This year, Northside Partnership celebrates 30 years of the Challenger programme. To mark the anniversary, we hosted an event in the Hilton Hotel which also launched the evaluation report of the Challenger programme by Dr. Maria Quinlan.

The highlight of the evening was hearing the success stories of a number of young people that came through the Challenger programme over the years. There were incredible stories from which we learned that demonstrated the collective courage and resilience these graduates displayed in following their dreams. They also demonstrated a great commitment to helping others and in many cases choosing a life of service.

Lucy Hutchinson spoke about all the support she had received from Challenger and the support and belief in her capabilities she received from Paul Hayes, Guidance Councillor with Northside Partnership. Lucy is studying medicine in Trinity College and scored the highest mark in the HPAT entrance exam in Trinity and one of the highest in Ireland. On the back of her achievements, she has received a full scholarship from the Royal College of Surgeons which will cover all her tuition fees and allow her to focus fully on her studies without having to take up a part-time job.

Carl Lanigan, a young man from Darndale, appeared from Rome via video presentation. Carl graduated from Challenger in 2016 and at age 17 he went on to study Theology in Trinity College. He was the first of his family to go to university. Since completing his B.A. in Catholic Theology from Trinity College Dublin, he has earned a Masters of Philosophy and is currently studying for a Masters in Divinity. Carl is also studying for the priesthood and is the first Irish novitiate to be sent to Rome to study by the Oblates in over 60 years. When Carl received the invitation to go to Rome back in 2020 he had never been to Italy and did not speak Italian. Carl’s mother, Lisa, told us that he was given six weeks to learn Italian as all his classes would be in Italian. He has been in Italy five years now and as part of his Ministry he works in a women’s prison. He is on track to be ordained next year.

Jonathan Byrne is now teaching in Our Lady Immaculate National School in Darndale, the school where he began his educational journey, As an ex-pupil of the school, he is a role model for children in the area, providing academic inspiration while giving back to his community.

Cara Curran-Begg, a graduate of St. Patrick’s, DCU, now delivers grinds on the Challenger programme from which she graduated in 2020.

Karena Flynn-Thai who, having worked in the private sector and a former Director of PigsBack.com, now works in DCU supporting Executive and International Education Programmes and promoting internships and access for young people from less affluent backgrounds. Karena’s mother, on completing the STEPS to Personal Success programme for Challenger parents, returned to education, completing her Leaving Cert in the same year as her daughter, followed by a B. Science.

Emma Daly, who attended St. Mary’s Killester, earned a Bachelor of Computer Science, Linguistics and Irish followed by a Masters in University of Limerick. She spoke of the huge transition she experienced when she moved to third-level education, but reminded us that “ability, not background is what matters.”

There were some truly amazing stories last night and they were a wonderful testament to the hard work and sacrifices and to all who supported the Challenger students on their journeys: their parents, their teachers, their champions and of course our Education team.

Challenger Evaluation Report

Dr. Maria Quinlan, Pink Flower Research, undertook an evaluation of Challenger last year. The report shows that the programme has gone from strength to strength with 63% of Challenger graduates going on to 3rd Level in 2022 with a further 17% going on to further education and 17% going on to Apprenticeships.

Using the innovative Photovoice methodology, Dr. Quinlan was able to capture the lived experience of students, parents and service providers in a meaningful and inclusive way for participants.

Key findings included:

“It’s a Wonderful Programme”

• The feedback across the board from students, parents and service providers regarding the impact of the Challenger programme on the students who participate in it is overwhelmingly positive across the board.
• From improved academic performance, increased knowledge of career pathways, increased expectation of what students feel they can achieve in terms of post Leaving Certificate education and careers, to significant improvements in self-efficacy and self-confidence – the Challenger
  programme is experienced as overwhelmingly positive by all key stakeholders who contributed to this evaluation.
• Ninety-seven percent of Challenger parents surveyed (N=101) would recommend Challenger programme to other parents, and 99% are very satisfied/satisfied with the programme.

Academic Opportunity & Achievement

• The vast majority of Challenger students (90% on average over the four year period) have progressed to either Further Education, Higher Education or to an Apprenticeship, with just 10% on average leaving to go directly to employment post Leaving Certificate.
• The percentage of Challenger students progressing to Higher Education increased from 38% to 63% from 2018/19 to 2021/22.
• Through its mix of practical supports in terms of grinds, and access to the Gaeltacht for families who would otherwise not be in a position to afford them, through to the provision of career guidance and the opportunity to visit university campuses and connect with new networks of friends, the Challenger programme has a significant impact of both the social and cultural capital of participating families.
• Social and cultural capital are important factors when it comes to social inclusion within education. By bridging the gap in terms of parents’ and students’ knowledge of how to navigate the higher education system and the opportunities, routes and pathways available to them, the Challenger programme provides a key function in reduction of social exclusion in education.  (see Catts and Ozga, 2005; Mikiewicz, 2021, and Riches

Self Confidence & Peer Support

• The dominant theme which is found across all stakeholder groups, and across all of the data-collection methods used in this evaluation, is the positive impact the Challenger programme has on the self-concept of both participating students and their parents. Students, parents and service providers consistently highlight the significant improvement in self-confidence that the Challenger programme instills in students.
• Peer-support and confidence in making new friends is also a key factor mentioned by stakeholders in this consultation.
• While concepts such as self-confidence, friendship and peer support can seem more intangible and perhaps less impactful measures of the programme’s success than quantitative measures such as progression to higher education, research shows that confidence and strong peer friendships are key factors in students academic achievement. (for example see Hansen, K. and Henderson 2019; Sunu and Baidoo-Anu, 2023; Acosta-Gonzaga E. 2023; Alotaibi et al, 2023, and Shao et al, 2024).). Thus the impact and value of any interventions which can increase self-confidence and provide supportive peer-networks for students cannot be over-stated.

Impact on Family & Wider Community

• The Challenger programme not only impacts the participating students positively, but has had a significant impact on both the students’ family and wider community.
• Parents and service providers in particular highlight the fact that Challenger is a whole family and indeed a whole-community programme. Parents must be committed to the programme and to supporting their children in participating fully. Parents speak of how Challenger has increased the families sense of togetherness, ability to communicate more effectively and overall sense of hope for the future.
• The role-modelling impact of previous Challenger students going on to third level, becoming teachers in their local schools and giving back via supporting the Challenger programme activities, is also felt deeply by the community.

Sustainability & Diversity

As outlined herein, the feedback across the board from students, parents and service providers regarding the impact of the Challenger programme on the students who participate in it is overwhelmingly positive across the board. The main areas highlighted in terms of potential need for attention, for growth and improvement, centre on the areas of sustainability and diversity.

Insecure Funding Model

• As is common in the sector of community development, the Challenger programme is reliant on funding support from government agencies and public donations. While funding is currently secured for the next four to five years of the programme, longer term the programme remains at the whim of funding decisions beyond the control of the NSP. This insecure funding model makes long term planning or programme expansion challenging.

Succession Planning

• The insecure funding model makes long term staff planning and futher programme expansion difficult. The Challenger programme has expanded significantly since its initial inception, without a comparable increase in the staffing levels to support the expansion.
• The current staffing model is highly dependent on current staff who have a very extensive and deep knowledge of the programme and how to run it efficiently and effectively.
• This model appears unlikely to be sustainable if the current long-term members of staff were to move on from the programme.

Diversity & Inclusion

• Service providers emphasise the need to expand the Challenger programme to include persistently underrepresented groups in higher education, such as the Traveller community.
• They also highlight the challenge of reaching students who lack parental support, which is critical for participation in the programme. Without this support, these students face additional barriers to accessing the Challenger programme and its benefits.