Solas Project Presents “Digital Junkies”
We live in a digital era that is growing and taking over the world of business, economics and education. Therefore it is preferable that we learn how to use these technologies from an early age. Many young people will eventually enter into careers where they will have to know how to use these digital technologies.
However it is believed that many students enjoy and prefer primary school and that the do well, but that they find secondary school more tedious, and that they fail because they were not prepared, motivated and supported in choosing where they want to take their further education.
The Digital Hub will be joining the Solas Project in an introductory course where students aged 10 to 12 years old will be taught digital literacy skills. From the 10th of May for a duration of 5 weeks students will get to enjoy two hours of classes a week for sessions at the Solas Project After School Programme to be hosted at the Digital Hub in Dublin 8, Liberties.
Hardware such as MaKey MaKey will be introduced and CPD materials developed by the Digital Skills Pathways for Youth Across Europe Project will be offered to them. The programme will teach young aspirants how to use stop motion animation; introduce them to electronics; how to use small toys and figurines to make short animations; how to create their own narratives, building and decorating sets; and how to make soundtracks, shoot images and editing.
The Solas Project is an Irish initiative that provides Irish children and young people with a range of innovative interventions to help them make the transition from primary to secondary school. Their programmes equips and empowers children to live full lives and become positive participants in society.
“Solas Project is driven by the fundamental belief that all people are created in the image of God. This compels us to treat every person with love, compassion and respect. By building relationships and seeking the goodness in each child, we enable them to discover their own value.”
The Solas Project uses “Pillars of Cultivation”, focusing on instilling values in each young person they support; these values are: self-worth, character and motivation. According to research done by the Solas Project, statistics have proven that 99% of leaving cert students from Dublin 6 went on to 3rd level education compared with 28% from Dublin 8 in 2014. They also found that the rate of re-offending is highest among young male offenders under the age of 21, at 57.7%.
The Solas programmes for children and young people are: After Schools [The Club], Teen Mentoring [Step Up], Skills Development [The Yard] and the Prison programme [Compass]. The Digital Hub Future Creators Programme was developed by H2 Learning and NCAD and is the inspiration behind the Digital Skills Pathways for Youth across Europe Project. “The project aims to provide teenagers across Europe with opportunities to develop a range of digital literacy skills; to provide them with a virtual space to showcase their work and to network with peers; to expose them to the wide range of possible careers in this evolving sector; and to identify pathways they can follow into further education and future employment in the field of digital media.”
Something else to look forward to if you are interested in helping the project – on June the 6th the Vhi Women’s mini Marathon will take place at Baggot Street Lower in support of the Solas Project. Funds raised will go towards the Club Summer Project.
