Lucca Leadership Ireland's Volunteer Team
Rachel Rafferty heard about Lucca Leadership Ireland in 2009, and she attended the Leadership Foundations course that August with a friend. She found that the programme allowed her to truly be herself and to trust in that. She found it inspiring that at the course young people were helping other young people realize their potential. During the course, Rachel clarified her desire to focus on fundraising efforts for peace building. She saw that bringing participants from all over the world to participate in Lucca courses was in essence peace building. She has subsequently been helping out with an application for the International Fund for Ireland. She also works in her own community to help promote peace. Rachel enjoys creative writing, studying other cultures, and incorporating spirituality into her personal life.
Eva Franklin was born in Dublin and has been part of Lucca Leadership Ireland since it began in 2004. She did a Degree in English and Theology and a Masters in International Peace Studies, in Trinity College Dublin. Throughout her studies she worked as a music teacher and volunteered with Lucca Leadership Ireland and various organisations in the realm of Education. After her Masters, she spent a year in Cape Town, attending her Leadership Foundations course there. While there, she volunteered with Lucca Leadership South Africa, and was also a tutor in IkamvaYouth and a facilitator for RedZebra which uses drumming, dancing and drama to teach Life Skills to young people. Since she has returned to Ireland she has worked with Dance4Life, an international HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, and has trained as a coach with Lucca Leadership Ireland. She is currently training to be an English and Religion teacher in UCD. She has a passion for music, hiking, travel, cake, teaching and working with young people so that they feel confident and empowered to live and transform their lives and the lives of those around them.
Ruth O'Dowd first heard about Lucca Leadership Ireland through her sister, and she attended her first Foundations programme in August 2007. The course had a huge impact on her because she thought she was going to attend a course that would help in her work life. What she found through the in-depth exploration of self the course fosters, was that her experience could be put into practice in both her personal and professional life. Ruth then decided to go travelling to do volunteer work, and upon returning to Ireland she chose to get involved with Lucca Leadership Ireland through team events and coaches' training. Her continued involvement with the organization stems from her sense that Lucca Leadership Ireland's values align so well with her own. Ruth is currently establishing her own business after an appearance on Ireland's Apprentice television series. Her focus is on marketing strategies and providing training for both business and personal development. Her entrepreneurial spirit allows her to have the flexibility to reside in the country where she can keep horses and live an active, outdoor lifestyle that includes sailing and canoeing.
Maree Kearns was lucky enough to attend the Lucca Leadership Ireland foundation course in 2007 and has been delighted to be involved as a volunteer ever since. The biggest and best challenge was Operations Manager for the Foundations course in 2008 and coaching on the inaugural Irish Foundations week in 2009. She is based in Dublin and works as a freelance set and costume designer for theatre, film and television. Lucca Leadership Ireland is a very important part of her life and epitomises her firm belief that you should do what you love and you'll love what you do.
Alice Field attended her first Lucca Leadership Ireland Programme in 2005 and has not looked back. Since she was little she has always been passionate about asking the big magic questions about why we are all here. With a degree in English Literature and History and a Masters in Drama in the Community, she managed to find her dream job as an Outreach and Development Worker for Fairbridge in London, a charity that runs personal development programmes for young people who are disengaged from society. She also does many lovely things in her spare time including performing with her little theatre company, jointPredicament, and generally embracing the mystery of life.
Lydia Campbell has been involved with Lucca Leadership Ireland since 2005 when, after attending the Foundations Programme in Italy she discovered the strength to lead positive change in her life from the inside out. Since then she has trained as a coach, facilitator and Course Director with Lucca Leadership in Ireland, while bringing her people and presentation skills to other organisations around the world eg. Zest4kidz in Uganda, Ikamva Youth in South Africa, Future Foundations in England. Lydia is passionate about helping young people manifest their transformational leadership qualities and loves creating the space for them to do this.
Robert Dempsey is from Dublin, Ireland and was introduced to Lucca Leadership Ireland in 2004. He was trained as a coach in July 2008 and has been lucky enough to volunteer in Ireland, Italy, India and the UK. He attended John Scottus School before completing a degree in Sport Science from UL and is now training to be a secondary school teacher.
Michael Fitzpatrick was born and raised in Dublin. He attended John Scottus School in Ballsbridge right through school and then went on to do a degree in Engineering in Trinity College Dublin. He has also done post graduate studies in Project Management, Taxation and Building Energy Rating, and hopes to do a masters in Peace and Reconciliation Studies in the coming years. Michael has worked in the construction industry most of his professional career, and now runs his own consultancy firm based in Dublin which specializes in Project Management, BER Certification and Legal Due Diligence on dispute resolutions. Michael has always had an interest in something greater than career and ambition, and spent many years in his teens attending classes in practical philosophy with the School of Philosophy and Economic Sciencesl. Michael has always enjoyed volunteering also, and spent a year after university working in a school in South Africa as a volunteer. He has also volunteered with a number of other organisations in Dublin. Michael attended his first course with Lucca Leadership in 2004, and since then has gone on to work in establishing Lucca Leadership Ireland and developing the skills so that he can become a coach on the courses.
Gillian McInerney first heard about Lucca Leadership Ireland through the Dublin-based youth group Belong To. The organization promotes the rights of LGBT young people, and they encouraged Gillian to attend her first Lucca Leadership Ireland Foundations course in April 2009. Feeling she was very much in a time of transition herself, Gillian attended the course with an open mind. She finished the course with a strong sense of how much she had gained through her experience. Connections she made on the course led her to explore job prospects where she could combine her two main passions: drama and working with youths. Subsequently, she has continued to volunteer with Lucca because of the sense of family that was created during her Foundations course.
Robert Mulhall is the former CEO of Lucca Leadership Ireland. Robert attended John Scottus School and completed a B.Comm degree in University College Dublin. Having completed his accountancy qualification (ACA) with PricewaterhouseCoopers he joined as a member of the ICAI. Robert then worked as a manager in the Learning and Development department of PricewaterhouseCoopers for a further 2.5 years. In 2007 Robert was awarded a Level 1 fromSocial Entrepreneurs Ireland and a Level 2 award in 2008. Since September 2007 Robert worked full time for Lucca Leadership in Ireland and the UK. Robert also has a Diploma in Business, Executive and Life Coaching and a qualification in Mediation. Robert now works with Concern in India.
Alana Byrne is an ex Lucca Leadership Ireland participant who in now a full time volunteer with Lucca Leadership Ireland. She attended Manor House secondary school in Raheny where she left to join the corporate sector working as a account manager for a large telecommunications company for 5 years. She is a qualified scuba diver and level 4 Kayaker. As well as having a love for water Alana also has a passion for sport, music, and cooking. Some of her ambitions in life is to travel to India and spend one month is an ashram and to bungee jump off a helicopter in the Grand Canyon.
Samantha Heaney "Sammy" was born in Newry and is still based there. She attended the Lucca Leadership Ireland Foundations course in Italy in 2007. She has since trained as a coach and has worked as a volunteer on some of the weekend and weeklong courses. Samantha works as an actress and stunt double. In her spare time she plays Gaelic football and Netball. She also loves Yoga, playing guitar, and writing. Her favourite TV programme is Father Ted.
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