even though the summer started almost one month ago, the last 29th of May was my first taste of summer this year, at least something similar of what I understand summer is.

For the reason, the title of my post. Since this month of May has started I can feel the big change from winter.  Good weather helps to see more people walking in the streets, laying down in the grass, eating really nice ice-creams, and enjoying many outside activities and festivals. For instance, one of the festivals I could enjoy the day mentioned above was the Africa Day at Farmleigh. On one hand, the festival was really nice and the Sun was the main character. We could enjoyed different African shows and dances, as well as music. Moreover, there were many kind of workshops, specially for children and some for adults, like the turban workshop. Also there were many different types of food from Kenya and other countries. Although ice-cream and coffee caravans did not lack.

On the other hand, there was a high representation of different organizations from Ireland that work in Africa to develop projects specially for kids and women. There were also associations of different African nationalities that live in Ireland, in order to create a community and share experiences with people from the same country who are living the same situations. Last but not least, what I liked the most was to be surrounded by people of different nationalities enjoying all together of this celebration, to see people showing interest for the African culture, as well as the fact that the African people could have this day to show more aspects about their culture.

To finish the post, I would like to wish that the last 3 months in Ireland will be like that day: that the Sun shines, people having fun and enjoying the moment. Moreover, I hope our Family Fun Day succeeds as the Africa day, because I am really excited and motivated about it. Let's see!

[dublinymca]

Adventure all around, by Eva

Spring has come and with it brings the opportunity to travel. Galway, Cork, Inishmore, Connemara...are now ticked off my list! I was in love especially with the big Aran Island, it felt like the kind of place I would like to go for a year, lock myself in a cottage, and have a novel written once and for all! It has sandy beaches and ice-cream shops. I could hardly ask for more than that.

So these days I struggle between the desire of taking advantage of the mild weather and the self-imposed obligation of studying. My Cambridge English exam will happen in three weeks time and that is starting to worry me a little. It is been 6 years since I last took any kind of exam, therefore I am a bit concerned about having lost the feeling of it! Moreover, even though I feel that my English has improved a lot, specially talking on the phone and catching what native people say to each other, those are abilities that are not really useful in a test, so let’s see what happens…

Anyway, being from Northern Spain I have it in my genes like Irish people do: when a single sun ray appears, I stop what I am doing and rush out. I did that for Stephen’s Green a couple Sundays ago and it was just perfect, with everybody chilling, playing music and juggling. Probably next time I will be able even to get some tan…

In addition, exciting times are coming as the event I have been working on, Family Fun Day, is happening on the 11th of June. It has given me the opportunity of developing a community-focused project from the beginning, learning through all the stages, and I am really looking forward to see the outcome. Organizing it, even with the valuable guide and help from various YMCA staff member’s and fellow volunteers, has had its challenges, but hopefully it will please everybody. Plus I have to confess that I am hoping to be able to enjoy myself a little in the bouncy castles once the children are tired of them…(evil laughter)

So to sum up, I would say that now is time to plant some seeds and see what the sunny months to come bring...

Myself keeping up with completing stages

[dublinymca]

Enjoying spring, by Eleonora

Hi everyone! Spring is giving us longer and brighter days, so it's the perfect period of the year to stay outdoor as much as possible and enjoy Dublin and its surroundings even more.

I've always been fascinated by historic buildings and in particular castles. Luckily, when it comes to castles, Ireland offers quite a few options! Recently I had a chance to see some of them and I like how they are all different and unique. Malahide castle, thanks to the well-maintained furniture, gives you a clear idea of the owners' lifestyle. Trim castle is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland but another reason of its fame is the movie Braveheart... and who wouldn't like to relive that charming historic atmosphere, even if only for a day? After that, I had heard of Rathfarnham Castle in Dublin 14, a nice example of Georgian-style renovation, and I couldn't help but visiting it. These places are definitely worth a visit!

Views of Malahide

Views of Trim

Also, since in the past months I had never visited Trinity College, I thought that a visit could no longer be postponed. The tour with the history of the University and its buildings was very engaging, and I really liked the Book of Kells and the amazing Old Library.

About my EVS experience, I've almost finished my seventh month here and it's unbelievable how time flies. In the past few weeks I had the opportunity to try some new activities and I'm grateful for that because I really love to learn new things and put myself to the test.

Spring really boosted my energies and now I'm ready to make the most of the last three months of my EVS experience.

[dublinymca]

Random and unpredictability in our life, by Max

One late night, when you are not totally in your mind you book a hostel in Wexford and your friend buys 2 bus tickets there. Next morning you get on the bus and check the hostel online once again. Apparently it's 40 km from Wexford, where your bus is going. You don't freak out and adjust your plan, which now includes a 2-hour hike from Gorey (a town on the way to Wexford, nearest to the hostel) to your hostel. You have a nice walk with your friend around Gorey and then along narrow roads with cars and arrive in the last hour of check-in, just in time to see sunset over the Irish sea. Next day you get to Wexford and find a cute tiny town, where everything is closed (as it was Sunday, duh). You discover a nice beach and walk down it, as the city is disappearing behind you in a veil of fog. Sun comes out and it gets so hot, that you just stretch out in the grass on a hill and spend an hour talking to your friend and remembering childhood stories. By the end you realize you've spent more than expected, and haven't seen half of what you planned. You have a pint for the road, go to a casino and spend the last tenner you had (well, your friend had, you were already in debt by that time). No luck, but no regrets. Happy, you go home. You realize it was a good trip only because you and your friend were flexible and could find joy even in small things (well, there were no "big" things anyway). No complaints, no rush, just a nice company of each other and some fresh views.

Then you meet a pretty girl from Brazil and you start to really like her. You spend a wonderful evening with her in your apartment, walk her to the last bus, enjoy its late arrival while everyone else is shivering in the rain and giving you weird looks. You walk home smiling, music sounds especially wonderful and rain doesn't bother you at all. You turn from the main road into a narrow street, your apartment is just around the corner now. Suddenly someone grabs you from behind, you think it's your friend making a joke. You take off your earphones and hear hear someone a saying "giving your phone and your money" as he presses you against the wall and hits on the head. Then a second figure grows up in front of you and holds a knife to your throat. Not it's much easier to decide what to do, so you give your phone. They are not satisfied enough so they try to beat money or a wallet out of you, which you fortunately don't have. You start laughing inside about the situation, at the same time being astonished with a turn the day's taken so suddenly, from one of the happiest days in your life to one of the scariest. You say "jesus, I'm a freaking volunteer, I don't have any money". They still run through your pockets and take you goddamn GNIB card, a registration for non-EU citizens. Well, there's nothing to be afraid anymore, there's nothing to take from you anymore, they just push you away and you go home. 15 mins later Garda packs them in a car and until now they are chilling there, answering questions and everything. They didn't have the phone already or the GNIB card, when they were caught, but that doesn't matter much. What matters is that you are alive and life goes on.

You never know what's going to happen in life and it's impossible to be ready for everything. But I believe it's possible to be ready for anything: you just take life as it comes, you don't freak out, you adjust, you keep on keeping on. You don't get hung on minor accidents and don't let a couple of scumbags ruin your experience, your mood or even your day. Life is about much more than that.

P.S. Sorry, no phone - no pictures.

[dublinymca]

Benefits of Irish nature on our well being, by Chiara

I do firmly believe in a therapeutic results of spending time immersed in a nature environment. I don't want to talk about the weather, which is a constant topic of conversation in this Island, however, I'd like to say just one thing: I am so glad that the winter is over. I finally wake up from the winter hibernation and start to travel around Ireland. Last weekend I went to the west coast of Ireland, exploring Galway and Connemara. It was a really good weekend, the weather was good too and the nature of this Island is surprising me always more. Standing on the top of Cliff of Moher recharge me of a new and good energy. The view from there is absolutely breathtaking. Walking and bicycle through Connemara’s region was amazing.

As the weather is improving, we are planning some activities outside with the youth club. For this reason a few days ago we went to visit a little farm, near Tallaght. The kids were so excited, they played and enjoyed staying with animals. In my opinion is really important to stimulate the interest of spend more time outside, in contact with the nature. I also believe that enjoy the nature and the company of the animals will lead to a natural consequence to respect them more. Which is an important aim to achieve nowadays.

[dublinymca]

Volunteer get-together at YMCA Greenhill

For the first time, EVS volunteers across Ireland were given the opportunity to travel to YMCA Greenhill to meet the volunteers working there. The experience, developed during 3 days in April, proved to be a unique one for everyone involved as they could participate in the sessions leaded by the young residents. But don’t just read about it, have a look at this video and see it four yourself!

YMCA Ireland hopes to make this a regular volunteering event as well as expanding it to all EVS volunteers across the island next year.