LISTENING IN ON OUR YOUTH PANEL Claire Hyland, The Youth Lab, welcomed a host of young people who shared their own lived experiences. Claire was joined by Niamh Bakker - Breakthrough Scholarship Recipient, Ciaran Gaffney - Founder of SEANCHOICHE, Sarah Hanrahan - Digital Content Creator specialising in Dublin Culture and Irish Travel and Adam Mohamed - spoken word artist & musician. The panel discussion gave insight into the significance of TikTok, creativity, reality check of life right now and the importance of creativity, amongst many other things. “One thing that came across the board, was that there’s a hybrid way now to not only work but have fun too. There’s the element of finance, and saving money to do something big, but there’s also the security and longing for home. There’s a new way of finding fun, mixing travel and nights out, with themed at-home parties - PowerPoint Parties are a thing!" - Niamh Bakker on the alternative ways that Gen Z are having fun. "People want to get more value for their money, they don’t want to feel like they’re overpaying. There's money to be spent, people are just looking for more bang for their buck." - Sarah Hanrahan on the cost of living crisis in relation to experiences. “Young people are craving that sense of connection, honesty, reality, and none of the bullshit. Seanchoíche is about creating a community, and that’s the beauty of the event.” - Ciaran Gaffney on SEANCHOÍCHE and why people are hungry to share their truths. "People are craving the moment to express themselves and to connect, but what I see is a lot of insecurity to get to that place. I see my job as helping people get there." Adam Mohammed on the role of creativity and curiosity in creating awareness and connecting with a youth audience. |