INTRODUCTION
TV3’s ‘Darndale, the
Edge of Town’ broadcast over three weeks in September presented a touching but
sometimes stereotyped picture of the north Dublin suburb, REPORTS ALLEN
MEAGHER.
Filmed over 12 months,
the producers called it an “honest portrayal of Darndale’s residents’ lives” as
they followed the day-to-day struggles of a former career criminal, a heroin
addict and two single mothers struggling to make ends meet.
Ciara Hurley who is
from Darndale said the programme did not provide an accurate portrayal of the
area.
Her own story is
inspirational in what she achieved. She always believed in herself and so did
her parents.
Today, Ciara is highly
educated and gives full credit to herself - “You have to believe in yourself,”
she says. She gives full praise to her family first and foremost and to the
Northside Partnership for the support it provided to her and hundreds of
schoolkids through its 19-years-old ‘Challenger Programme’.
Recently, she told her
story (page 5 across) to a large attendance for the first time at a book-launch
(see page 19) by the Irish Local Development Network for which community
workers and leaders had travelled from throughout the country to attend.
However, Ciara also
spoke up to highlight that much more needs to be done by the State because, as
she pointed out, only 15% of
people from Dublin 17 still go onto third level.
The rates have not changed since she was a
schoolchild.
If
Ciara could change one thing…
- Grateful beneficiary of 7-year-long ‘Challenger Programme’.
- Triple graduate of St. Pat’s, Maynooth & Bath.
- Now back teaching in the area she grew up in.
- Moves to 3rd level “still
just 15%” in Dublin 17.
“I’m from
Darndale, I’m one of four children and the first in my family to go onto third
level,” says Ciara Hurley.
“Both my parents
were early school leavers, they came from working class backgrounds, they
worked hard all their lives and continue to do so to this day to support us to
go to college.
“Growing up in a
working class area like Darndale didn’t mean this was unattainable.
“My parents
planted the idea very early in my life. I always knew I was going to go to
college. Having the full support of my parents both financially and emotionally
was one of the biggest factors that added to this success in my life.
“Another factor
was the ‘Challenger Programme’. In 1999, I got the opportunity – in my final
year in primary school – to join the seven-year programme and break the cycle
of low education.
“It gave me a
whole range of supports from grind to going to the Gaeltacht and was
life-changing for me.
“The programme
began a lifelong love affair for me with education… I became a member of a club
for people with similar ambitions, we became a support network for each other
and my parents met their parents. That was in 1999 and I’m still in contact
with many of these friends today. The ‘Challenger Programme’ was about so much
more than education, it was a way of life.”
Ciara emerged
with an Honours BA from St. Patrick’s College and went onto NUI Maynooth and
Bath, England, from where she emerged as a qualified primary school teacher.
“I’m delighted
to say I now work in St. Joseph’s National School, Ballybrook, which is one of
the five schools where Northside Partnership offer the ‘Challenger Programme’.
So things have come full circle.”
“However, when I
returned home (from England) I heard about a report from the Higher Education
Authority which shows that progression rates into third level education for
young people from Dublin 17 is still just 15%.
“As someone
who’s came from in the area, has been to college and is now back as a teacher,
I hope I can be seen as a role model.
“I know that
young people from Dublin 17 are just as talented and have as much potential as
young people anywhere else in the country. If they want to go to college – and
it isn’t for everyone - (they may choose) to pursue careers that will help end
cycles of poverty and disadvantage that effect generations of families in the
area.
“In my own life,
education has been a powerful influence.
“I’m delighted
to be back in Dublin 17 and to have the chance to make a real difference in
children’s lives. Sadly, a lot of children will not aspire to go to university
- and to be fair it’s not for everyone – but we need more children to consider
it as a realistic option.”
If Ciara could
change one thing it would be to roll the ‘Challenger Programme’ out for
absolutely everyone who wants it in Dublin 17.
“It should be
offered to all children in the area,” she said.
On 8th October
this year, 154 parents and students turned up for an information meeting about
the next rollout of the ‘Challenger Programme’. Northside Partnership
organisers describe interest as “huge”.
“Looking back,”
said Ciara, “I can see that the supports the programme offered me were very
valuable indeed. The programme opened many doors for me and linked me in with
the Partnership where I got career guidance and financial support.”
Ciara said
however that the support of parents for ambitions children remains “crucial”.
About the ‘Challenger Programme’
The Challenger Programme was set up by Northside Partnership in 1995 to tackle early school leaving and to improve progression to third level education in the Dublin 17 area.
The programme was expanded in 2010 to include two further schools in Kilmore West in Dublin 5.
Today, the Challenger Programme works with five schools located in the Darndale, Belcamp, Priorswood, Bonnybrook and Kilmore West in Dublin 5 and 17, where there is strong evidence of the need for this programme. The programme currently covers an area with a population of approximately 16,000.
According to the 2011 Census, just 6.5 per cent of adults in the ‘Challenger’ target area have a third level qualification, compared with 30.6 per cent of adults nationally. Similarly, 34 per cent of people in the ‘Challenger’area have progressed no further than primary level education, compared with 16 per cent nationally.
To address this, the programme supports ambitious young people from these areas to stay in school, complete their Leaving Certificate and to go on to third level education.
Students commit to a seven-year programme and receive a range of supports from 6th class in primary school through to their final years in second level. The supports offered range from reading clubs, maths clubs, conversational Irish classes, public speaking classes and grinds in core subjects to cultural trips, Gaeltacht scholarships, visits to universities and individual career guidance.
Parents of ‘Challenger’children must also commit to supporting their child’s education by taking part in a FETAC accredited course.
Over 300 students have completed ‘Challenger’. By last year, 242 participants (80%) had finished their Leaving Certificate and 134 had gone onto third level.
