Limerick youth turn 'energy into art' in showcase at national summit

LIMERICK and Clare Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) showcased two youth-led projects at the recent Child Poverty and Wellbeing Summit 2025 in the Aviva Stadium. 

At the summit, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited the LCYP installation, where he met the team and viewed the  projects.

Hosted by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (ETB), the projects presented included Paint Punch, where young people turned “energy into art” by striking canvases with paint-dipped boxing gloves, and Once Upon A Kazka, a storybook created by Ukrainian children blending Ukrainian folktales with English storytelling.

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The aim of Paint Punch was to promote “wellbeing, confidence, and self-expression”, while the Once Upon A Kazka project provided a space for participants to “reconnect with their heritage and share stories with Irish peers”.

Donncha Ó Treasaigh, director of schools at Limerick and Clare ETB, said: “These projects demonstrate the real impact of the Local Creative Youth Partnership in the region.”

Zara Starr Madden, coordinator at Limerick and Clare LCYP, said: “We were so proud to spotlight two incredible youth-led projects at this year’s summit that prove creativity is a force for wellbeing, identity and connection.” 

LCYP is part of the Creative Ireland Programme, a government initiative which provides young people with a hands-on platform to express themselves creatively in out-of-school, community settings.