Deirdre Quinlan

Current occupation

My main job is freelance trainer / facilitator using creative methodologies. I work in the field of Youth in Action, also with my own NGO creating trainings and sending young people on their EVS. I also design trainings related to sustainability, development education, drama education, conflict resolution, healthy living, HIV/AIDS, youth leadership, drugs education etc

Work experience

Trainer/Facilitator (International) – European Trainings 2009 to date– In a team of international trainers I have designed and delivered:
• 2012/2013/2014: Grundtvig learning partnership: I am part of a team that want to develop model(s) for applying multiple intelligences as ways to develop (natural) leadership competences. The team use outdoor activities to explore the intelligences. Last March we spent two days both in a forest and by a lake using outdoor activities to explore leadership development.
- April 2013: Training course - Pass on your message, Slovakia:The aim of the training course was to give NGOs tools and skills to improve the visibility and impact of their work by using different media and to better communicate with their communities, policy makers and volunteers. In order to do this, they wanted to empower the participants of the training course to be able to communicate effectively and efficiently using different media. I worked with the group around writing press releases and effective interviewing.
• March 2013: Partnership building seminar for International youth centres. This project came about as a direct result of my involvement in promoting EVS with Irish youth centres. Myself and another trainer saw the need for a partnership building activity that would bring together youth centres and young people with fewer opportunities from across Europe. We ran this three day seminar that created solid YiA projects. Youth workers came with their young people in tandums to create projects.
• June 2012: Contact making seminar for the Causeway Programme: Myself and a co-trainer designed and delivered this 3 day training for the Irish and British National Agencies. The Causeway Programme aims to strengthen and improve relationships between young British and Irish people. Activities in the Causeway programme include ‘youth exchange, contact exchanges and special projects’.
• Two 6-day YiA international training projects for youth workers & educators around Europe around exploring experiential & NFL creative methodologies in both a youth work and educational context. The first international training was in Dublin in 2009 and the second was in Austria in 2010.
• In 2011 we designed and gained funding to run an international YiA training in Ireland that focused on creative ways to tackle youth unemployment. We looked at the young person from a holistic point of view both within the formal school environment and in the youth work environment. Within this training we worked on learning styles & educational tools to use in both the formal and non-formal arena. We explored, both logical, creative and conceptual thinking in a learning environment with the participants. We looked at obstacles to learning and how to overcome them, teaching techniques and strategies for dealing with young adults with additional needs.
• After an international call for trainers/facilitators for ‘Bridges to Work’ an international conference & seminar for people working on youth employment and entrepreneurship in Oct 2011 in Antwerp, Belgium. I was selected to work with the unemployed young people. For part of the seminar we joined with the decision makers to highlight the issues of important to young people. With a co-trainer we designed the programme using innovate and creative activities that ensured active participation for all.
• I was selected to be the main trainer on Euromedia Training Course in Turkey for 5 days in May 2010. I designed and delivered workshops on: how to use photography to tell a story, how to use digital media including documentary, stop-motion, comic life, photomontage and blogs when working with young people. I focused both on the practical aspects of media work with young people and the process side of our work as educators.

Trainer/facilitator (National) – Leargas 2008 to date – Leargas is Ireland’s national organisation that manages the European Youth in Action programme. I belong to their pool of trainers who deliver trainings for the organisation around the
Youth in Action programme. I regularly design and deliver trainings in a variety of setting using formal & non-formal creative methods. These trainings range from 1 to 4 days in duration. These trainings include youth workers, educators and young people from around Ireland.
Facilitator: 2012: Comhlamh: Pre-departure training & evaluation training for young Irish people going to the Global South as volunteers on community projects. I have facilitated sessions for UCD Overseas Volunteers and young volunteers from Forogie travelling to Ghana.
Facilitator: Trainers4change 2012 to 2013: A small group of trainers was commissioned by the Irish N.A. Leargas to promote EVS sending in Ireland with youth and community groups throughout Ireland and abroad.
Trainer: Centre for Learning, Education, Awareness and Revival 2010 to date: CLEAR is a small NGO, which I helped create. We are an organisation committed to quality non-formal education and trainings. We have extensive experience in facilitating, planning and delivering trainings to a variety of groups and young people. Groups include young people with fewer opportunities, from Israel & Palestine, young offenders, drug users, HIV/AIDs awareness & early school leavers. We are also delivering trainings in the area of sustainable development & development education. We are committed to quality training for youth workers. One of our members works regularly with the Irish NA facilitating YiA trainings & EVS trainings. We are also a sending organisation for EVS. We are committed to quality EVS projects and are hugely knowledgeable in this area due to our involvement in the National Agency’s trainer pool for YiA. We are also part of a project ‘EVS advice and Support’ funded by the Irish NA specifically to increase the amount of Irish young people applying for quality EVS projects. We support sending young people in our locality. We also support those who have no SO either by supporting their application or helping the young person to find a local SO.
Facilitator: 2009 to 2012: Comhairle na nOg
Are local youth councils, which give children and young people the opportunity to be involved in the development of local services and policies. For the past 3 years I have facilitated at the youth council’s annual meeting which aims to develop ideas for the youth council to work on during the coming year. This year the council looked at how youth led drug and mental health facilities might work better together to provide a better service for young people. These local youth councils feed directly into local government policy.
Facilitator: 2012/13 Focus Ireland ‘key to their future’: Focus Ireland is a registered charity that works to prevent people becoming, remaining or returning to homelessness. I am part of a team that run a schools programme that highlights the issues associated with homelessness and asks the young people to advocate for homelessness with their local authorities.
Facilitator: 2012/13 Amnesty International: I am part of a team that is working on their ‘Bright Sparks’ programme. This initiative focuses on trainers developing a educator’s peer education programme to promote the teaching of human rights to young people.
Facilitator: 2012 Sustainability Energy Authority Ireland: One Good Idea campaign: Is a secondary school campaign aimed at raising students’ awareness and understanding of energy efficiency, climate change & sustainable development. I worked as a facilitator with the young people helping them to develop their awareness campaigns around sustainable development. I developed the workshops and deliver them to school around Ireland. Through these workshops the students gain a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of awareness campaigns and I help them develop and plan their awareness campaign for their particular project. Class room management and dealing with a varitety of learners was an integral part of this work.
Facilitator: Dance4life 2009 to 2011: Dance4life is an international initiative to involve young people in the struggle against HIV and AIDS. Through development education, we are challenging stigma and taboo, and young people learnt how they can protect themselves and those around them. The students also learnt about AIDS/HIV from a development perspective. Using dance as a motivational tool we informed and dispelled stigmatism, bringing a message of responsibility to young people nationwide. Included in the programme are peer talks, video and the promotion of the concept of ‘agents of change’ where the young people are encouraged to disseminate the information they have gained. Initiatives that the schools have carried out include red ribbon face painting, HIV quiz, poster campaign, letters to politicians, film, organized information days, fundraising etc.
Project Facilitator: Schools Across Borders Sept 2009 to early 2011: The young persons programme promotes awareness, reflection, understanding, communication and actions on the issues and realities of conflict, as experienced and expressed directly by young people. Focusing on the conflict between Israeli and Palestine and by comparison and contrast, those experienced and expressed by young people in Northern Ireland.

I facilitated this 10-week programme in a variety of centres across Dublin.

The project format included information & reflection by using worksheets, video, discussion, media awareness, reflection, poster and video production, Awareness days, Irish visits by Israeli and Palestinian young people and cross border visits to young people in NI.
Using non-formal participative development education methodologies I helped design and deliver the inputs into the programme including a participatory drama aspect.
Facilitator: St. Killian's German School, 2010 – I designed and delivered a development education and conflict resolution module for students. Methodology I used included formal input, imagery, film, worksheets, drama, discussion groups, research, art, poetry and short story. Using a multitude of methodologies and approaches appeals to a variety of learning needs.
Trainer: St. Augustines - In-service Training for Vocational Tutors 2012– I designed, facilitated and evaluated this in-service training for tutors in this organisation. I was asked to focus on group dynamics, fostering a safe group climate, teambuilding, shared vision and responsibilities, goal setting, moving forward and how to build reflective practice into my work. The group also explored how they could work as a high-performing team, improve communication with management and build innovation, initiative and inspiration into their work spaces. By the end of the training the group had bonded together, established better communication strategies and created a shared vision for their work in the organisation.
Trainer: Bonnybrook Youth Reach Centre – June 2011 – Staff Development days – Myself and a co-facilitator designed, delivered and evaluated this two day staff development days. There had been a change of leadership in the organisation and we were asked to focus on teambuilding, building up staff moral, building a vision for the centre, building a vision for myself within the centre, bonding, creating a positive atmosphere for staff within the centre and reflective practice within my work. Time was also spent on how to build a high performance team within the centre, looking at management approaches, communication channels, approaches to partnership and innovation within the centre. The feedback from the participants was extremely positive to this training.
Trainer/facilitator – Grainstore 2010: Over the course of 6 months, I designed and delivered a Youth Leadership programme for young people aged from 16 to 22
who are involved in The Youth Arts Centre. Working with the youth worker I designed a programme that helped the young people develop a vision for their centre, helped them investigate their role within the centre and set up a decision making structure that worked for them and their community of young people. I used games and activities using a variety of creative methodologies to inform collaborative and creative work with the young people.
Trainer/ Facilitator – Ballymun Youthreach 2008 for 6 months– Education centre for young school leavers. I planned and delivered sessions around teambuilding, social skills, communication skills, self-esteem and self-discovery within a variety of methodologies including drama methods.
Creative Arts Facilitator - Eve Ltd, Day Care Centre 2007 to 2008: Centre for people suffering mental health illness and for individuals with special needs. I designed and delivered creative workshops in drama, art and personal development.
Community Drama Facilitator - ‘Turas’ Community based organisation for recovering addicts 2008: I designed and delivered a summer programme in ‘forum theatre’ adapted from Augusto Boal’s ‘theatre of the oppressed’. At the end of each week a forum piece was performed by the participants.
Community Drama Facilitator Finglas 2007 - 2008 - I have designed and delivered drama workshops for young people in schools and community groups. Included in these workshop were acting, improvisation, devising, scripting and directing the young people.

Other Relevant Work Experience
Co-ordinator – Youth Day 2011 –The Youth In Action showcase and celebration of youth participation, creativity and achievements of youth groups and young people in Ireland incorporating a Youth Film Festival. Myself and another colleague were commissioned to plan, organise and run this national one-day event.
We organised all the logistics, the selection and show reel of films for the day, the workshops and selection of participants & facilitators for the day and the evaluation.
Mentor - Artstrain 2007 – 2008 Mentor for participants on ‘Artstrain’ a Youth Drama Facilitation Training Course. I monitored and assisted the young trainees on the course with both their academic and practical work. I built up a relationship with the trainees and supported them sharing my knowledge, skills, information and perspective to foster their professional and personal growth.
Researcher/writer 2007: Co-author of an Education and Training Resource ‘Economics & Poverty – the links’, for Combat Poverty Agency. I researched and designed the creative methodologies included in the manual. I organised two national trainings around this manual and both facilitated sessions and administered the training.
Co-ordinator – Healthy food made Easy 2009 – I co-ordinated and managed this project for the Blanchardstown area partnership and HSE. I liaised with community groups and peer trainers, I ensured best practice in delivery of the programme and reported on all aspects of the project for the funders.
Community worker 2005: Fingal Centre for the Unemployed, Finglas, Dublin -3 month full time student placement as part of my hDip in Community & youth work. Facilitated groups such as lone parents, young people at risk, prisoners on day release on a variety of issues.
Community worker 2004 –2005: Migrant Rights Centre, Ireland
3-month student placement as part of my hDip in Community & youth work. Learnt about the issues affecting economic migrants in Ireland today.
Community cookery Tutor 1997 – Onwards I design and deliver cookery and nutrition classes in Ballymun Comprehensive Night School. Previous I facilitated cookery classes in Coolock Day Care Centre & the Centre for Talented Youth.
Co-founder of Resource Centre & Co-op 1982 – 1992 Well Fed Café, Dublin Resource Centre Co-Op. In this job I was a cook, manager & accounts person responsible for the running of the restaurant with a team of people.