Are you a Transition Year student and want to be part of a unique and exciting opportunity to develop professional skills? Flex your creation muscles? Get involved in event organisation and put your ideas into action? Apply today to become part of the Teen Connect Project Team, a Canoeing Ireland Bridge the Gap initiative.

As a member of the team, guided by the Teen Connect leaders and supported by Canoeing Ireland, you will gain valuable experience in multiple areas and will have the opportunity to make your voice heard in shaping the future of paddlesports for teenage girls.

This placement can be signed off as a part of your Transition Year programme as Gaisce Bronze Award and Work Experience. You will also receive a reference from the Teen Connect Leaders upon completion.

What will you be doing:

  1. In the lead up to the Halloween Teen Connect Event, you will be shadowing Teen Connect Leads to gain insight into how the event is run, and will contribute your thoughts/get involved where comfortable.
  2. Post Halloween Teen Connect you will be assigned a mentor from the group of Teen Connect Leads who will be there to support and guide you through the remainder of the project.
  3. You will be part of a small team who will work together to identify needs and implement ideas/create opportunities to increase the number of teen aged girls participating across the various paddlesports disciplines and areas of the organisation
  4. The team will meet through dynamic online sessions with varied content/themes: learning from the current research around female teen participation in sport in Ireland and developing ideas accordingly, designing a programme and/or event, coordinating a nationwide calendar of events/opportunities for teenage girls in paddlesports, taking on individual missions within the team, looking at development opportunities within your local area and implementing where possible.
  5. In the springtime, your team will launch an event/programme for girls across the country.
  6. At the end of the project the team will make recommendations from learnings to CI membership and propose future projects.

When and how?

  • The team will get together for the first time on Wednesday 13th of October for an introduction meeting and to watch a presentation on the development of Halloween Teen Connect.
  • There will be a weekly meeting for 1 hour from 13th October – Xmas Break, with short ‘at-home’ tasks to complete between each meeting.
  • From January – March meetings will increase to 2 hours as we get closer to launching your programme/events to clubs.
  • Post event until Summer Break you will survey the participants of your event/actions and will put your findings into recommendations for future development.

How do I know if this programme is for me?

  1. You are a transition year student.
  2. You are a Canoeing Ireland member.
  3. You have a passion for improving the quality of experience and increasing the number of girls taking part in paddlesports.
  4. You are interested in developing skills in leadership, event management, sports development & policy, working as a team and programme design.

 

If you’re interested in becoming a part of the Teen Connect programme make your application here –