A recent Intercultural Day hosted by Kilmacrennan Foróige has been hailed a great success.
The project titled “Kids Helping Kids” brought young Irish and Ukrainian children from Kilmacrennan, Termon, Ramelton and Milford together for an evening of games, music, dancing, art, food and culture and craic in Ramelton Community Hall.
The event celebrated the similarities and differences between the Irish & Ukraine Cultures. Kilmacrennan Foróige was delighted to host the event due to being the successful recipient of a €5,000 grant from Leargas for the European Year of Youth 2022. This was a huge accomplishment for a small club who were the only youth club with a project that focused on kids helping other kids.
Kilmacrennan Foroige was set up the day before the COVID lockdown on 11th March 2020. The club caters for the youth of Kilmacrennan aged 10-18 years of age. Over the following two years, Kilmacrennan Foróige youth club membership has grown with both new members and adult volunteers.
When war in Ukraine escalated at the start of 2022, the children from Kilmacrennan Foroige helped to gather essential resources in Kilmacrennan Hall and had these resources transported to Ukraine. This initial action ignited a passion for helping others. Thus, the children and volunteers decided to apply for a grant that Léargas was funding for The European Year of Youth 2022.
Many Ukrainian families have resettled locally in Kilmacrennan, Termon, Milford and Ramelton. Therefore, they decided to base the application on a project aimed to assist social integration, reduce social barriers, reduce loneliness and allow young people’s voices to be heard. Thus, the project “Kids Helping Kids” was developed.
Young Ukrainians embracing Irish Dance Culture
Operation Game
Completion of the project included the project overview to be shared on the European Youth Portal, run by Erasmus. The project can be accessed by anyone who wishes to view it through this Portal.
Kilmacrennan Foroige Club organised a facilitated led workshop called “Your Voice, Your Choice” in Kilmacrennan Hall on the 11th of November 2022. Over 100 young people aged 12-18 years from local soccer and GAA clubs and also young Ukrainians from Milford, Ramelton, Kilmacrennan and Termon attended. The valuable information collected on that day enabled the group to develop the Intercultural Day.
According to Karen Doherty, Kilmacrennan Foróige Club, “We would like to thank all of the local businesses in Letterkenny, Ramelton, Milford, Kilmacrennan & Termon supported our project. Huge thanks to Savelli, from the Kilmacrennan Ukrainian community who was our link to the local Ukrainian Communities and translated everything we needed. Thanks to everyone who attended the event and played their part in any way to ensure we had a successful event”.
Translator Savelli
Mini Golf
Kilmacrennan Members who planned Cultural Evening
