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SpunOut.ie Blog
July, 2007
The weekend at Spunoutwarts
SpunOut.ie Blog: How we celebrated the final Harry Potter!
Well, you couldn't have missed it, however the final Harry Potter instalment was finally released at the weekend. If you're anything like me, you went down to the bookshop at midnight, realised the queue was too big and retreated to some sort of 'Friday night dancing' establishment.
Nonetheless you probably have your book now and may already know the secrets of Harry Potter. If not, I ain't telling!
To celebrate the Harry Potter launch, we at SpunOut.ie casted a few of our own spells and gave the website some new bits and bobs! (Terrible link in, I know!)
The site now sports a brand new 'E-mail to a friend' link at the bottom of all articles, so check it out and share your favourite bits of SpunOut.ie with your friends!
Also there were a few broken links to other websites throughout the site, be it in articles or in our related services (this happens over time with websites disappearing - invisibility cloak, yadda, yadda, yadda). So we painstakingly crawled through them and made sure that all the dead links were removed and new ones put in place.
Enjoy the changes!
Remember if you have any issues with the site e-mail support@spunout.ie
By: Sean Bryceland, Head of I.T.
SpunOut.ie on the telly!!! (again)
Tune in on Monday evening to see SpunOut.ie on Nationwide.
SpunOut.ie will feature as part of RTE One's Nationwide programme on Monday July 23rd between 7pm and 7.30pm.
Be sure to tune in, tell yer friends and family and ch-ch-check it out!
The feature is on the HSE's Achievement Awards programme, of which SpunOut.ie was a 2006 winner.
Find out more about SpunOut.ie's 2006 Achievement Award.
Tell us what you think
Take a few minutes to help make SpunOut.ie even better!
As SpunOut.ie continues to grow and develop, on a daily basis, we constantly review the website to ensure that it provides the information, forums, contacts and youth media that you, the website users want to see!
You can help make SpunOut.ie even better by telling us what you think of the website. Please take part in the following short questionnairee. Taking part in this questionnaire is voluntary and it should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
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The information from your responses will remain anonymous and will be used for reports and presentations only. The IP address of your computer that is automatically transferred with your answers to the questionnaire will not be used to link to any personal data and will be destroyed before analysis of your responses. By completing the questionnaire, we hope to make SpunOut.ie even better.
Disclaimer:
Although researchers will take every measure to protect participant’s privacy, there is still a limit to the confidentiality that can be guaranteed due to the technology itself.
Message of support
SpunOut.ie blog: Email from a reader.
We just recieved this message from one of our readers; thought it deserved to be posted...
Over the last couple of years I've watched SpunOut.ie grow bigger and better. It started out as a humble website with big plans and is now well on the road to superstardome, winning awards, users and media attention along the way. There's a long way to go for sure (it needs more multimedia for example..) but the most important thing is that SpunOut.ie is reaching tons of people and making a difference in their lives.
What really p*sses me off though is all the back slapping supporters from big organisations and from government who keep talking about the need for new youth services, the importance of the internet, and how great SpunOut.ie is, but yet they fail to rally behind it funding and sponsorship.
It costs money to run a great national service and the team behind the site deserve all the support they can get, from media, organisations and from the government. It's time the big cats started walking the talk and helped those than can make a difference to get on with doing it.
Me and my mates will be emailing and writing to my local Councillors and TDs and letting them know that we're gonna make them ear their money and deliver on proper services and help for young people. Watch this space….
Up SpunOut.ie!
SpunOutter at the launch!
SpunOut.ie Blog: Marie Duffy gives her review on the Tough Times Launch.
This time last year, at the Console conference, I was given a sheet of paper describing different scenarios and I was asked to choose which I could relate to most. I discovered later that the most selected scenarios would be used to make an advertisement aiming to highlight difficult times experienced by young people. This was the first stages of what was to be the Tough times campaign.
Fast forward to this June and SpunOut.ie along with the 3T’s, the National Office for Suicide Prevention, were launching the ad in Whelans, Dublin. When I arrived in Whelans, preparations were in full flow. The SpunOut.ie team were making last minute arrangements. Susie was running around with huge sunflowers, Sean was in the background with a video camera, while Ian had scary multicoloured feathers which he very kindly passed on to me, saying: “Do something with them things”. Anna was plastering every spare inch of wall with posters while Ruairi was busy doing media interviews. The bans were rehearsing, with music by The Frank and Walters, the Finglas Rappers (Warren Gifford, Christopher Buckley and Darren Fitzpatrick) and The Hassle Merchants.
Aidan Power arrived next and Ian and I chatted to him for a while at the bar. I noticed a mysterious dark fella from the corner of my eye, standing very still listening to everything we said but I ignored him. We discussed the Tough Times campaign with Aidan and made general conversation. It was after about 20 minutes that I realised that the guy who had been listening intently was actually a bloody statue. Duh Marie!
At this stage people began to trickle in and I went with fellow Youth Editor, Sinead to organise the teas and coffees. We went out to the bar where we were told that there was actually only one teapot. One teapot and over hundred people = a lot of boiled kettles. Where else but in Ireland?! I left Sinead to solve the crisis while I went inside to practise my poem. Ruairi and Anna had asked me to read a poem for the launch- one that I had written about someone going through a tough time. The person in the poem was tired of always feeling depressed and coping with their problems alone. By the end of the poem they had reached out for help and as a result felt more able to cope with things. I felt that the poem contained the message that the tough times campaign wanted to get across: It is important to share your problems with someone else and to ask for help if you are experiencing difficulties.
Overall, the day was a huge success and the Tough Times campaign received great media coverage. Spunout.ie Editor, Ian reached millions of people by speaking out on the radio and TV. The TV ad was aired during prime time slots and hopefully has had the desired effect. If it has only persuaded a few people to seek help, then it has done its job.
By: Marie Duffy
Related articles and links
Tough Times campaign launch
Read Ian Howley's blog about the campaign.
Watch the Frank and Walters playing at the launch.
Watch the Hassle Merchants playing at the launch.
Everybody goes through tough times.
Read SpunOut.ie Youth Editor, Marie Duffy's poem from the Tough Times launch.
Marie Duffy talks about the launch.
Download Campaign Picture.
Want to get involved or to know more? Contact us.
Find help now.
Resources
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For PR Information please contact Sarah Gahan Tel: 087-6846088
European youth media
SpunOut.ie editor, Marie Duffy gives us the insider's view from Brussels!
Over 270 young journalists from all over the European Union participated in the recent European Youth Media Days, an event organised for the first time by the European Parliament together with the European Youth Press.
I was extremely lucky to have been chosen to represent Ireland at this prestigious event, which saw over 2,000 applications whittled down to just 270. The event was for young journalists aged 18 to 30, with the majority of people aged under 22.
During the three-day event, the European Parliament opened its doors to the journalists of tomorrow. The participants drafted their articles in the pressroom, recorded their TV shows in the European parliament TV studio and produced radio shows in the parliament radio station. Together we created a variety of media and shared our ideas on how to shape Europe's future. The aim of the event was to bring like-minded people together to discuss the future of the European Union and its portrayal in the media. Everyone was divided into workshops depending on which field of the media they were interested in. I chose to be involved in the Orange workshop, which would produce a 16-page magazine documenting the whole event.
On the first day, I discovered that English, Irish (me of course!), Welsh, German, Swedish, Lithuanian, German, French and Polish representatives were all part of my group. This was my first time in the company of so many different nationalities. When we were told that we would produce, edit and print a magazine in 2 days, I was gobsmacked. How the heck was that gonna happen?
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During the opening event the President of the European parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering welcomed all of us and commended our efforts in having been chosen for the event. He pointed out that Europeans should cherish living in a society that guarantees the freedom of speech: "Our free society is not something which is there. We have to work for it." Afterwards experienced correspondents like Jean Quatremer (Libération) and Sergio Cantone (Euronews TV) shared their experience with us.
Being in the hemisphere was an amazing feeling- the place where all the decisions of Europe are made. I felt extremely proud to see the Irish translator’s booth amongst all the other major European languages. That night, we were invited to the German embassy for a reception of German beer and food. Our party was a little late in ending and for the first time in the history of the embassy the police were called to the building. Oops…
On Friday night, Lissy Gröner, an expert in youth affairs and member of the Culture and Education Committee of the European Parliament, welcomed the 270 participants at the City Hall of Brussels. Together with well-known journalists and media experts she took a first look at the results of the 22 workshops. Under the guidance of professionals, such as BBC's Peter Leng, the young journalists produced a variety of magazines, websites, TV and radio reports.
The event was a huge success, especially considering the organisers were aged between 18 and 22! The event was a chance for people all over Europe to get together and to discuss media, while also creating a network of friends and working colleagues for the future.
The few days were extremely exhausting, arriving at parliament at 8am every day and not getting to bed until the wee hours of the next morning. But overall I felt privileged to be involved in such an event, and I now have a greater understanding of the European Union.
It has also made me more determined to pursue journalism, however I was very surprised that Ireland is one of the few countries without an established youth press. I would never have known about the European Youth Media Days, if it were not for the www.spunout.ie and I would suggest that any young people who are interested in producing media contact see the SpunOut.ie Get Involved section.
More information about the European Youth Media Days can be found at www.youthmediadays.eu
By: Marie Duffy
SpunOut.ie big plans for the future!
A big thank you to all our supporters and a sneak peek at what's coming next.
Thanks to all you SpunOut.ie users and volunteers for your support over the past few weeks of the 'Tough Times' campaign.
SpunOut.ie is growing by the day and more and more young people are using the site for good info, contacts and reading, as well as joining our forums and becoming contributors.
Over the next few months/ years/ decades/ centuries we're aiming to make SpunOut.ie even better.
We'll be:
- Making stronger links with like minded groups throughout Ireland.
- Continuing to revise, revamp and produce good quality content.
- Making more audio and video content
- Upgrading, moderating and improving our discussion forums.
- Launching a nationwide promotion and outreach campaign.
- Improving our youth participation structures.
- Raising funding and sponsorship to pay for all of this!
We can't succeed without your support and input.
Please check out the website regularly or sign up for RSS Feeds for blog updates and feel free to contact us with any ideas or suggestions on how we can improve SpunOut.ie.
Thanks again!
The SpunOut.ie Team
