Jade Kearney – Henrietta Adult & Community Education
“In Youthreach, they pushed you to your potential and they were there for you”
I recently spoke at the North Inner-City Learning Neighbourhood showcase in Croke Park. It was a bit nerve-wracking but I’ve done talking like that before so it gets easier over time. I was talking about my course, but also about my life, my personal experience of past education and the advice I’d have for others in a similar situation.
School was not for me. I got expelled a month before my Leaving Cert exams. I was okay at the work and I wanted to do well, but I couldn’t sit still in class: some would say class clown. I learned in a more hands-on way. The school sent someone to my house to do work with me and they even arranged for me to go in and sit on my own in a room, but on the day of my first exam I couldn’t do it. It sent me into a pure anxiety attack. Since growing up and experiencing life, I don’t believe in the exams. I don’t believe in the Leaving Cert. I don’t believe in the way they put people into a system like that. To know what you want to do with your life at age 18 and the pressure to go to college was very stressful for me. I tried to figure out what I wanted but I just couldn’t.
Because I had finished school and was 18, I actually decided I wanted to go to Youthreach. I had already moved out of my parents so I worked a job while attending there. I was so eager and I liked the way we learned, it really suited me. I thrived in Youthreach and passed everything. I finished the two-year course within a year. The classes were smaller and we got more one-on-one attention. They were able to cater easier for us. It’s a different way of schooling and it’s more hands-on. I liked the outdoor activities and the shorter days, and the fact that I got paid for it as well was encouraging. It felt less like a conveyor belt system.
We all had someone we could go to and talk to. In Youthreach, they pushed you to your potential and they were there for you. I felt more like a person there. I didn’t do the Leaving Cert but I did want some sort of cert. I felt that I needed to have one to say I accomplished something so I could get into college even though I didn’t want to go. In my head you needed some sort of cert or else you wouldn’t get far in life.
When I graduated from Youthreach I signed up for the Access to Apprenticeship course where you got to try all the different types of apprenticeships that there was. I decided to do carpentry and wood manufacturing and did it for one year. Then I decided to train as an electrician for two years but because of COVID, I didn’t get to go to college.
These days I’m doing all different types of classes. I jump from activity to activity. I’m not doing them to get a qualification but to get to know myself a bit better. I have just finished an Irish and a drama class. I’ve taken a break from working, to connect with myself, see what I’m truly passionate about and make a living from that. I want to put some good into the world but also nourish myself at the same time.
I like attending Adult Education classes as you can choose what you want and when you want to do it, and don’t need to have a full-time commitment to anything. The type of person I am, it works better for me.
So, the last two years, I’ve been on a self-discovery journey doing all the classes/courses I can. I didn’t know there were so many free classes and courses. I volunteer with the Daughters of Charity , that’s where I found the leaflet for the classes at HACE. Since then I’ve done loads of Community Education classes. I did a Sign Language course a couple of years ago. I worked on board Irish rail and would meet deaf customers and I wanted to be able to communicate with them. I’ve done the Introduction to Psychology course in Loretto centre in Crumlin and a knitting class in there as well. When I went to the learning event in Croke Park, I got loads of contacts and information on all the courses that are available and the things that they do for people. So that’s what I’ll be looking into now that my two classes are finished up for the summer.
I’ve also just signed up for a Young Entrepreneur training programme with Inner City Enterprise. It’s a free course for three weeks to guide someone to start their own business. I have a few ideas in mind. I’m interested in helping the planet and helping people at the same time as trying to make my own way of life, so we shall see what comes of that.
Future plans – I have thought about going back and finishing up my apprenticeship. The problem is it’s Monday to Friday full-time and I just know, after a while I get too run down. Also, I have a dog and I live alone so I can’t be away full-time. I would go back tomorrow and sit my apprenticeship if I was able to do it part-time, but as of now that isn’t an option. Maybe one day someone will make it an option for people.
If I could give advice to my younger self it would be to not give in to societal pressure. You should look into your options. There’s not only one way of doing things. And at the end of the day, you only live once. Nothing’s weird. Whatever you’re interested in is what you’re interested in so do what makes you happy. Try everything and don’t tie yourself down. I always thought there was something wrong with me because I didn’t know what I wanted, don’t do that! What’s meant for you will not pass. Less stress more success.
Focus on what is around you in the here and now. Life is now and tomorrow is not promised. Say no when you want to say no, say yes when you want to say yes. There’s no rush on anything. And always prioritise your smile.
