The Aisling Irish Community Center Foróige Club ventured into New York City for their first trip.
They had the opportunity to experience the day in the city and begin to develop relationships within the club.
The Foróige Club visited the Irish Hunger Memorial, National September 11 Memorial and the One World Observatory.
First on their journey was The Irish Hunger Memorial, located in Battery Park City and is dedicated to raising awareness of the Great Irish Famine or the Great Hunger. The Famine killed over a million people in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. They then headed to The National September 11 Memorial, located at the World Trade Center site, commemorating the September 11, 2001 attacks, which killed 2,977 people and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six.
They ended the day at One World Observatory, located in the top three floors of One World Trade Center is also known as the Freedom Tower is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest in the world with amazing views of the city. What a great adventure for our Foróige members!
Ruth Cunnane, Coordinator of the Foroige Club said:
“the trip was a great day out for the members as it combined aspects from both Irish and American history by visiting the different memorials”.
The Aisling Center is thrilled to bring Foróige to the area. The Foróige Club is designed to; build self-esteem and confidence through challenging experiences, develop the ability to manage personal and social relationships, provide learning opportunities to enable youth to gain knowledge and develop new skills and to build young people’s capacity to consider risks and consequences, make informed decisions and take responsibility, all done in a developmental and fun way.
What makes a Foróige Club different to other youth clubs is that it is run by the young people themselves. This allows them to believe in themselves, make decisions and practice leadership.
The Aisling Irish Community Center’s Foróige Club began in May with great interest. They will begin meeting regularly again in September to plan the activities and projects they want to be a part of their club. Foróige believe each club member has something important to contribute to making the world a better place and we at the Aisling Center agree! Our youth have so much to contribute, not only at school, but in their communities and beyond. Bringing Foróige to the area provides an opportunity for our youth to explore the needs of the community, develop an action plan and make it a reality.
Over twenty years ago the center made a commitment to the community. The center accomplishes this everyday with social services including free counseling & crisis intervention, a homeless feeding program, Senior activities and classes in health and fitness programs, the center offers comprehensive courses for all, particularly catering to those who wish to upskill for improved employment prospects. We also offer a range of classes for children including; music, art, drama, yoga and karate.
We are able to provide all these services with the help of a dedicated board, volunteers, staff, partners and donors. We continually look to grow and increase our programs and services. For more information about the Foróige program for youth or to be a mentor contact ruth@aislingcenter.org. Check out our website, www.aislingcenter.org, contact the center at 914-237-5121with any questions, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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