Here in the Unity in the Community Youth Group we explored the legacy of MLK and were inspired to start a creative project, a project designed to create a new space in Ireland for young people under 25 to find their voice as leaders and to explore the inequalities of poverty in the context of their own lives.

The 4th of April, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of MLKs passing and although he is most famous for his work fighting for civil rights he was also an anti-poverty activist. Through this creative writing process we want our community members to find strength in sharing their experiences, finding their individual and collective voice with the ultimate aim of empowering participants and inspiring others to keep fighting to stop poverty.

‘Ireland, I Have a Dream’ will empower young people to become leaders of the future.

Martin Luther King was a role model and leader to millions. His speeches empowered people to find their voice and come together to take action. There are far too many young people living in persistent poverty in Ireland. Living in poverty is an early death sentence. The goal of this project is to help young people to learn about MLK and use his legacy as a source of inspiration and empowerment. We aim to encourage them to find their own voice, share their dreams, become leaders and ultimately role models for others through the active participation in a creative writing exercise. Participants will be encouraged to write about the dreams they have to stop persistent poverty in Ireland in the context of their own story.

‘Ireland, I Have a Dream’ key objectives are the empowerment of young people with experience of poverty and inequalities, facilitation of creative writing workshops, organisation of a successful event and the publication of submission.