I.D.E.A.S. – Integrated Drama Education and Arts Society – is a group of disabled young people who all experience varying degrees of physical and intellectual disability. The group works with drama, film and dance facilitators who support the group to extend their skills through non-formal learning workshops, building confidence and self esteem, with the aim of enhancing creativity, developing self-expression and having fun.
The I.D.E.A.S. group creates a forum for participants’ voices to be heard in a fun, safe space with support from volunteers, where everyone is accepted for who they are, not what they seem. Participants have the opportunity to develop skills and attitudes in an environment where a variety of experiences can be used to create a piece of performance art.
Participation in youth arts builds people’s confidence and self esteem, increases their sense of belonging and acceptance, their ability to work in a team, knowledge of rights and responsibilities, sense of well-being and happiness and enhances the ability to make friends.
On Wednesday 11th December@ 8pm one of our outreach groups I.D.E.A.S: Integrated Drama Education and Arts Society featuring students from St. Joseph’s Foundation, Charleville hosted a youth arts film festival, providing an opportunity for young filmmakers in the County to showcase their work. The I.D.E.A.S. group also held the premier of their own film Becoming Butterflies. The Becoming Butterflies film is part of a long term project funded by the Youth in Action programme that was created by the IDEAS group led by Fiona Quinn, Director of Outreach at Friars' Gate to allow them to explore issues concerning youth with disability and has seen them work with choreographer Mireya Coloma, participate in the COPE dance festival in Cork and work with young filmmaker Hannah Quinn Mulligan over the past six months. We had an absolutely wonderful evening and a great reaction from the huge crowd in attendance. The evening culminated in the presentation of Youth Pass Certificate to IDEAS, Footsteps and the County Limerick Youth Theatre.
