Reflecting on Leadership in Action: Youth Work Ireland

My Leadership in Action experience alongside fellow scholar Andra Preda at Youth Work Ireland this past summer was a formative experience in what community-centered leadership can look like.
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The Dublin Pride Parade crossing under Trinity College Campus

Collaborating with Youth Work Ireland to organize their Dublin Pride celebration was a highlight of my Laidlaw experience. As an intern with YWI, I developed social media messaging to support awareness and fundraising efforts, enacted accessibility strategies for a Pride breakfast event, fostered connections with donors and community members, and supported the curation of an arts display for the day of the event. All media messaging was developed around the theme #ProudToBe, which captured the spirit of inclusion and LGBTQ+ Pride that unified our volunteers, youth community members, parents, and other stakeholders. 

Mural depicting butterflies and the text #ProudToBe in spray paint on a white exterior wall

Since leaving Dublin, I've reflected at length on my experience working with Andra, our incredible supervisor Gina Halpin, and the YWI team to make this event a reality. I learned the importance of articulating messaging to support a team's goals, whether that be to increase awareness about a cause, garner funding, build relationships, or encourage a sense of community. I had the privilege of connecting with an incredible network of youth workers, artists, parents, volunteers, and LGBTQ+ community members. My colleagues at YWI modeled to me the necessity of collaborating among team members, consolidating and dividing tasks, and encouraging agency and pride in one's work. I look forward to speaking more about this experience at Tufts' Laidlaw Presentation Day this month. 

Slide of poster about this Leadership in Action experience

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