Events

Alex Millea

Hi my name’s Alex and Im 16. Some of my favourite hobbies include attending concerts, shopping, meeting my friends, going to scouts and going to my Youth Group, UpCork, in town. I am also, occasionally, a drag queen who goes by the name Alexis Possessive and I am obsessed with makeup and hair! I have one younger sister who I like to spend time with and we get on great as we are interested in the same singers and she also adores shopping. My top three favourite artists are Beyoncé, Ariana Grande and SZA!

I am in fifth year and am hoping to go into UCC’s Youth and Community Work course after school as I know I enjoy volunteering for summer camps and working with little minds etc. I would like to think of myself as a very proud and kind person who cares for myself and my friends well!

I always remember and think back to when we would have Art class every Friday in Primary School. That was my favourite part of the week to look forward to as it opened my mind up and really put me at ease. Also colouring and painting lets me be a perfectionist, which I am.

When I’m being creative I feel relaxed as Drag to me is such an escape and a confidence booster. It gives me a world of my own that I have created and nothing that anyone could tell me would ever shatter that world for me. This is comforting as I know that this creativity will always be there to lift me up. Also there’s so many different elements to play around with which is super fun. At the moment I’m enjoying styling wigs and hair.

A piece of advice I would give to other young people to encourage creativity would be to find creativity in every place you go. Listen to what people have to say and get inspired by them. Also, I personally think that a mindset and/or a style of thinking can be a useful form of creativity and I take pride in my creative problem solving skills.

Two of my creative heroes would be my Mam, Donna and my Youth Worker in my Youth Group, Nadia. They both share the same quality of being able to roll with the punches and to think of creative solutions to problems in our daily lives. I love this quality as it gives such a relaxed atmosphere to the environment in which we’re in. My mam is my creative hero as she constantly supports my creativity no matter what art-form that is. For example, we used to love putting costumes together for me in Primary School for Halloween and World Book Day. My favourite costume we made was for World Book Day one year when I dressed as Willy Wonka.

The best thing about Ireland having Cruinniú na Nóg would be the fact that all the events, workshops and performances are free and easy to access by young people. Especially the fact that this acts as a motivation and an incentive to join in on these activities! This National Day also gives young people an opportunity to present their creativity and talents to their communities on a stage and I’m looking forward to performing in Drag that day!

Kalimah Olayiwola

Hi my name’s Kalimah . I am a 17 year old creative entrepreneur and podcast host who is passionate about self expression, mental health and personal growth. I host a youth focused podcasts. I love helping people. I began my favourite creative activity when I started my business an my podcast. I wanted to create a space for young people to be heard.

When I’m being creative l I feel inspired, it allows me to express myself. I like it when I face challenges and I’m able to overcome them.

My creative hero is anyone who uses their voice or creativity to inspire others. Creativity is a way to express yourself and my advice to any young person wanting to be creative is not to be afraid of making mistakes.

Young people’s voice are powerful and can make a real difference!