connect 2017 • 30 EPIC Empowering People in Care (EPIC) is an independent rights-based organization that works with children who are in the Irish care system and adults who, at differ- ent stages of their life, may need some support, advice or advocacy after leaving the care of the State. They are based in inner city Dublin and have offices in Cork, Limerick and Galway. Here, Peter Lane, an Advocacy Officer with EPIC shares a bit about the work that EPIC is undertaking with help from The Ireland Funds. ‘‘ The Ireland Funds Help EPIC Give a Voice and Services to Young People in Care MY NAME IS MARK AND ME AND ME TWO BROTHERS WERE TAKEN INTO CARE WHEN I WAS SIX. • Me older brother was sent to one place and me and me little brother were sent to another. • He was three. By the time I was nine, me and him had five different homes – two with our ma, one in a care-home in Dun Laoghaire– twice–one in a care-home in Dalkey, and one in Temple Street Children’s Hospital. • Actually that last one was a bit mad—we kept thinking we must be sick or something–sure why else would we be in a hospital? Truth was they’d nowhere else to put us. • Two months we were there. It wasn’t too bad though –the nurses were all real nice to us, playing with us and all. Probably felt sorry for us when all the other kids in the ward had their parents visiting them and we had no-one except the social worker. • Still, at least me and me brother had each other. • SO – FIVE HOMES, FIVE BEDS.” — Mark Gray, in an excerpt from Little Epic Stories. Mark is now 27 and serves on EPIC’s Youth Board and was re- cently featured on the Humans of Dublin website. Little Epic Stories resulted from a creative writing project supported by The Ireland Funds. Young people in care and care-leavers came together to craft poems, essays and dramatic readings which reflected their life experience. The project facilitated the development of communication skills, con- fidence and resilience through the creative arts. The compilation of stories was present- ed to President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins in 2016.