STUDENTS of Coláiste Íde Agus losef in Abbeyfeale are talking the talk after being awarded €500 in funding to create a welcome booklet in multiple languages for students who are learning English as an additional language (EAL).
The funding was given as part of their participation in the Social Innovation Den programme delivered by Young Social Innovators (YSI) in conjunction with IBM.
Teenage change-makers Edel O’Rourke, Erin Mochan, Kearagh Welch, Kate Sheehan, and Margaret Dore successfully pitched for support for their project before a YSI panel of representatives from IBM, Community Foundation Youth Panel, Education Authority NI, EirGrid, and Cork City Council, to enable them to access Social Impact Fund support to advance their initiative.
The YSI teams that take part in the Social Innovation Den programme can request three types of support for their projects — money, means, and mentoring. The students from Abbeyfeale Community College requested financial support from the panel.
The team’s project is titled ‘Unity is Universal’ and aims to address the issue of inclusivity, with a particular focus on helping EAL students integrate comfortably into their new school environment.
The booklet will include a map of the school, activities, a uniform checklist, school rules, messages from teachers, Irish slang, the history of the town, and how to say ‘hello’ in different languages. The YSI Den support will also help fund resources for a dedicated EAL room where language classes can take place.
More information on the Young Social Innovators programme is available on youngsocialinnovators.ie.
