Photo was taken yesterday at Scala, Castle Road, Blackrock, Cork (Irl)

32 5th Year and Transition students from Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí (Bantry Community College) completed their Meitheal Leadership Programme yesterday. Meitheal is a team of young people who are trained and empowered to identify needs in their school and to use their own initiative and talents to respond to these needs in a practical way. The aim is to encourage students to improve the quality of school life for their fellow students.

Thought on Friday – September – 11/09/2015

“Three-year-old Aylan Kurdi was more than just a powerful and shocking picture. He was someone’s brother. Someone’s son. Someone’s grandson. Someone’s nephew. Someone’s little friend. It is impossible to imagine the terror the beautiful boy went through in the last hours of his short life as he, his older brother Galip and his parents piled onto a boat to try to cross the Mediterranean to a better life.” ~Miriam Donohue

Over the summer months we have seen on television and the papers, the escalating refugee crisis. We have heard of so many boat tragedies and lives been lost. We have heard of the great work the Irish naval service have and are doing in the Mediterranean rescuing migrants. But it took the image of a little boy washed up helplessly and harrowingly onto a beach to get a proper response going. If the picture that was seen worldwide acts as a catalyst for world leaders to take serious action on the human refugee horror that has left 2,500 people dead this summer, then Aylan’s desperately sad and public death will perhaps not be in vain. Europe is on the receiving end of the biggest movement of people since World War II, with more than 300,000 arriving this year, many fleeing war, persecution and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.

Pope Francis has asked for prayers: “Unfortunately, in recent days many migrants have lost their lives in their terrible travels. For all these brothers and sisters, I pray and ask you to pray.” Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has also said: “If Europe wants to be what it hopes to be – a force which unites people and brings people together and breaks down borders, part of that is also reaching out.” Clearly there are no easy responses. Many of us can only watch on helplessly but we hope and pray that during the coming days and weeks some progress will be made to try and resolve this awful crisis. Thankfully over the weekend we have seen signs of hope as Austria opened its borders to thousands of refugees. It is a huge step in the right direction.