MEDIA RELEASE
Immediate Release: 09th February 2017, 11.15AM
EPIC is celebrating the second annual Care Day on Friday the 17th of February 2017 at the Ombudsman for Children’s Office in Dublin at 5.00PM. It is a special day to celebrate the positive experiences of children and young people in care. Young people and professionals have been invited to share their positive experiences of the care system. This event will be preceded by a creative workshop for young people.
Care Day is part of a larger campaign that EPIC is involved in called Five Nations One Voice. It is a collaboration with four other care organisations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Several other events are taking place all around the country in the week preceding Care Day 2017: EPIC is organising two football tournaments, one in Clontarf with Don Bosco Care on the 15th of February from 3-5pm, and one in Cork’s Glen Resource Centre on the 17th of February. EPIC’s Limerick office is hosting a Care Day coffee break on the 17th and to top things off the young people from the Galway Fora have organised a Care Day party with bowling and laser tag!
Social Work Teams around the country are also organising events to celebrate Care Day. They will be sharing their selfies on Facebook and on Twitter using the #CAREDAY2017!
Director of EPIC, Terry Dignan stated:
“Last year’s first ever Care Day was incredibly successful in promoting positive care identities and raising awareness around the issues that children and young people in care face. With Care Day we hope to further increase public awareness of care issues, and celebrate the voices, talents and achievements of children and young people in care. We look forward to celebrating with them and with everyone who will be showing their support by using the #CAREDAY2017.”
EPIC is an independent organisation that provides an advocacy service throughout the Republic of Ireland, with and for children and young people who are currently living in care or who have had an experience of living in care.
-ENDS-
Media interviews with young people are only available upon request.
For all media enquiries please contact: Terry Dignan, CEO of EPIC
Telephone: 01 8727 661 Mobile: 087 237 0269
Email: terrydignan@epiconline.ie
Notes to the Editor
- There are currently 6,276 children in care (Tusla, November 2016 – available at: http://www.tusla.ie/data-figures).
- For further information on this campaign, follow us on Facebook or Twitter @epicireland #CAREDAY2017
- In 2014 EPIC’s Youth Board launched a video to dispel negative stereotypes of young people in care entitled ‘What do You Think Now?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNKGJUYQGUA