Monday 18 August 2014

Big Announcement..

Digital Youth Council!

I am delighted to announce that I am on the 'Digital Youth Coucil of Ireland', the first of it's kind in Europe. All twelve of us on the council have achieved awards or milestones in terms of technology/ digital media. I am very excited to work with these very well established people as well as minister Ciaran Cannon. I am co-social media manager with Ciara. Here is a description of what we are/will do from the website:

'The Digital Youth Council is made up of the Top 12 young people in Tech in Ireland and is set to Launch in late August 2014. The Council will be given the job of gathering young people's views and opinions on Technology, ICT, EU Digital Agenda and more. The Council will work alongside key figures in the Irish Government, EU Commission, Education and other various places to make sure that the views of Young people are listened to.'

We will be meeting in the Science Gallery, Dublin in late August, so I will fill you in on what we decide. After visiting google and loving it, I am very excited to visit the science gallery make sure to:
Follow us on Twitter: @dyc2014
Like our facebook page: 'Digital Youth Coucil'
Follow us on instagram too! : @digitalyouthcouncil
To stay updated on all the things we get up to, and also, to paryake and have YOUR say. We want to hear from you!
Source

That's all for now, but watch this space guys!

Lauren :)

Thursday 14 August 2014

A Message For Future TYs

Now that we are into the month of August, I figured that those of you lucky boys and girls who will be going into Transition Year next Year have started looking for Work Experience and into extra-curricular activities. So, based on my own experience of TY, here's some advice.

**disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert I just want you all to get the most out of your Transition Year.

'Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.'

1. Get Involved - Get into the spirit of TY and sign up for anything that interests you and stick with it. Try something new, something out of your comfort zone. Isn't it better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all? Do some sports, join the choir, there are plenty of after-school activities to keep you busy that won't cost a penny. 

2. Be Prepared - Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Okay that's a bit harsh but still make sure to get all of your work placements sorted early. It makes it more likely that you will be doing something you want to do and will get the best work experience. I managed to get a work placement in TV3, which I thoroughly enjoyed but I applied very early which I really think helped.

3. Participate - In class, in projects, in whatever TY throws at you. As some of you may know, I was heavily involved in our school musical, Calamity Jane, (played Calamity) and this was a fantastic extra-cirricular activity for me. It helped boost my confidence, improve my performance skills, and I met a lot of fantastic people because of it. Do something special this year, you'll be glad you did.

4. Don't Procrastinate - Do yourself a favour and do things as soon as they are assigned. Seriously. It's for your own good, I swear. Things get very messy when you leave them to last minute.

5. ENJOY IT! - I have fantastic memories from TY and I hope you will too. Make new friends, try new hobbies and enjoy learning new things. 

I hope this has inspired you all to be active and participate, whether you're going into TY or not. Blog about your experiences while you're at it. ;)

I have a very exciting project coming up that I'm involved in.. Watch this space for more!!

Lauren :)