It's Your Right: Stacey Tunnicliffe (13) - My life in school, Ballymun, and the Aisling Project.

Jun 09, 2014, 09:30 AM

Stacey Tunnicliffe (13), has been attending Aisling since she was in third class, and has learned a lot being there. Stacey has dyslexia, and although she likes school, sometimes finds it difficult. The Aisling Project has helped her learn key life skills, as well as being independent. She is always kept busy with all the activities they do. Stacey also talks about life in Ballymun and the perception people have of the area. She addresses the homelessness in Ballymun, and how everyone should have a right to a home, food and water.

Accompanying Music: 'Easy Rider' by Michael Gallen, Mark Gavin and Robert Hope

© West Pole Music and Management Ltd.

The Aisling Project, primarily aimed at young people aged 8 to 13, work to prevent early school leaving, benefit the community and advance education by running an after-school intervention project for children at risk.

http://www.aislingproject.com/

For more information on children's rights or the 'It's Your Right' campaign, visit the It's Your right website:

http://itsyourright.ie/

Transcript below.

00:00 - Guitar Music

00:09 - Stacey: I’m Stacey Tunnicliffe and I’m from Ballymun and I’m 13. Some people say Ballymun’s a kip but it’s not. Ballymun people are not really bad but some are. Do you know that kind of way? Like they’re real nice and the schools are real nice around here. But, there’s situations where there’s drugs and alcohol and all. Like, that happens, that’s life, that’s how it is in every country.

00:39 - Stacey: Like some people around Ballymun, you feel real sorry for them because they’re homeless and all and they have no house. Like everybody should have a house, a food, plenty of water, nice fresh water, not dirty water like over in Africa.

00:55 - Music

00:58 - Stacey: I like school but, like I find school difficult because I have dyslexia so I find stuff hard, like, reading and learning, like, learning stuff. But like, once you get tested, you know what you have so now you’ll be able to work on it. And like, my Ma left at third year so, ‘cause she didn’t like school anymore and it was tough and you were allowed leave school when you’re 16. So, she left school at 16 and went to work and all when she was 16 so. And she learnt tools to not struggle with stuff so she teaches me that.

01:33 - Music

01:36 - Stacey: I’ve been in the Aisling since I was in 4th class. Like there’s a younger one that’s like primary school. You go third to sixth class and then when you’re in sixth class you go for a bit here.

We do dancing with Dylan Walsh and then we do rapping with Dylan Whelan and then we do cooking with Clare like. I’ve like learned to rap and dance and like, cook. ‘Cause I only used to be able to cook toast but now I can cook dinners and all and then you do loads of stuff but it’s real good.

02:10 - Music

02:13 - Stacey: Here you’re allowed, you’re able to do stuff. You’re not sitting in front of the telly all day. You’re doing stuff. Like you’re not constantly sitting down, you’re doing activities. And, I feel real safe here. It’s like, you know that nothing’s going to happen to you.

02:29 -Music. Fade out.

02:37 - END