“Our young people have a lot to teach us if only we would listen.”
In 2012, Tony along with his co-founder, set about fixing a problem becoming very evident amongst Irish teenagers.
The country was still recovering from a recession and people were struggling. The adults were pessimistic about the future, and it was starting to rub off on the country’s young people. The need to create supportive environments for these young people became essential.
After seeing the documentary, “Every Heart Beats True”, a story about Dublin Footballer and Aussie Rules Legend, Jim Stynes, the two men decided their next steps should be to approach The Reach Foundation in Melbourne. Reach was co-founded by Jim to positively disrupt what had gone before. They created brave, innovative, teenage-centric environments where young people got to share their truth and believe their future destinies were in their own hands.
Having studied their work and inspired to provide a similar program for Ireland’s struggling teens, Soar was created. Soar helps teens discover who they are and what they can achieve. They do this by connecting with teens to explore their inner character – follow their true path. They do this because they believe that exploration of the question “Who am I?” is a pathway to living an authentic life. Since its creation in 2012 Soar has worked with over 60,000 young people. From 2012 till 2019 Tony led the organisation as CEO overseeing the growth of Soar’s programs, training of young facilitators running those programs and leading on fund generation and governance. In 2019 Tony decided to take his own advice that he had given thousands of teenagers; Follow Your Heart. He moved into full time writing and created The Teenager’s Book of Life which has since gone on to be read around the world.
Everyone knows how tough it can be to be a teenager sometimes. Soar help young people confront their personal challenges so nothing gets in the way of their extraordinary potential. We see just how important this phase of being a teenager really is.
The Teenager’s Book of Life
‘A book for teenagers or anyone raising one’
Tony’s 2021 book The Teenager’s Book of Life has been described as a road map for teenagers to navigate what can be a difficult stage in life. It has been described by teenager’s themselves as the most honest and relatable book ever written for teenagers. It is used in schools, hospitals, mental health centres and handed from parent to parent in times of need.
Tony’s passion for championing young people’s potential has continued through Untapped Potential; a digital company that supports youth organisations and those working with young people.
Untapped Potential (UP) provides a digital eco system to organisations who share Tony’s passion for increasing young people’s participation in physical and mental wellness.
UP unleashes young people’s potential by providing access to resources and education that promote their physical fitness, mental wellbeing and overall wellness.
Tony’s passion for how we raise our young people to be the custodians of the future has also been the catalyst for The Untapped Potential Program for Graduates. This program empowers the next generation entering the workforce with the core skills required to thrive in the world of today and play their part in building the world of tomorrow.