Two tight-knit rural communities will take on the challenge of helping a pair of city teens get their lives back on track in a new RTE programme ‘Raised by the Village’ which will air on RTE 1 this Monday, June 4 at 6:30pm.
Today, two-thirds of Irish children are raised in the city – where some families can find themselves living without the support of a strong community.
Along with the usual teenage pressures; growing up in the busy urban sprawl can make some city teens stressed and hard to handle.
In a last ditch attempt to rein in their offspring; it is decided that each family will move their truculent teen to the heart of the countryside – allowing them to be raised by the village.
Under the guidance of leading child psychotherapist, Stella O’Malley, the problem pair will experience teenage life Irish village-style.
From Kimmage to Carrigallen
The programme will explore whether the two teens learn to behave differently when they are part of a tight-knit community – a place where local adults keep a watchful eye on goings on.
This new Irish TV format sees 15 year-old Scott leave his home in the Dublin suburb of Kimmage, to go live with the Nixons – a farming family in Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim – a village with one of the lowest crime rates in Ireland.
The programme explores whether the community of Carrigallen can help get Scott’s life back on track.
Meanwhile, 15 year-old Tallaght schoolgirl, Leah, relocates to the picturesque village of Kildorrery in the heart of Co. Cork’s Ballyhoura mountains.
Viewers ponder whether the phone-addicted, image-obsessive teen can learn a new sense of empathy and responsibility under the disciplinarian care of the Hurley family.