Bundoran TY students create mural on climate crisis

TY students from Magh Ene College in Bundoran have designed a special mural to raise public awareness about the global climate crisis.

It was officially unveiled on Wednesday at the Bundoran Community Centre and is one of three such initiatives across the county.

Devised and delivered by Children in Crossfire, the Derry based charity, the initiative also saw Karl Porter of UV Arts of Derry Girls mural fame, involved as the painter, but this was very much the students themselves.

This is one of three similar murals across the county, the other two being in Letterkenny and Buncrana.  

Bayan Smith, Children in Crossfire’s Public Engagement Officer, said:  
“Young people, more so than any other age-group, are deeply concerned about the threat climate change poses, not just for their future but for the imminent stability of our struggling world.

The new Bundoran mural  

“These three murals are the clarion call of the young people in Letterkenny, Bundoran and Buncrana to impress upon the public that there is a real crisis, a real threat and that serious concerted effort at all levels of society is required.  
  
“Each group designed their mural independently, so it is interesting to see that they all followed a similar pattern and presented two versions of the world: a happy, beautiful prosperous one and a dark, exploitative one. This is a powerful message that we, as a society, can choose the world we want by making decisions that lead to our chosen goal. The fear for many of our young is that society consistently makes bad choices or, at best, good ones but too slowly.   
  
“Children in Crossfire’s global citizenship work here in Ireland seeks to educate people about the fact that the globe and humanity are an interdependent system. Understanding our interconnectedness has implications for our thoughts and actions. In this context our programme seeks to encourage compassionate global citizenship. We want to inspire more action to challenge rampant injustice; be it climate, gender, education or the myriad other issues plaguing our world. 
  
“We have all heard the phrase ‘We’re all in the same storm, but not the same boat’. This term perfectly explains why the climate crisis is, at its core, a justice issue. Without real effort towards climate justice, both here and abroad, it will be the poorest and most vulnerable who will be most deeply affected. Young people understand this best, and we would do well to pay closer attention to their insights and match their ambitions. 

 
“Children in Crossfire have been privileged to work alongside local Donegal businesses and organisations to deliver this project. We have been overwhelmed by the energy and maturity of the young people in each town whose vision for a better world is clear for all to see.  
 
“We express our sincere thanks to Bundoran Community Centre, Tidy Towns Bundoran, Irish Gap Year, Magh Ene College and Foróige in Bundoran; to UV Arts for the painting and to Donna McFeely for her inspiring facilitation.” 
 
 
Danielle Carty from the Bundoran Community Centre said:  "We were delighted to be able to facilitate this wonderful project and bring these groups together with Children in Crossfire, enabling the TY's of Magh Ene to create a very strong message on our world's future with Climate Change, through the medium of art. 

"Over a series of workshops, Bayan & Donna, assisted by Matt & Ryan, encouraged great discussions and conversations on what Climate Change and Climate Justice meant to the next generation and how they imagine our world's future.  Using art, the TY's confidently brought these views to life and set them down in images to be transformed onto a large mural.   

"From start to finish, this project has been a fantastic community collaboration, empowering the generation of the future, and creating awareness and dialect around Climate Change among all the generations that have come through our doors since the mural was created. We, at Bundoran Community Centre, would like to say a massive thank you to Bayan Smith of Children in Crossfire for bringing this project to our town, it has been a privilege to have been a part of!

Bundoran TY students create mural on climate crisis

"Also a huge thank you to Magh Ene College, in particular, John Reilly, for all his help and patience, to Matt of Bundoran Tidy Towns and Ryan of Irish Gap Year, who all contributed to the workshops, showcasing what can be done on a local level, and last but not least to the TY's for all your input - never underestimate the power you have within you to create change!"