A group of 27 young people were brought together in Waterford city in November, 1995, in an innovative programme which was to prove both successful and inspiring. In the intervening two years, both Louth and Dublin have run similar programmes and a nationwide programme with between over 100 participants is being organised.
Last Friday, it was announced that similar programmes would operate in addition in counties Cork, Monaghan and Cavan next year.
Meanwhile, back where it began, Waterford is busy organising a second group with 30 students this time around. The project, which is called the European Experience Programme, aims at giving unemployed young people who are non-graduates an opportunity to learn a European language and gain work experience on mainland Europe for up to nine months.
The original Waterford venture arose out of a conversation between Pat Kelly, jobs facilitator with the Department of Social Welfare, and Michael Power, education and training co-ordinator with the Waterford Development Partnership. Sponsorship came readily from them both and IBEC's Paddy Jordan who was already running a European orientation programme for graduates; IBEC also stepped in as administrators.
Kelly and Power remain committed. So too does John Doyle, one of that first group of 27 and just home from the travels upon which the programme propelled him. Talking with all three it's clear that enthusiasm - and not a little idealism - had a lot to do with the project's success.
The conversation which started it all was about the plight of the legions of bright, young, unemployed people who do reasonably well in the Junior Cert or Leaving Cert, but fail to find a niche afterwards. Kelly explains: "The worry is that a lot of them are in danger of becoming long-term unemployed through an inability to develop themselves in third level or other areas. We were aware of the IBEC programme for graduates so we decided to get together our own model, one which would suit the needs of the people we were thinking about, give them language skills and open them up to the experience of another culture.
The model arrived at involved participants spending an intensive month's training at Waterford RTC. Each studied a European language, a TEFL course (teaching English as a foreign language) and learned about customer care and bar work. Early in January 1996 they headed for Europe, life with a host family and immersion in the language of their choice for a further three months. After that they were expected to find work and survive on their own.
Pat Kelly explains how things got off the ground. "IBEC did the interviewing, because of their experience and contacts abroad. We gave the group a choice of studying four languages in the RTC - French, German, Spanish and Italian. When they were ready we simply sent them out to live the language."
Power adds a word on the value of the programme: "A lot of people we sent out came from being on the dole. The programme gave them opportunity and choice."
The emphasis during the month spent in the RTC was, both men agree, on survival skills. The bar work, customer care skills and TEFL course were all designed to help them get employment. Once abroad, students were given about £75 per week to live on and had their school and board with a family paid. For the following two months they were given £600 and expected to find work and look after themselves.
For all 27, it was a sink-or-swim exercise. Not only did nobody drown - everyone learned to stay well above water. Not that they were entirely without a buoyancy aid - part of Michael Power's role involved visiting everyone after the three months. "I went to seven cities, encouraging everyone to stick with it," he says.
Lessons have been learned since that first, experimental programme, Michael Power admits. "It's practically the same except that we've extended the training course to six weeks and added computer and cultural studies, as well as time management and study skills to help people make the most of their time with the families.
"Students will spend a weekend away from home too, to help make that break. And we've got more money, this time round."
Places will this time be divided between Waterford city and county, 15 from each. FAS has become involved and other funding will come from the Waterford Area Partnerhip, the Waterford Leader Partnership and will continue from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs Services.
Pat Kelly believes the programme needs to be opened up, made available to young people all across the country. "Everyone who did it has developed out of it. They've all been given life skills and a set of opportunities."
