At Groundwork, we support boys and young men to understand themselves, others and the world more clearly.

Groundwork is developed from years of first-hand teaching experience in classrooms & staffrooms, and upon the leading educational, psychological, and masculinities focused training in Ireland & the UK.

We facilitate research-informed, age-appropriate workshops & programmes for boys, young men, and the adults around them.

The world boys are growing up in is changing rapidly.

The questions they're trying to answer aren't necessarily new:

Who am I? Where do I belong? What matters to me?

What kind of man do I want to become?

What is changing, however, is the landscape around them:

peer culture, school, sport, social media, influencers, algorithms and increasingly competing ideas about masculinity, relationships and success.

Boys need the space to make sense of it.

And that’s where Groundwork comes in.

How we work:

Groundwork Student Workshops

Creating space for boys to explore the questions, pressures and experiences shaping their culture & adolescence.

2-hour workshops for groups of 20-40 boys, designed around the needs and context of each group.

The Groundwork Core Programme

Our flagship programme for boys & young men.

A 6-hour programme delivered across two visits, working with a carefully formed smaller group of boys from within the year group.

The Groundwork Core Programme creates the time and space for boys to explore some of the experiences shaping their lives; emotional and digital literacy, relationships, peer group dynamics, modern masculinity and personal values.

The group is supported to challenge, reflect and develop together, with a focus on how they can contribute to a healthier culture around them and take those ideas into the wider peer group.

At its heart, Groundwork is about developing boys as positive influences and giving them meaningful opportunities for leadership in the cultures they share.

Two × 3-hour sessions | 12-15 boys | 1-2 weeks apart | One teacher present throughout

Groundwork Parent Talks & Staff Development Sessions

Helping parents and/or staff understand the world boys are growing up in - and respond with confidence, curiosity & connection.

60-90 minute sessions for parents or staff, often delivered alongside student programmes.

Meet Ronan

Hi, I’m Ronan Lynagh.

I’ve spent the over fifteen years working with young people as a post-primary teacher, RSE/SPHE coordinator, Year Head, Programme Lead and psychotherapist. I’ve been fortunate in my career to work for, and learn from, some of the leading youth organisations in the country, such as Young Social Innovators, Suas Educational Development & Washington Ireland Program.

Over this past year, I’ve stepped away from my teaching role to work directly with primary & post-primary teachers, guidance counsellors and principals in supporting hundreds of boys across schools in Ireland, through small groups over multiple visits, or in larger year group workshops.

I’ve been collaborating with leading voices in the masculinities space across Ireland, the UK, the US & Canada, seeing, on the ground, how these often entrenched and complex issues that boys and young men - and the adults around them - are navigating.

Groundwork has grown directly from that experience.

It brings together my years of experience in schools, psychological training, and significant work in the masculinities space more recently. I have developed student programmes, staff development and parent conversations aimed at giving boys the time, space and relational confidence to make sense of adolescence and the world around them.

Let’s talk.

Every school, year group and cohort of boys is unique. We’re happy to talk through your school & community context, what you’re seeing on the ground and whether Groundwork could be a good fit.

Get in touch to arrange a conversation.