FERMOY’S SOCIAL INNOVATIONS

Dear Editor,

I’m writing to you on behalf of my Transition Year Young Social Innovation class. Young Social Innovators’ mission is to raise social awareness among Transition Years in Ireland by providing awareness through action for young people and those guiding them. Young Social Innovators is Ireland’s largest social awareness and active citizenship and education programme.

We are competing in the National Young Social Innovators competition and the issue we have chosen to deal with is female genital mutilation (FGM). One of the main aims of our project is to raise awareness on the topic. We became aware of FEM when two senior students from our school, who had just returned from a trip to a Loreto school in Kenya, told us of their experience and the prominence of female mutilation amongst the young girls in Kenya.

When it was explained to us how unnecessary having this procedure is and the horrific conditions under which it is generally carried out, we felt that not enough people in our community knew that FGM was.

So to begin our awareness raising campaign we decided to survey boys and girls in our local area to find out exactly how many people had heard of this procedure. As expected our results showed that over 90 percent of students did not know about female genital mutilation.

This issue is life threatening to many victims and is too serious to be ignored, as it has been for the last 2,000 years. FGM is as common as HIV aids which has over 2.8 million victims, while there are 137 million girls forced to be circumcised each year. For such a wide spread issue it amazes me how nobody seems to know about it. This issue not only effects women in various tribes and religions but effects women on a global level also.

I believe that no gender or religion or tribal tradition should have to endure such disturbing procedure. Our aim as young social innovators is to raise awareness on an issue we are all extremely interested in.

We also trying to get to the EU to share our thoughts as young people of Ireland about how this issue is neglected and ignored. We intend to meet with a number of directors of the United Nations in Brussels to discuss the topic and negotiate our proposal of enforcing a 12% prosecution rate in each country that has tied aid with the UN.

However, before we do this we wish to make FGM illegal in Ireland, as specific legislation outlawing this form of torture has not yet been put into place in this country although over 2,500 girls have undergone this procedure in Ireland.

We hope by visiting other schools, we will gain the support of fellow students and teachers and we would hope that some may even follow in our footsteps and echo our strong disapproval of FGM.

As a step in our project we would greatly appreciate it if you decide to publish this letter in your newspaper. It would inform a large majority of people and help our case in gaining support of the public. We have high hopes that we will get far with our project, we would deeply appreciate any response or support from you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Yours sincerely,
Maeliosa Haydon,
PR Officer.

‘TOM, DICK AND HARRY’

Dear Editor,

Having this past weekend enjoyed a truly wonderful performance of ‘Tom, Dick & Harry’ by Brideview Drama Tallow, I would like in turn to wholeheartedly encourage readers to come out and support the arts in your local area.

These drama groups are contributing a tremendous service to the community in that they are affording us the opportunity to take a look at life from a different perspective; to lighten up that we may take life in its stride.

Celebrated playwright Ray Cooney’s hilarious drama ‘Tom, Dick & Harry’ presents a temptation and a dilemma that anyone can find themselves in when with each word been spoken a litany of preposterous stories cascades forth which become almost impossible to defend, and but for good fortunate could have very problematic consequences.

If you want to discover what happened when certain good intentions all went haywire, then take time out this weekend to view this fine performance. Show time: 8.15pm on January 29 and 30 in the Tallow Community Centre. Tickets available at the door. Bookings: 058-56304.

Complimentary drinks and nibbles!

Sincerely,
Richard McSweeney,
Chapel Street,
Tallow,
Co Waterford.

THE DIFFERENCE A SMILE MAKES

Dear Editor,

Ok so Christmas is officially finished for another year, but I think it is time to remember all those who have put in such huge efforts to make this special holiday one of true caring and thought.

How many people, in both charitable and health care institutions, work tirelessly to help those less fortunate in our society, doing so with little word of thanks or praise.

Regardless of whether someone gets paid for their work or not, it is that extra that is done, that makes all the difference. It costs nothing to smile at others, so long as it is given with meaning.

Never doubt, no matter how ill whether in mind or body, a person can be uplifted because you took the trouble to make eye contact. So maybe you would say that you do not know the person. The old people had a great saying ‘that a stranger is a friend you never met before’.

It would be a marvellous new year’s resolution to make the effort to reach out with our eyes, help to encourage another human being with a curl of the lips. When your attend hospital or visit a friend there, you may see someone sitting, looking totally dejected.

Your first reaction is to look away, because we feel so awkward, unsure of ourselves. Remember always the times you were low how good you felt. Is it not worth the chance your gesture would not be reciprocated; if you do not have the money to throw in the charity box as maybe once your pocket allowed, I think it is.

Any carer needs support and gratitude; a pay packet is not enough in our stressful world. Any human being will gladly go that extra mile if they know they are appreciated and valued.

A mother loves nothing better than a card made at school by her child with hearts and crosses all over it. We should not lose that sense of gratitude. As children we do not fear that our card will be rejected. We do not fear that our drawing will not be a good enough standard for Mammy. We just do it, so it should even though we are adults.

The fear of failure and fear of rejection are probably two of our greatest weaknesses in today’s society, making many feel isolated and alone. Think what a smile could do. Did it not work well for us as children?

There are many out there whose faces are well creased with love in their eye, be sure and give them back an extra big smile to keep them going. God bless all in 2010.

Yours sincerely,
Maria Wood,
‘St Anthonys’
Gearagh,
Fermoy,
Co Cork.