Largy Students Present to Monaghan Joint Policing Committee

Rrepresentatives from the R.A.C.E YSI project team pictured with members of the Monaghan Joint Policing Committee

The 21st June proved to be a very successful day for the YSI Team, R.A.C.E of Largy College, Clones, Co. Monaghan. Five students delivered a very important presentation to the multi -agency members of the Joint Policing Committee with An Garda Siochana, Monaghan County Council, elected members and community and voluntary sector representatives.

RACE:  Right Attitude Creates Equality has been in development since the team took on a YSI project in their TY year, 2021. Their initiative centres around the topics of social inclusion, diversity and racism in Monaghan and beyond. The team began working on a podcast talking to students from different ethnicities in their community about their experience of racism and social exclusion. The team say this was the catalyst for wanting to extend the project into a second year, so impactful were the personal stories. They were encouraged to apply for YSI’S Elevate Programme where they were successful - securing mentoring and support as well as funding to push the project further.

The next step for the team was a developing a Cookbook, ‘Taste of Humanity’, showcasing recipes from across the globe, the idea being that food brings us together. It includes over 50 simple but delicious recipes gathered from students and their families. The team secured funding from local business APB and Monoghan County Council’s social inclusion fund. They are working with printing giant, CJ Fallon, with the book expected to hit the shops in the coming weeks.

The team has gone on to develop and run Multicultural Days for Primary Schools to great success. Young students learn about different cultures and traditions through dancing, cooking and music from all over the world. One of the team, Augusta, originally from Lithuania, spoke about her own memory of a primary school multi-cultural day and the impact it had on her ‘I felt accepted and understood, it helped my confidence and it also helped my peers understand a little more about my country of origin and our traditions’.

So what happens next? Well, Monaghan County Council has committed to take the baton from the RACE Team with the idea of rolling out the program to all Primary Schools across Co. Monaghan. Furthermore, they will develop and expand on the ideas and initiatives generated by RACE and there is even discussion around making this a national roll out. The team has been invited to the Monaghan An Garda Siochana Open Day in July, with an information stand and preview of the cookbook.

The group has also been asked to join with the Monaghan’s Women’s Assembly – it’s aim is to bring the voice of local women into local government. This is a great outcome for these young women.

Listen to radio interview with members of the R.A.C.E student team here.