St. Bríds ward in Paramount Hospital is a special place where the best of care is provided to long term residents with acquired brain injury or progressive neurological illness. Recognising that long stay residents and their carers are not allowed to have as many visitors as usual during the pandemic, the students in Deansrath Community College made it their mission to ensure that each resident and each person that cares for the residents were given a gift this Christmas.
To help with their project the students enlisted the help of the MSAT staff in Pfizer Grangecastle, a short distance from the school. In lieu of a secret Santa this year the staff there decided to buy gifts of the residents and staff.
Under the guidance of Ms. Donovan the students found out the first names of the residents and staff and a little bit about each of them. From there they created a Christmas ‘wish list’ which was then given to the MSAT team in Pfizer. The students went on to make a video message (with come hilarious Christmas cracker jokes), handmade cards, decorations and they coordinated the delivery of the gifts appeal.
‘Localise, the students in Deansrath and to Pfizer, from the staff and residents in St. Bríds we would like to say thank you, and we miss you. Hopefully we can have you in our unit sometime next year’ – Joy, Peamount Hospital
A video clip capturing the project can be viewed on the Localise YouTube channel or on this link https://youtu.be/r2SJxdVoITI
‘The MSAT team here at Pfizer Grangecastle were delighted to be involved in this project and feel privileged to included by the students in Deansrath Community College. The entire project was universally well received by the team and lifted the spirits at a very challenging and a very busy team here at Pfizer. Well done to all the students involved’ Eimear O’Donovan, Pfizer.
The Localise Classroom to Community is a seed programme that awakens the spirit of volunteerism and helps develop key skills necessary to respond to real needs within the local community. It is designed for all ages and learner types and easily fits with existing curriculum components or can be implemented as a stand-alone volunteering programme.
The programme is divided into 5 modules. Classes are typically timetabled once a week, some sessions can be completed virtually through Zoom when necessary. It typically takes between 8 and 10 weeks to complete this programme.
The Localise Classroom to Community programme is available free of charge to all schools and can be accessed online via www.localise.ie.
Localise Youth Volunteering has been working in partnership with schools to implement student led volunteering programmes since 2007.
By Harry Keogh, Education Coordinator with Localise Youth Volunteering