This week Shannen Duncan shares her story.

“I started Daybreak in Letterkenny in 2013. I was 15 years old. I attended Daybreak because I hated school, I had a fear of going and it made me sick to my stomach.

Shannen Duncan

I was bullied from a young age and I think that was one of the reasons why I hated it so much. So I went to Daybreak and saw what they could do to me for me. My school counsellor had approached myself and my mother and talked about what Daybreak could offer me. I never thought that I would even finish my Junior Cert, never mind anything else I did in my life so far.

I went to Daybreak once a week at the start and then two days a week. I loved it so much. Each morning we would make breakfast and study for the Junior Cert. We also did a lot of baking and computer studies. The staff at Daybreak had shown me how to do my CV and I’m still using the same one that I made when I was 16, just editing it if it needs to be changed.

Looking back at my time in Daybreak I never thought I would be able to succeed in any kind of job. In the future I hope to be working full time as a carer for the elderly as I love to help people.

Daybreak has made me a completely different person to when I was 15 to what I am now, I recently was interviewed by Virgin Media TV about my past experience at Daybreak. Daybreak was up for an award from the National Lottery in Dublin. Daybreak needs funding as their premises is up for sale. As an ex participant of the Daybreak Programme I would ask anyone from the public to donate anything that they could on their go fund me page, to find out more visit their Facebook page.

For any young person who may be struggling at school I can honestly say Daybreak is the best place that anyone could go to the staff are great and will make you feel at ease straight away, if I was the age again and doing my Junior Cert I would go back in a heartbeat.”

Thank you.

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For any press enquiries please contact layla.kuyper@donegalyouthservice.ie

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