Red Bird Youth Collective have partnered with Galway Diocesan Youth Services for their latest exhibition “My City My Identity”, which opens Thursday, April 30th from 2 – 4pm, in Galway Arts Centre. The exhibition will run from April 30th – May 13th, 2015. Project workshops took place from December to March, beginning with simple hand drawn animations of faces and animals. The project was facilitated by artist Liz Lynott who specialises in hand drawn animation. Liz has led the group through the history of animation from Phenakistoscope to the more modern aspects of computer-aided animation. The goal of this project was to link cultural elements of the home country of each participant to their new local of Galway. Taking a fine art approach to their work, this project helps to elevate their feelings of being a foreign entity in a close-knit community.

Galway Diocesan Youth Services were founded in the late 1970’s to meet the needs of homeless and marginalised young people at that time. Their ethos has always been to identify and meet the needs of families and young people in the community. GDYS run the Number 4 Project, which aims to enhance the quality of young peoples lives by providing an effective and holistic response to a wide variety of issues pertaining to young people between the ages of 13 and 25 years. Located at No. 4 Augustine Street, the Number 4 Project provides a variety of support for young people, including a drop-in centre, counselling services, career guidance, education and accommodation support.

Red Bird Youth Collective is a visual art group for young people living in Galway city & county. Established in September 2011 by Galway Arts Centre, it has received funding from The Arts Council & Galway County Council to deliver large scale, youth-led projects in collaboration with professional artist. Red Bird Youth Collective members work together on a diverse range of projects, including visual art, film, architecture, digital media, performance and literature projects. By taking ownership of each project, and directing decision making from conception to completion, Red Birds are fostering a sense of creative freedom and independence.

For more information on Galway Diocesan Youth Services please call 091 568483 or email gdyouthservices@gmail.com. For more information on Red Bird Youth Collective please email Galway Arts Centre at info@galwayartscentre.ie or visit our website (www.galwayartscentre.ie) to sign up to our mailing list.

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