An emotional and thought provoking short film; Sticks & Stones was written by and stars students from Coláiste na Trocáire and Limerick Youth Service’s Rathkeale Youth Space as part of an Leaving Cert Applied/Limerick Youth Service project. It addresses the issues of bullying, suicide and the pressures of growing up in contemporary Ireland.
The film which was shot on location in Rathkeale, was scripted, filmed and produced by the students as part of a collaborative project involving Limerick Youth Service’s Rathkeale Youth Space, West Limerick Resources and Coláiste na Trócaire. The film premiered Wednesday, January 27th.
‘The film project was developed as part of a programme aimed at developing the literacy and numeracy skills of young people as well as introducing them to the film industry,’ said Lisa Quirke, Limerick Youth Service.
‘We approached Colaiste na Trocaire to see if they would be interested and they were delighted to offer the programme to their LCA group as part of their LCA qualification 2015/2016,’ explained Ms. Quirke, Coordinator, Rathkeale Youth Space.
Under the guidance of tutor Niamh Bowen, the Leaving Cert Applied students spent twelve weeks participating in the project and will showcase the results to their family and friends at the a Arts Centre.
Reflecting on the programme Ms. Quirke congratulated the young people on their commitment and dedication to the film projects saying ‘they should be extremely proud of their achievement.’
Ms. Quirke also thanked Rathkeale community, West Limerick Resources and the staff at Coláiste na Trócaire, particularly Kevin Cusack, principal and Orla Coffey, Leaving Cert Applied coordinator, for their support of the project.
West Limerick Resources is a community development partnership company set-up under the Programme for Economic and Social Prosperity to manage government funding on a local level.
Coláiste na Trócaire, Rathkeale, is secondary school that is committed to fostering the development of the who person, in partnership with parents and guided by Christian values and principles in an environment that is happy, caring and enriching.
Located in Abbey Court, Limerick Youth Service’s Rathkeale Youth Space is a centre for the delivery of youth work and community programmes in West Limerick. A member of Youth Work Ireland, Limerick Youth Service remains committed to supporting and encouraging young people to be active participants in shaping their futures.
Pictures courtesy of Rathkeale Youth Space.
