Our Open Day: Part I of a Series

Open Day – Part 1 (background)

In January this year, we had a staff meeting to discuss how to promote and establish the identity of Youthreach NGGS. Initially our plan was centred around creating a brand new website and expand our social media presence…but then the staff decided it would be a good idea to host an Open Day in our centre. We’d never had one before and if we’d known how much planning and preparation we’d need beforehand, we might have changed our minds. The pandemic lockdowns, and the retirement of several long-serving staff, had meant we were not as well-known in the North Inner City as we had once been, and we hoped to re-establish the strong connection we had had with the people of the area. Dublin 1 is a vibrant, multi-cultural community and we intend Youthreach NGGS to be at the very heart of it.

Over the past few months our centre had undergone a makeover, with new equipment, new classrooms, new modules and new staff coming into Youthreach NGGS, giving the centre a lift and providing it with a new impetus and mentality. Our centre at 20 North Great George’s Street is situated on one of the most beautiful Georgian streets in the capital, and a huge amount of original Georgian architecture and design is evident throughout the building. By partitioning the old unused woodwork room, the space was repurposed into two beautiful new classrooms for Art and Communications. This also showcased the building’s original plaster wall friezes and ornate ceilings while allowing us to update the QQI modules we offer. Moving the Art room upstairs also allowed us to install a brand-new gym in the basement.

For our elegant hallway, we wanted to re-create the sense of an entrance to a Georgian home. To do this, we opened up the fanlight in the centre of the hall, allowing natural light to flood in throughout the day. In place of old wooden document cases, we built a world clock wall showing the time and the flag of each learner’s country of birth, to embody the multicultural identity of which we are justly proud. We also installed a large glass retro-style chandelier for a touch of elegance, and mounted a flatscreen TV on the wall to display videos of the centre and our students. On the other wall in the hallway we hung dozens of framed photos of our students taking part in various events and trips.

The staff spent every spare minute painting, cleaning, fixing, altering, ordering, rearranging, moving and installing various items for the big day, Tuesday March 21st. All our students played their part in making sure the building was ready for D-day, and their pride in our centre was clear as they did a huge amount of spade work, eventually making the unlikely become a reality.

We also had to plan for the day itself, the logistics of inviting, welcoming and feeding up to 200 visitors and giving each one a guided tour of our beautiful building. We were honoured when the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Caroline Conroy, confirmed she would be our special guest on the day. We were also excited that Dwayne Edgar, an alumnus of Youthreach NGGS agreed to come and speak on the day. Dwayne’s response to the pandemic was to set up the Inner-City Running Club which has been a great success - we were proud of the positivity and willingness of our former student and his willingness to help others.