Case Studies

The Monday Morning Sausage Roll
A True Story in 4 Parts

This was first introduced by a Kildare based youth worker, and it was workshopped as part of a collective exercise at the How to be an Effective Disruptor Bootcamp 2023 with Dr Momodou Sallah and the Youth 2030 team!! Thanks to Hazel Hurley for the powerful graphic created as part of OWW 2023.

On a Monday morning – a group of young people entered their training space to find that their regular breakfast of sausage rolls was no longer available. The management team in the youth centre had cut the sausage rolls, as a budget saving measure. There had been no consultation with the young people, or the youth work staff, prior to this action. Without negotiation, this transformative action from the board caused upset, anger and fear amongst young people.

Part 1: Personal-No sausage rolls!!
Their key youth worker spent time with the young people, processing the feelings behind the upset and anger. Initially, some of the young people wanted to disrupt the space, they wanted to vent their anger by breaking furniture. After talking it through, what transpired was that several of the young people were coming out of the weekend feeling hungry, the sausage roll represented the promise of having their hunger satisfied. The fear of being hungry lay behind the upset and anger.

Bringing a sense of security, belonging and membership

The youth worker explained that there were other food options available, but all of these involved sitting down at a table with cutlery. This was something that brought discomfort and a sense of shame as eating around a table was something unfamiliar to several of the young people. The sausage roll was eaten outside, chatting with their friends, all the while adjusting to the space and using the sausage roll as a way to regulate their emotional state. Knowing that this was available to start the day brought a sense of security, belonging and membership. The sausage rolls were removed for budget savings reasons, but, if they were understood as having a wider function, part of nurturing young people’s wellbeing, they might have been seen as supporting the wider educational context of the centre. As well as supporting young people to regulate their behaviour and feel secure in the space, food can impact young people’s ability to concentrate, and to focus in a learning
environment. Cutting the sausage rolls was working against the purpose of the training centre.

In addition, young people’s choice and autonomy regarding the food they consumed had been negatively impacted. From a certain age, food
becomes something we choose, when this choice is taken away, it can impact our sense of agency, autonomy and personal growth and development.

Local
Youth workers have continued to observe the impact of rising inflation and the cost of living crisis on communities – and how this can at times manifest itself as a reliance on services outside the family to meet their needs. This raises the issue of food security.

Food banks in local area

In this instance, young people were encouraged to develop an action plan by the key youth worker to share their frustration with the management. She wanted the group to see themselves as having power in the situation, i.e., developing an action plan, engaging in constructive dialogue with the management, helping the management to understand the wider role of the sausage roll in ultimately supporting educational outcomes and well-being. Young people were encouraged to think about the issue further, and how similar issues might be affecting other people in their community. They had discussions about the existence of food banks, and what power these young people might have to influence change in their area.

A connection made between the youth centre and the foodbank

A local connection was made between the youth centre and the foodbank to facilitate young people to learn about the issue of food security, and how it was impacting families in their communities. The conflict had arisen between the management team and the young people – it had been a blind spot for the management, – but a youth work process empowered young people to engage in dialogue to realise their own power and effect change (they got the sausage rolls re-instated two days a week), not just individually but collectively.

National
Young people are often limited when it comes to choosing the food they want to eat, whether it’s in school or other settings. This issue identified the limited scope young people have to exercise choice when it comes to food they consume. Where this intersects with low-income, it raises the issue of food poverty or food insecurity as something that is prevalent in communities throughout Ireland and is a national issue. Research from Barnardos in 2022 found that 3 in 10 participants witnessed child food poverty first-hand. Three in four (74%) of those who witnessed child food poverty first-hand noticed an impact on the child’s physical development, while a similarly high number saw how it affected their social and emotional development (70%). Food poverty also affected the child’s education (65%) and ability to maintain relationships (44%).

The food billionaires keep winning

With inflation (the rate at which prices for goods and services rise) at an all-time high, young people and their families are not getting the opportunity to choose the food they eat, impacting development and other key outcomes for these families. Research from Barnardos shows that the number of parents using food banks and relying on food donations has doubled, while the cost of shopping items has gone up right across the board. Meanwhile, the crisis has also created winners – the food billionaires and the powerful food companies and traders who are able to profit from the current system.

Global
Being food insecure means that you have less capacity to control your food supply. Choices are taken away from you. While the young people in this case study were moved to disrupt their learning environment because of the threat to their food supply, globally, not having access to food is linked directly to conflict escalation. And more often than not, climate change and conflict come together as inter-related issues.

Lack of adequate food impacts growth and development

Food is an essential resource, when its supply gets interrupted, young people and their family’s lives are interrupted, impacting growth and development, and progress in all areas of their lives. Lack of adequate nutrition for children impacted by climate change and conflict, at an early age negatively impacts on development. If a child doesn’t have the right nutrition in their diet, when a baby, they are not curious [and] not exploring. And if you aren’t curious and exploring, you’re not learning. Hunger has a direct relationship with poor educational outcomes.

And while global food corporations make unprecedented profit, lack of capacity to influence food choice, is a local as well as a global issue. In a time when food suppliers are reaping unprecedented profit, a greater reliance on markets, financial actors and trade liberalization will not fix the broken global food system. In reality, we need to better regulate markets and create fairer and more flexible trade rules for low-income countries that allow them to build stronger local food systems.

Access to a choice of food plays a key role in learning and development

While the management of the training centre were responding to the rising cost of food, as a budgetary issue, the young people showed that access to a choice of food plays a key role in learning and development. They demonstrated a frustration and anger at seeing their food choice restricted, particularly where they were coming to the centre hungry.

Conflict and interruption to food supply are often an intertwined issue, with the World Food Programme suggesting; “… it is clear that hunger can exacerbate conflict. Food shortages deepen existing fault-lines, fuelling grievances. This is particularly the case where poverty and inequality are already present.”

Key discussion points from the Monday Morning Sausage Roll:

1. Food shortages impact more where poverty and inequality are already present.
2. Having access to quality food, is a key part of learning and developmental outcomes for young people. Hunger has a direct relationship with poor educational outcomes.
3. From a certain age, food becomes something we choose, when this choice is taken away, it can impact our sense of agency, autonomy and personal growth and development into adulthood.
4. Education for transformation is a really important youth work approach, putting the young people at the centre of their own story, and empowering them to take action.
5. Being part of collective action, is a key part of how effective transformation happens.
6. Conflict and how it impacts on food supply are connected issues.
7. With growing inequality, someone always wins. In this case, it is the global food corporations.

 

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The Young People’s Committee 

The Youth 2030 Young People’s Committee (YPC) is growing in strength and capacity year on year, building a reputation for being diverse in geographic, ethnic, gender and religious representation. The group critically engage with contemporary topics and build an analysis through a social justice lens. The young people aged 16-25 bring a range of skills, expertise and lived experiences to the committee and work with an anti-oppressive lens to strive to overcome inequality in all its forms. Their work over a year of 12 online, 3 in-person and one weekend residential of capacity building events resulted in an output that speaks to the social and economic challenges of young people living in Ireland and beyond.  

 

Building awareness and critical engagement with Economics and Development Systems 

In a transforming context of local, global politics and multilateralism, it is essential to build knowledge, awareness, and analysis of economic development systems. 

 

The YPC focused on building an understanding of economic inequality and financial injustice by asking questions such as “What do they look like? Why do they happen? Do things have to be that way? How can we change things? The output of this project is the ‘ECOWHA?! What is Economics Anyway?!’ poster which invites us to explore, converse, question and build a wider awareness of the world around us. The poster uses direct quotes, accessible language, and imagery to cultivate dialogue between young people and youth workers.  

 

Key Quotes and Messages: 

• Wealth inequality is increasing with the most amount of wealth being held by a smaller amount of people year on year ‘this gap keeps widening!’ ‘Without strong regulations to protect people, exploitation will keep going!’  

• A focus on human, people centered approach to economic policy and development is needed ‘We refuse to dehumanise! We refuse to desensitise!’ 

• The social contract is being strained ‘We don’t buy: “More Work = More Reward”  

• The relationship between hope (dóchas) and hopelessness (gan dóchas) is present for young people ‘We choose hope, we are resilient and we care like most people do” and “Oh man! This looks so grim, this social divide looks hard to repair!’ 

• Race as a system of oppression is intersecting with economic inequality and financial injustice. 

• Crises cannot be seen or addressed in isolation, the environmental, housing, financial and employment crises are interconnected.  

• People’s economic suffering and experiences of injustice are in some cases being transformed into hate towards those who are also suffering ‘Everyone’s rage is being directed to the wrong people!’ ‘The most vulnerable are always scapegoated’.  

• A rights focused approach to economics is needed ‘Housing is a human right’ not a business. 

• The need for community – pull of individualistic motivations (‘oh! I’m so busy! There’s never time) taking from time to build community and connection ‘Community: How can people come together more?’  

• Nature needs attention ‘we have to deconstruct the unjust system and reconstruct it more sustainably’. 

 

This project was a collaboration between the YPC, the Youth2030 Global Youth Work Team, Financial Justice Ireland (as part of their DEAR-funded project, ‘Connecting the Dots’) and artist Paola Rozo from Kiluteo.  

 

The YPC committee launched their poster resource at a participatory online youth led event on November 20th 2025 as part of One World Week 2025. A recording of the event can be found here along with reflections from the young people on their experience of being engaged in the Youth 2030 Young People’s Committee Launch of the Event (https://vimeo.com/1140347206?fl=pl&fe=sh ).  Thanks to Paola Rozo, Graphic Artist, and Vicky Donnelly, Financial Justice Ireland for their work on this project. 

 

Quotes:  

During the closing evaluation of the launch of the ‘ECOWHA?!’ poster the young people and youth workers shared why this tool is important and how it could be used to take action to address inequality in our world. 

 

This tool is important because:  

• It allows us to break down economics into a more sizeable issue and see how it’s connected to other issues. Makes it more visual and accessible. 

• It gives voice to the way young people experience the world and the way that world works. It does and should further drive the learning of our society across the age demographics. 

• it can be used to start conversations around economics in Ireland locally but also Globally to help young people understand why someone might migrate to Ireland etc. 

 

Actions: 

• Sharing & starting conversations with this poster. 

• To build power and stay powerful in community. 

• Holding Systems Accountable, Ensuring Young People are not just heard or acknowledged, but represented in the frontline of these conversations. Inequality can only be addressed then. 

• Speaking to young people about their thoughts around the issues of our country and inequalities and to get them thinking about what they can do to change their futures and to become united in it. 

• Bringing art into the work. 

• Exploring the hard conversations with young people in an engaging in a user-friendly way. 

• Ask the question “Who is paying the price I am not?” 

• Creating intergenerational spaces that encourage dialogue. Working on developing a real sense of community where everyone advocates for and with each other. 

• Anti-racism workshops sharing accessible resources on topics like racism/housing/poverty/inequalities in spaces like schools Swap shops/markets and upcycling workshop to encourage less consumption 

• Using the poster and today’s discussions to implement them into our practice with young people and our co workers 

 

 

Diverse Youth NI: “Our Stories, One World” 

Diverse Youth NI was a successful recipient of the NYCI Seed Fund in 2025. Diverse Youth NI is a community driven youth organisation which is dedicated to expanding access to high quality and inclusive youth work programmes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) young people across Northern Ireland. “Our Stories, One World” was the youth led creative project that was funded through the seed fund. This empowering project brought together young people from diverse backgrounds to get involved in storytelling, dialogue, and creative expression, as well as to explore identity, migration, inequality, and globalisation.  The work was supported by the graphic skills of Paola Rozo, and economic analysis from Vicky Donnelly, Financial Justice Ireland, in conjunction with Youth 2030. 

 

A youth worker from Diverse Youth NI said: 

 “at its heart, Our Stories, One World is about helping young people see the power in their own stories—and how those stories are connected to bigger global conversations. It’s about making space for their voices, supporting them to lead, and reminding them that they’re not just part of their local community, but part of a global movement for justice and change”. 

 Our Stories, One World

Six workshops were held in both Belfast (NI) and Maynooth (ROI), which created cross community spaces and engagement where the young people could share their lived experiences, build connections and be involved in meaningful conversations, as a result of these connections and conversations, the voices of young people from BAME backgrounds were amplified and supported in the empowerment of participants to shape narratives that pertain to their own lives and to contribute to a more inclusive society. “Our Stories, One World” showcased how local youth action can have a global impact by translating personal experiences into shared messages of justice, equality, and sustainability. Through creative storytelling and discussions linked to the SDGs, young people explored how global issues such as identity, inequality, and climate change shape their everyday lives in the island of Ireland. 

A collaborative journey

Diverse Youth’s journey with NYCI and the Youth 2030 programmes extends far beyond a one off seed fund grant. Over several months, an impactful relationship developed through collaboration, shared learning and youth leadership, which continued to be sustained and nurtured. NYCI engaged directly with Diverse Youth NI by speaking at a youth-led event, participating in training opportunities, and supporting young people and youth workers to attend the in-person One World Week Youth Summit: Power in CommUNITY in November 2025. As part of this ongoing engagement, young people involved in Our Stories, One World created a powerful Diverse Youth NI BHM video for NYCI’s Global Youth Work Learners Network as part of Black History Month, sharing their perspectives on identity, equality, and global justice. The partnership has also strengthened professional practice, with two youth workers now enrolled in the NUI Level 8 Certificate in Global Youth Work and Development Education.  

This ongoing journey shows how Irish Aid supported projects can embed SDG 4.7 principles in local communities by empowering young people to understand global issues, express their identities with pride and to take action for a fairer and more inclusive world. 

Feedback from Participants: 

• “This  project was a meaningful journey that highlighted the power of youth storytelling in promoting identity, inclusion, and global awareness. It strengthened connections between young people across communities and deepened their sense of belonging and purpose. “ 

 

• “We are grateful to NYCI and the One World Week team for their guidance and support, and we hope to see more opportunities that link creative youth work with global education. “ 

 

Youth 2030 Global Youth Work and Belong To (LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland) Autumn School, 2025, took place from the 5th-7th September 2025 in Maynooth University.  “Building capacity to address the needs of LGBTQ+ youth through youth work, a global priority” was a progression from a Leadership Weekend on Power, with Belong To and Youth 2030 in 2024. (See Innovation Fund Case Studies).

The Work

The Autumn School took place over a weekend, featuring a two overnight residential stay to accommodate youth workers traveling from different parts of the country, and to deepen the work. This initiative, led by activists from the queer community, gathered together youth work professionals and educators, to explore ground for an active, critical, and compassionate community.     

A total of 26 people attended  in workshops that focused on empowering LGBTQ+ youth work with self-care strategies, a human rights framework, a focus on the promise of youth work, LGBTQ youth workers resourcing each other (spill the tea), LGBTQ youth work as local to globally informed anti-oppressive practice(with BRAP, UK), and utilising Transforming Hate (I & E, NYCI) practices as part of this. 

LGBTQ+ youth work can offer a transformative potential for social change and stronger society

This Autumn School created a space to explore how LGBTQ+ youth work can offer a transformative potential for social change and stronger society. The threat to democracy across the world, calls for a radical shift in how we work with LGBTQ+ youth. This also calls to our attention the challenging issues for the LGBTQI+ community at local, national and global levels that need to be addressed in youth and community settings in Ireland.  

Quotes from contributors 2 months on from Autumn School: 

“Ever since the Autumn School, I keep thinking about systems of oppression, anti-oppressive practice and youth work as human rights work.” 

“Two things that really stayed with me are the connections made and all the theory was brilliant, but the piece on anti-oppressive practice was particularly something that stayed with me. As well as the anti-oppressive practice, I think I’ve internalised the idea of being kind to myself.” 

“Being aware how everything starts from within, if we don’t check our own biases and reflect on our work approaches then we can’t expect young people to open up and feel safe.” 

“What I am taking away is how to apply anti-oppressive approaches to my youth work with an emphasis on inclusion and to try and combat hate rhetoric.” 

“Loved the chance to put myself first without the usual guilt. Such lovely genuine caring people with such skills and experience.  I have a fire in my belly and feel reset to fight!” 

 

The Future Generations: Climate Justice Project contributes towards positive GCE in Ireland by empowering young people to understand and take action on the systemic and human rights issues related to the climate crisis, both locally and globally. The project intentionally centres the voices of young people who are often excluded from climate conversations, such as those from marginalised communities, disadvantaged backgrounds, and rural areas, where isolation can limit their participation.  

 

The Future Generations Project creates space for young people to: 

• Explore climate justice through a human rights and equality lens  

• Understand how discrimination and inequality shape climate impacts 

• Build advocacy, communication, and critical‑thinking skills 

• Connect local experience to global realities, including youth voices from the Global South  

• Engage directly with policy makers and decision makers 

• Take action at a local and national level 

 

This approach ensures that young people are not just passive recipients of climate information, but instead they also become active global citizens who can analyse issues, challenge injustice and create the change they want to see in the world. 

Partnership in Practice: Engagement with BiOrbic’s Generation Glas: 

A key example of the project’s impact is the partnerships it has made along the way. BiOrbic’s Generation Glas is one that has continued to grow and strengthen. Generation Glas is a youth sustainability initiative and NYCI’s Future Generation project “has been a consistent and high quality contributor” since 2023, and this was no different in 2025. NYCI’s Youth & Climate Development Officer has delivered multiple sessions at Generation Glas’s youth sustainability summer schools and satellite events, and these sessions have consistently been among the highest rated in participant feedback according to BiOribc. 

BiOrbic’s education coordinator noted that while their scientists are experts in climate and environmental research, they are not always equipped to communicate complex ideas in youth friendly ways. They highlight that the collaboration bridges this gap: 

 “The introduction to climate change and climate justice that Eimear has given at GG summer schools has set a strong baseline for their engagement throughout the programme. She created a shared reference point that supported deeper discussion and engagement throughout the programme.”  

Participant feedback highlights the transformative nature of this sort of interactive learning. Many reported that they had never encountered the concept of climate justice before, but they left the workshops feeling inspired, informed and motivated to take action. As one participant noted, learning about the impacts of climate change on farmers and vulnerable communities was “really enlightening” and “inspiring” 

The Future Generations Climate Justice Project demonstrates how Irish Aid supported programmes can deliver high quality, impactful GCE, equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and values needed to engage critically with global challenges and to see themselves as agents of change. 

Feedback from participants: 

• “Eimear has become something of a celebrity among Generation Glas participants. The impact climate change is having on farmers was really enlightening, and Eimear’s message on climate justice was really inspiring”. 

• “All engagement with NYCI’s Climate Justice Programme regarding Generation Glas has been exemplary”. 

• “Directing Generation Glas alumni to NYCI’s climate-focused events has been a great way for participants to continue learning and engaging around climate once their time with the Generation Glas programme is finished” 

In an increasingly polarised and unequal world, the youth sector supports young people in navigating complex global issues. With Irish Aid support, the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) responds to this by strengthening the capacity of youth workers to deliver global youth work (GYW) grounded in human rights, solidarity, and critical reflection. 

What is the GYWLN?

At the heart of this work is the Global Youth Work Learners Network (GYWLN), a voluntary community of practice that brings the youth sector together to explore how global issues impact the lives of young people. The network does this by supporting youth workers’ capacity for critical thinking and analysis of complex issues that impact Ireland and the wider world. Through a blend of online engagement and in person events, the GYWLN provides a space for participants to not only share knowledge but also build lasting connections, advancing a GYW and GCE approach in their work. 

 Five GYWLN Sessions in 2025

In 2025, we hosted five events, four online and one in person. These events aimed to strengthen local to global skills and understanding by supporting youth workers in their professional development and collaborative learning.  

Topics included: 

• Why is a Human Rights Approach Important in Addressing Inequality? 

• Navigating Conversations on Gaza 

• Traveller Pride: Empowering the Future: The next Generation of Irish Travellers  

• In Person: From Conflict to Connection: Youth Work in Ireland  

• Celebrating Black History Month  

In September 2025, youth workers from across Ireland came together for a day of critical learning, reflection and connection at our in-person event, From Conflict to Connection: Youth Work in Ireland. It was designed to strengthen their role in supporting young people amid increasingly complex global realities. The event, facilitated by the GYW team at NYCI in collaboration with brap (UK), was a rare opportunity to pause, reflect, and build practical tools for navigating conflict without the fear often attached to it.  

Tools to hold difficult conversations

The GYWLN and, in particular, our in-person event contributes towards positive global citizenship education outcomes and aligns with SDG 4.7, which promotes education for sustainable development, human rights, and cultural diversity. Participants developed process-based tools to hold difficult conversations by learning to recognise power, silence, emotion and exclusion in group settings. Whether working with young people in inner city Dublin or responding to global issues impacting young people, participants left the event with practical insights and methods to embed solidarity and critical reflection in their daily practice.  

The impact of the GYWLN is clear: youth workers feel more supported, more connected, and better equipped to deliver high quality GYW and to address global issues alongside young people. This directly advances SDG 4.7, ensuring that young people across Ireland gain the knowledge, skills, and values needed to engage critically with global issues, appreciate cultural diversity, and contribute to a more peaceful and sustainable world. 

Quotes from participants  

• “I would love more training on this. It’s critical to be able to support young people to address really difficult issues without conflict and to help address polarisation due to social media.” 

 

• “Valuable insights and tools for making meaningful local global connections in my GCE work. Great workshop. Thank you so much. This kind of work is so needed, and it was pure nourishment to be here today.” 

 

• “Valuable tools and insights for meaningful global youth work. This work is so needed and so hard to do alone – big thanks for the support and a great day”