After Schools Graduation 2023

The After Schools programme started back in 2007 as the beginning of Solas Project providing support for 10 young girls in Basin Lane. Although it has grown and developed over the years, the Club continues to strive to be a home away from home for young people. A space for young people to thrive despite challenging circumstances they may face, and receive support in becoming healthy confident and caring members of their community.

Each year we mark the end of the school year with our After Schools Graduation. This gives us the chance to acknowledges each young person as an individual, recognises their growth and achievements over the year and to celebrate that with their families.

This year, alongside our young people who received a Certificate of Completion, recognising their engagement and participation in the club, we also had 8 young people who “Graduated”. Some of these young people are moving from our Junior to our Senior Club, while others, after up to 6 years in the Club have come to the end of their time with the After Schools Club and will be moving on to bigger and brighter things!

Thankfully in Solas Project there are ongoing supports for our young people as they move into their next stage - including the opportunity to join our Liberate Youth Work programme. It was brilliant to have so many staff from across all of our teams show up a the Graduation to cheer on our young people and to remind them that they are part of the bigger picture of Solas Project.

We strive in After Schools to include our core values into our work daily which are Love, Hope, Justice, and Joy. Our value of Joy is very evident on our Gradation day! Joy began for us in the build up to the big day. There was lots of fun laughter, freedom and growth represented through music and dancing. Another element of the day where joy was represented was that every young person in the room had their famililes show up to celebrate them. The smiles on their faces as they watched the door to see who’s family was coming in next was a very heart warming moment to watch. As well as families, there was a lot of people that came to show their support: Solas Project staff, volunteers, guardians and social workers. With this wide variety of people represented it really showed the wrap around care that is there for our young people. 

The Graduation day itself couldn’t have happened without our ESC volunteers and our wider team of volunteers. 20 of our volunteers were there on the day to show their continued support to each individual and many more that couldn’t be there sent on their best wishes Our Graduation Day would not have been as successful without the support of all of volunteers and ESC students and they have made such a huge impact across the year so it was a lovely way to finish.

Thank you to everyone involved and making our 2023 Graduation a huge success.