Youthpod Ireland

We are back to recap on an eventful 2019 and some of our favourite episodes from this year on YouthPod Ireland and we have some interesting new topics to discuss too. After a busy winter period prevented us from recording, we return to discuss Greta Thunberg becoming Time Magazine's first teenage 'Person of the Year', we talk about youth visibility, we revisit some of our favourite episodes including our recent epsiode on autism and guests from 2019 including youth work educator Mick O' Brien and former governor of Mountjoy Prison, John Lonergan and we also welcome a new colleague to the show, in Luke O' Connell. Thanks for all of the support throughout the year. We aim to make 2020 our best year to date. Merry Christmas to all of our listeners and supporters. It's good to be back. Ho ho ho

Season 5 of YouthPod Ireland has landed and in a YouthPod Ireland first, we are bringing the voice of young people directly onto the show. That's right, we have young people joining us all season as our guests and THEY are dictating the topics that we talk about. We kick things off with Kyle Walsh, a local young man who lives with autism. We chat to Kyle to capture his first hand account of living with autism, we discuss our understanding of autism, the stigmas, the misunderstandings, the definitions, the barriers and we also delve into the very human side of things as we talk about the very important relationships that have helped Kyle in his experience of living with autism. Kyle is currently studying to be a Special Needs Assistant and he brings a wealth of lived experience to the conversation and we discover how family, friends and community underpin the great young man that has developed before our eyes. Get involved in the conversation: youthpod18@gmail.com and as it is our first episode back after a bu

It's the final episode on Season 04 of YouthPod Ireland and this week we are talking about digital youth work. What is it? How can we use it to enhance our work? Is it of value? All of these questions and plenty more in another interesting and informative podcast episode. Enjoy.

According to a recent article published by The Irish Times in response to the findings of a piece of research conducted by Eurofound,  "Young Irish women suffer the highest levels of depression in Europe'. We explore this topic and the contributing factors, including body image, social media, societal expectations, self harm, eating disorders, internalisation, stigma and much more in a great episode with lots of important discussion points.

This episode gets HEATED!!!! And not just because we are talking about global warming but because there are some serious opinions of how climate change is/ isn't relevant to youth work and young people. Sometimes our episodes are very relaxed and sometimes a topic lights a match under us that gets the strongest opinions directly on the table. Have a listen and let us know what you think and more importantly, if you agree with us as we delve into one of the most frequent topics presenting in the youth work sector today - climate change, global warming, climate action and the environment. Enjoy and please send all feedback to youthpod18@gmail.com 

We have often concluded that parents have a role to play and responsibility for young people when it comes to the challenges that young people face. But how do the parents fill this role? Where do they learn to be good parents? Where does their responsibility start and end? Is it the easy option to place all of the expectations on the parents? This is our 'parenting' episode of YouthPod Ireland, we hope you find it useful and as ever, we are always here if you have any feedback, questions or need additional support or information. youthpod18@gmail.com 

It is International Men's Health Week and this week we are discussing one of the biggest threats to men's health- alcohol. Do we consume too much alcohol? Why is it different for men? How do we tackle the issue? Is our culture in Ireland the biggest hurdle? We cover a lot of questions, give a lot of insights and opinions and perhaps struggle a bit to find a natural conclusion in what is a very important but tricky topic. Please get involved and continue to support the conversations around young people and youth work and all feedback can be sent to youthpod18@gmail.com   Further reading at : www.drinkaware.ie/tools-resources/research and visit www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2623800920987671&id=111400652227723 for the original article from Joe.ie 

This week's episode is an absolute MUST for any/ all aspiring youth workers, for anyone interested in learning about the absolute essentials of youth work and for anyone with any interest in the grittier issues of our profession as we speak to Mick O' Brien, youth worker, educator and lecturer at Maynooth University, Ireland. We delve into the deeper issues of youth work with a man that has been facilitated our own learning over the past year and who himself has a lifetime of experience and a wealth of knowledge in the field. We cover so much in the hour including but not limited to equality and equity, politics, life long learning, upskilling, professionalisation, the core values and principles of youth work and so much more. We left this episode wanting to talk for hours longer, such is Mick's extensive knowledge, aptitude and experience in the field. A fantastic episode and a must for everyone studying or working in the area of youth work.

"Kids should be seen and not heard"... But we beg to differ. In fact, we would go so far as to say that it is the very fact that young people often lack a voice, visibility and value amongst their community that we encounter more problematic issues with this very age demographic. In this episode we talk about youth visibility, how young people are perceived, what cliches and stigmas are attached to young people, what the value is in revisiting our ideas and assumptions of young people and most importantly how we begin to starting to make positive changes in this regard. We consider this episode to be one of our most important and relevant to date and would love you to take the time to listen to it and perhaps get involved in the conversation and share it with everyone you consider it to be relevant to. Feedback to youthpod18@gmail.com or onto our social media channels

It is the moments in life where we encounter change that our mental resilience is tested the most and there is no bigger change in a person's life than when they suffer a bereavement. Unfortunately, in the area in which we work, there have been one too many bereavements and in this episode of YouthPod Ireland we discuss how young people might cope with these bereavements. We give some personal accounts of loss, share advice and opinions on the issue and we connect with each other over a sensitive but extremely relevant topic. Bereavement is just one issue that can impact our mental health and if we want to build more resilient communities and take away the stigmas of mental health, we absolutely MUST talk about losing those closest to us. Have a listen and share with anyone who might benefit from listening. Take care and please contact us if you need further support or information on this topic. YPI

Where does cannabis rate in relation to other drugs and the harm that they can cause? One study suggests that cannabis is the 8th most dangerous drug in the world. Too high (no pun attended)? Too low? Or do you agree? How dangerous is cannabis, why does society have the attitudes it does about cannabis and what needs to change, if anything? Another fascinating episode of YouthPod Ireland. Enjoy.

After a small but very busy break the YouthPod Ireland crew are back for our fourth season, talking all things youth related. We kick off our brand new season with a guest that we have aspired to bring to the show from day one - former Governor of Mountjoy Prison, John Lonergan.  John is a man with many fascinating stories and opinions that come from a career littered with incomparable insights into not just the prison system in Ireland but the very nature of human beings. We talk about compassion, humanity, honesty, integrity, punishment, perseverance, the difference between male and female prisoners, the role of youth work and schools in preventing early detention and so much more. John brings a wealth of experience, education and insight into a podcast episode that is packed to the brim with opportunities for learning. We are delighted to be back and thank every one of you for continued support. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Liam Neeson is at the centre of a controversial topic relating to race but we quickly expand and progress the conversation to talk and think about violence, environment, unconscious racism, young people and their emotions, the Irish travelling community and so much more. This is genuinely one of our favourite episodes to date and we are delighted to have found the youth narrative in a conversation that is on everyone's mind at the moment. Feedback to youthpod18@gmail.com 

This week we are walking about the idea of 'toxic masculinity' as captured in the recent Gillette advertisement, which instantly went viral and initiated conversation around masculinity and the toxic behaviours that have often come to redefine it. We have Becca back on the podcast to give a gender- balanced view on the topic and we ourselves differ in opinion throughout. But it's not our opinions that matter, it's yours. So please get involved on Facebook, Twitter or by emailing us at youthpod18@gmail.com Does youth work have a role to play in defining masculinity? Is this an issue for schools and parents? Is it an issue for just boys or both sexes? Lots of questions, we're exploring our potential answers in this important conversation and intriguing episode.

Our quest to speak openly about mental health and particularly the mental health of young Irish men, continues with a very open and honest, first hand account from our guest this week, Conor Moore. A young man himself who has had a very personal journey wit the mental health services in Ireland, Conor opens up about his own mental health, about self harm, self care, reaching out, the various levels of mental health and mental illness, his own advice and learning and so much more, in an episode that is an important listen for any person who may be suffering with how they feel and how they are coping with their feelings. If you need any help or direction in relation to your own mental health please reach out. We are always here to help you with the very first step and hopefully this episode will serve as a shining example that sometimes it's as simple as taking that first step. A problem shared is a problem halved and we care about each and every young person that we come into contact with. Enjoy the episode an

In his darkest moment and a time of huge sorrow, loss and adversity, Rob Duff of Liberty Church, recounts his faith strengthening and religion becoming a key part of his life. We capture this story and more of his incredible journey in an episode of YouthPod Ireland dedicated to the topics of faith, religion and spirituality. Irrespective of your beliefs, this is an episode where we not only look at people first but also their opinions, morals and actions in the community and if religion plays a role in these. And rather than discovering the things that divide us or that we hold different opinions on, we look for what brings us together, in an emotional, open and very honest conversation. Enjoy.

We are joined by the godfather of Irish MMA, Coach John Kavanagh for our first episode in 2019. Widely regarded as one of the top coaches in the world of mixed martial arts, Coach Kavanagh's journey began with the uncertainty and confidence issues that affect many young people and a vicious assault that inspired him to seek out a way of defending himself. That one incident set in motion the journey that would lead John to great individual success as a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and eventually to a role of coaching others, right up to the dizzying heights of UFC Championship glory. One of the nicest, most open, honest, relatable and inspiring guests that we have had the pleasure of interviewing, this episode is a MUST LISTEN... not only for fans of MMA but for all people willing to learn how they can start their journey to becoming a better version of themselves!

Christmas is over but maybe that's a good thing! Have we become too 'materialistic'? Do we care more about having nice things than appreciating the important things? Do we drive ourselves into poverty based on what we think society wants us to own? 15 minutes, one hot topic. Get involved at youthpod18@gmail.com 

Ho ho ho!! We are sending the year out in a fun and festive way as we come together for our Christmas Special, recapping on best bits, favourite episodes, funniest topics and we even delve into the murky waters of past debates including a heated debate on gender. Thank you for all of you listens and downloads to dates, for your emails and tweets, your feedback and your time, we appreciate the amazing support we have enjoyed so far and we are shooting for the stars in 2019 so please keep listening, liking, sharing and getting involved. Have a very Merry Christmas everyone and we will talk to you all soon!

We continue our 'local issues' MiniFlash series by asking 'why is the local main street dying off?' and we look at potential solutions that may help rescue our local businesses from the same fate of the many that have fallen before them. Get involved, tell us your thoughts and opinions and share your own ideas. Who is responsible? Who should take action? And what will be left for the future generation in terms of local employment and enterprise? Solutions begin with simple, solution- based conversations. Be a part of it. Download FOR FREE now. 15 minutes. One hot topic.