Young SVPOn Thursday the 14 of september we went to a one day trip to Knock. When we arrived we were put into groups with different schools.
Our First speaker was Fr Peter McVerry who set the Fr Peter McVerry Trust. This is a charity to help reduce homelessness in Ireland. He talked to us about the homelessness problem in Ireland and shared stories about people who had stayed in his hostels. Hearing his stories about how most homeless people aren't lazy addicts but people who have come from a broken home and found drugs are the only way they can cope was really eye-opening and changed my perspective on homeless people. After hearing his speech we discussed it with our group and asked him questions. Our second speaker was Dr Cara Augustonborg. She spoke to us about the environment and about global warming. After this we eat our lunch and walked about the grounds. Our third speaker then was John Lonergan who was the governor in Mountjoy prison. He spoke to us about community and its importance. Our final speaker was Joanne O'Riordan. She spoke to us about overcoming challenges and about her life. I really enjoyed her speech as she is a very witty and likable person who was constantly making jokes. Overall I really enjoyed the trip to knock and hearing everyone's speeches and i would recommend it to future TY groups |