Star-studded show for children launches on National Confidence Day

A whole host of Irish celebrities have come together to participate in a star-studded show being produced by Starcamp for the children of Ireland which will be released on National Confidence Day 2022 – Thursday, March 24.

Will Sliney, Rory’s Stories, Keith Barry, Colette Fitzpatrick, RTE’s Joe The Magician and An Taoiseach Micheál Martin are amongst the contributors who will feature in this 90-minute show created to instil children with much-needed confidence following the knock they took from Covid-19.

Starcamp and their sponsor, Gala Retail, recently carried out a national survey about the effects that Covid-19 had on children’s confidence. Over 1,500 parents from all 26 counties across Ireland with primary school-aged children took part. The concerning results show that almost 50% of parents have noticed a decrease in their child’s confidence, 48% having become less social and 43% are experiencing new anxieties, fears and worries.

Further analysis from the survey showed that a staggering two thirds of children (65%) have become more reliant on devices and technology since the pandemic began.

In addition, 91% of parents surveyed said that they felt that group activities such as drama, sport and music are ‘very important’ for their child’s development.

Out of seven traits that were listed that parents would wish for their child going forward, including academic excellence, sociability, creativity, resilience, sporting ability and street smartness, confidence was by far the most important, with almost 50% choosing this for their children.

Finally, 48% of parents feel that homework should be simplified or reduced and a further 25% would like to see it completely abolished so that children can have more time to develop their social skills.

On the back of these results, Starcamp director Aideen O’Grady felt a critical need to do something positive for the future generation who have been so negatively affected.

She said: “Parents have now spoken. The top trait that they wish for their children is confidence. We responded by creating this incredible show which we believe will have a positive impact on our children as well as creating some much-needed awareness around children’s emotional needs.

“It is a positive, uplifting, feel-good offering that we hope will put fire in bellies, stars in eyes, self-belief in souls and smiles on little faces just when it’s needed most!

“Every contributor wanted to be involved and to share their own story in order to give something back to the children of Ireland who have been simply incredible since this pandemic began. We now know that confidence is what parents desire most for their children. Confidence is a human right for every single child. It is the greatest building block for our next generation and we need to nurture it in them.

“Kids with confidence are more likely to try new things, think well of themselves, take pride in what they do and achieve and believe in themselves – invaluable gifts to take into adulthood. We don’t want the children of ‘Covid years’ to lose out. This universal show was created to begin a positive process to give hope, encouragement, self-belief and some real inspiration to every single child that tunes in.

“When the concept of this one-off show (entitled I Believe in Me) – which is a mixture of uplifting song, dance, games, magic and art along with some inspiring interviews and chats – was presented to a number of schools, the appetite for the show was insatiable, with every single principal and teacher that we contacted telling us that there was a crying out for something like this and asking to sign up there and then.”

Robbie O'Connell, principal, St. Brendan's National School in Blenerville, Co. Kerry, said: “This is a show that every child in Ireland should see. Confidence is a vital trait that can sometimes be overlooked, yet it is something that we wish for every single student. There are some life-long tips in this show that will touch every single child in some special way and it cannot come at a better time.”

Given the level of interest and commitment from primary schools to date, over 500,000 viewers are expected to tune in tomorrow (Thursday) through schools alone. Access to the show is being given directly to schools and it will also be available to view from home at www.starcamp.ie.