Tara Sullivan is on her way to study medicine, thanks to a Ballymun initiative which tackles the idea that 'college is for posh people'. Fiachra Ó Cionnaith reports.
Since its regeneration programme was announced, the changing landscape of Ballymun has captured imaginations across the country. Millions have been spent on reviving the prospects of an area that had become a byword for unemployment, poverty and social deprivation. But while the physical rebirth of the Dublin suburb is clear to even the most sceptical onlooker, in the shadows of the bulldozers and cranes a less heralded but equally important transformation has been quietly taking place.
The Ballymun Initiative for Third-level Education (BITE) was established in 1990 to encourage young people from the area to see third-level education as a realistic option. Developed by local teachers in the comprehensive school who saw the potential of their students, the initiative aims - through financial aid and social support - to remove the stigma attached to academic prospects in the area.
The first class consisted of just five sixth-year pupils, but in the intervening years more than 200 BITE students have enrolled in college and university courses across the country, with former graduates including doctors, film producers and academics.
"It's all about confidence and ability," says BITE programme assistant Amanda Scully. "It's hard to convince people at first that they can go on to college because a lot of kids in this area think it's only for posh people or people with loads of money. But when they actually see what has been produced from Ballymun they think, well hang on, they only live up the road; I could do that. To get them to have that confidence in themselves is half the battle, because once they have it and are willing to put the effort in, any child will do well."
As we sit in the cramped BITE office overflowing with documents, Amanda runs off a list of the group's activities; presenting achievement certificates to pupils throughout the school ("they basically say, 'you're brilliant, keep it up'"), scheduling study classes for current students with former members of the programme, developing summer courses at the neighbouring DCU and other university campuses, and organising financial assistance for families who struggle to afford a range of school-related essentials, from books to bus fares. The aim, she says, is to continually emphasise the benefits of remaining in the education system.
"In a school like the comprehensive, which probably has a reputation of people not doing well, we are constantly promoting third-level education. The focus is always that you have the ability to go on to third level. One of the things we hear from parents is that they didn't finish school and because of that they want the best for their kids.
"The difference it makes in an area like this is immense. This is about showing that not everybody in Ballymun is unemployed, not everybody in Ballymun is on drugs, there are people interested in their lives and interested in their education. We try to show them that it has nothing to do with your post code and everything to do with your brains."
Eighteen-year-old Tara Sullivan is an example of the changing face of the area. After scoring 465 points in this year's Leaving Cert, she narrowly missed out on the medical degree course at UCD, but is assured of a place on Trinity's Medicine course next year. Despite the disappointment, she is full of praise for the programme.
"It's so important, it really is. People want to do so well and if the BITE wasn't there you wouldn't get the opportunity because of the school's reputation and because some people don't want to learn or don't want to be there. The teachers are great, don't get me wrong, but if I become a doctor it's because of the BITE."
Tara first became involved in the programme during sixth class in primary school. Joining the homework club, she became more interested in her educational prospects. However, she admits that studying wasn't her original reason for joining the club.
"The first time you went you were kind of enticed with playing some games afterwards, so you thought oh, you do a bit of homework and then have some fun; OK, I'll have some of that. But that's a great part of it because you'll then start coming in more days, and one thing will eventually lead to another."
"When I got my results everybody was saying that's brilliant because I go to Ballymun Comprehensive, but Amanda and Emma knew that I was aiming higher, so they helped by explaining the options I had. In other schools you wouldn't get that. If you didn't do well they'd just tell you to go back and repeat. But Amanda and Emma will stay back to run study groups on Wednesdays or give you test interviews or look through your portfolio. They're like big sisters to all of us."
"Ten or 15 years ago there was no talk of college, your family just didn't go. It was the Leaving Cert - if you could get it - and that would be great. But that's changing," says John Paul O'Keeffe, a former member of the group. After graduating from the Business, Economics and Social Studies (BES) course at Trinity College, the 25-year-old Belclare Road native took a year out to work as a computer programmer for IBM. He has since completed an MA in Marketing at DCU. For him, BITE is all about breaking a cycle.
"If you come from an area that is socially deprived and has a young population, the chances are that when you get the opportunity to go to school you might be the fourth in the family, your parents maybe didn't go or don't understand what college is actually like, so some people aren't aware of their options. They'll think, 'I'll do my Leaving Cert and get a job,' so it's very important that there is someone to let you know that college exists because it will open up your opportunities in life."
John Paul concedes, however, that other obstacles still need to be overcome once school is left behind. After progressing through the BITE programme, he became aware of the difficulties adapting to university life. Feeling alone on a campus traditionally dominated by people of a different background and unsure of his place in the college, he admits that the first few months were difficult. With the first year of college commonly seen as the most difficult, BITE has had to prepare students for the almost inevitable problems.
Through its offices on college campuses across the country, the group regularly organises social activities, giving their graduates the moral support needed to adapt - and remain - in their new surroundings. John Paul's work as a mentor for current BITE students is a direct result of the support that was given to him.
"You could easily walk away once you graduate, but most people come back to help: it stems from an acknowledgement of what the group have done for you ... It motivates the next people coming through."
As the physical regeneration of Ballymun continues apace, there is hope that the area will be able to leave its unfortunate reputation behind. But for John Paul, the real change taking place has nothing to do with the new buildings. "The latest I heard is that they might even be getting rid of the name Ballymun, that the area might be rebranded. I don't know. If an area has a reputation it's not going to be changed like that. I know someone from the BITE who's now practising medicine, and it is quite surprising for people in school when they hear that. There are so many other people who are doing great things, even up to PhDs. That's what is really going to change things: recognition that nothing is out of your reach."