The National Centre for City Connects Ireland is approaching its two-year anniversary. Launched in partnership with Mary Immaculate College, Boston College, and the Irish Department of Education and Youth, the National Centre continues to bring City Connects to students in Dublin. Recently, City Connect’s efforts have received press coverage of the National Centre’s inspiring work. Here is a selection of those stories.
Irish Prime Minister mentions City Connects as positive influence
Earlier this month, the North East Inner City (NEIC) released its annual report on progress being made in Dublin. At the report’s presentation, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Ireland’s Prime Minister, mentioned City Connects as a positive influence on the city.
“It was great to hear a first-hand account by the students at O’Connell Secondary School of the positive impact that the Initiative is having in supporting young people through areas such as education, sports and wellbeing, music and creativity, and through innovative pilot initiatives like City Connects and the P-TECH Programme,” Martin said in this release.
It was the second straight year the Taoiseach has mentioned City Connects in the report’s release.
City Connects administrators interviewed by RTE
Recently, City Connects Program Manager Mickey McHugh and National Lead Gerry Cullen were interviewed by RTE, Irelands national radio and broadcast station. The story is about the positive changes going on in Dublin’s inner city, which includes City Connects schools.
“In the schools we have seen higher attendance levels because they want to be in school to do the activities, they have expressed interest in,” City Connects Program Manager Mickey McHugh said.
City Connects National Lead Gerry Cullen added, “We’re also trying to address the out of school factors, because in the area of academics, about two thirds of the disparity in achievement can be accounted for by these out of school factors.”
City Connects featured in teachers magazine
This past fall, City Connects expanded into post-primary schools, which are equivalent to middle schools in the U.S. education system, thanks to promising results from the pilot program, earning a feature in InTouch Magazine, the in-house publication of The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO).
Read more in our blog post here.
