YoYo Café plans upgrade and music room with Lotto prize
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Celebrating the National Lottery Good Causes Youth Award this week are from left: Joan O’Connor, co-ordinator Mullingar EYE and YoYo Café; Ava Markey, Jamie Archibald, Yasmine Scally, Eoin Quinn, Youth Justice Worker; Alan Scally, Nathan Scally, William Donoghue, Cameron Grieves, Caitlin O’Brien, Josh Aughey, Frankie Lainchbury, Zack Kozoil, Rosemary Scally, Antony Mahon, Gregg Reilly, and Zahara Myers. Sitting in front: Enosh Paul and Dominik Cichocki.Image 2 of 2
Megan Scally, Josh Aughey and Tia Donoghue holding the €10,000 National Lottery Good Causes Youth Section award in Mullingar YoYo CaféMajor plans for the investment of the National Lottery Youth Award €10,000 claimed by the Mullingar YoYo Café are being drawn up.
The money will be invested in the project, based in Columb Barracks, through the refurbishment of the café, as well as investment in the music room, through which 90 young people pass on a weekly basis in conjunction with Music Generation.
“We are really proud of the young people,” says Joan O’Connor, co-ordinator or the Mullingar EYE project. “This award is a testament to the amount of work they have done and continue to do here.
“Everything that happens here is because the young people have lobbied for it,” she continues. “They are in charge of the running of the café, of budgeting – which helps hone their entrepreneurial skills because the café is self-funding.”
Under the auspices of Youth Work Midlands Ireland, Mullingar Eye, the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, started out in 2001 on Spoutwell Lane in the centre of Mullingar, and the YoYo Café followed in 2012.
“The YoYo Café is completely volunteer-run,” adds Joan. “It’s attached to Mullingar EYE and it’s up to the young people on how to run it, and decide what’s happening. They plan fundraising days and organise events. There’s no paid staff – it’s all volunteer led.
“A film crew came down to the Barracks to film our annual Music Jam and Family Fun Day which we hold every summer. We then had to make a Dragons’ Den style pitch, to the likes of Norah Casey, explaining the various things we do here.
“People think it’s just a café, but there’s a major operation going here. There’s the café production kitchen and café space, the kids learn cookery skills and budgeting under the Mullingar Eye Education Programme. The kids are also doing a practical skills course.
“There’s a mindfulness room, production suite with music technology and sound engineering. Frank Byrne volunteers and manages the music programme. There’s also the ‘Great Hall’, which is a performance area where young bands can learn how to hone their craft and performance skills.
“On the other side of the building is the mini-gym where Eoin Quinn teaches health related fitness, then there’s the music room for rehearsals which is fully equipped, and a rehearsal studio. Joan concludes: “We are absolutely thrilled for the young people that we’ve won this award – this is all down to them. They are giving back to the community of Mullingar, and it just goes to show that all their hard work has paid off.”