Laois’ GirlTalk win national community safety award

Pictured at their base in JFL House , Portlaoise are Elaine Boyle,Clive Davis and two of the GirlTalk group Annalee Dowling and Saoirse Culleton with Garda Inspector Ollie Baker.

placeholder image — Pictured at their base in JFL House , Portlaoise are Elaine Boyle,Clive Davis and two of the GirlTalk group Annalee Dowling and Saoirse Culleton with Garda Inspector Ollie Baker.

Project win the Garda National Youth Award for Community Safety

Youth Work Ireland Laois’ GirlTalk won the Garda National Youth Award for Community Safety at an online event recently.

The group of young women are aged between 15 and 20 years living across Laois. They formed because they wanted a group that gave a safe space for girls from diverse backgrounds including young travellers, first-generation Irish and members of the LGBTI+ community.

The aim was to have an empowering, supportive, encouraging safe space for young women to develop skills, confidence, self-esteem and discuss issues and topics relevant to them.

They fundraised for themselves and local charity by completing the Vhi mini-marathon. The group worked on both health and identity programmes, for their own development and to help them to reach out and empower other young women.

Despite overcoming a lot of their own personal challenges in life they work towards changing attitudes and perceptions of what young women can do in a positive way.

This award was about celebrating their similarities and sharing their differences.