léargas annual report 2007

Annual Report2007

Research

• VoVV lunteer • Identity • Partnership•TeTT aching

•Inclusion

•Collaboration

•Development•Identity•Potential•Sharing

•Knowle

dge•

Experience•TeTTam

work•Citizenship

•Network•Inn

ovav tion

•

Inclusion • Learning

•Mobility

•Culture

•Education

•Creativity•Dialogue•Com

munity•Equality

•Diversity

•La

nguage

•

189/193 Parnell StreetDublin 1, Ireland.

Tel: 353 1 873 1411Fax: 353 1 873 1316

Web: www.leargas.ieEmail: [email protected]

Annual Report2007

Date of publication: 08.08.08Design: AV BrowneResearcher: Naoise ByrneEditors: Fionnuala Broughan, Mary Nolan

03—Chairman’s Report

04—Executive Director’s Report

06—Lifelong Learning Programme

08—Education Service

09—Comenius

10—East West Schools

11—eTwinning

12—Study Visits

13—Grundtvig

14—Language Teaching and Learning

18—Vocational Education and Training Services

19—Mobility Measures

20—Transfer of Innovation

21— IAESTE

22—Youth Work Service

23—Youth for Europe

24—EVS

25—Youth in the World

25—Youth Support Systems

25—Young People and Youth Policy

26—Eurodesk

27—Causeway

28—NcompasS

29—Europa Dairy

30—WorldWise

32—National Centre for Guidance in Education

35—The North South Exchange Consortium

36—Learning to Include

37—Hearing and Being Heard

38—Gaeilge do Gach éinne

39—Breaking Down the Barriers

40—A Taste of Irish in Iran

41—Life is a Rollercoaster

42—Volunteering – a Pathway!

43—Pole Pole Ndio Mwendo!

44—Statistics and Performance Indicators

47—Glossary

48—Summary of Accounts

49—The Léargas Board and Staff

50—Programme Participants

Table of Contents

Contents

Léargas Annual Report 2007

Léargas Annual Report 2007—02

The European Commission programmes—the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Youth in Action Programme—started a new seven-year phase; and the Irish Aid Schools Linking and Immersion Scheme, WorldWise, had its first round of funding. All programmes were managed by Léargas staff with their usual dedication and professionalism and for this I would like to thank everybody involved on behalf of theBoard and myself.

The Léargas Board continued its good work throughout 2007, guiding the agency through a busy year. There were two changes of personnel on the Board: I wish to thank Ms Anne Murray from the Department of Education and Science for her hard work on the Board and wish her well for the future; and I offer congratulations to Mr Michael McGrath on his election to Dáil Éireann and thank him too for his contributions to the Léargas Board. I am happy to welcome Ms Karen Tighe from the Department of Education and Science who joined the Board in Ms Murray’s place.

Léargas has been successfully managing programmes on behalf of government departments for over 21 years and the agency has always received most helpful support from our colleagues in the International and Youth Affairs sections of the Department of Education and Science and in the Employment and Training Strategy Unit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. This year, Léargas started a new working relationship with Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Board looks forward to building that relationship successfully over the coming years so that Léargas can continue to provide excellent programmes in exchange and cooperation.

Eamon KinchChairman

Chairman’s Report

Message from the Chairman

03—Léargas Annual Report 2007

The year 2007 was, for Léargas, a year of getting new programmes started throughout all the sectors we serve: schools, youth and community, vocational training and adult and further education.

Another new beginning for Léargas this year was the start of WorldWise, the Irish Aid-funded Schools Linking and Immersion Scheme. In its first year of operation, the scheme provided grants totalling almost €62,000 to Irish schools to assist them in forming links with schools and communities in developing countries. The scheme got a great response from second-level schools and colleges and toward the end of the pilot year, Irish Aid agreed to continue funding the scheme for a further three years. We look forward to building up the scheme and increasing participation throughout the coming years.

Recurring themes in all the programmes we manage are those of inclusion and learning from others. In the report this year, we highlight these themes through some of the case studies we’ve chosen. As learners, educators and others work together and learn about each other’s lives, whether elsewhere in Europe or as far afield as Iran or Kenya, they learn too about themselves

and those in their own communities. As Ireland faces new challenges through the growth and change within our communities, such learning benefits us all.

The work that Léargas does, on behalf of our own government departments and others, is only possible through the dedication and professionalism of the staff members and I would like to conclude by thanking staff for their hard work in 2007 and to say I look forward to continuing our work together throughout the coming year.

Jim MullinExecutive Director

Delays with the start of the programmes were inevitable as their legal and administrative frameworks underwent considerable change, but in spite of that, the level of participation across all programmes was excellent.

As the new programmes were ‘bedded in’, Léargas staff continued to prepare for some of the new elements of the programmes resulting from increased age ranges in some actions, new areas of exchange (for schools students, for example) and different target groups in other actions.

Activity in our other programmes, European and bilateral, continued apace: the Europa Diary project has been growing quietly over the last number of years, but in 2007 it really took off with over 20,000 diaries being ordered across the country. The diary acts as a useful resource and classroom tool for Transition Year students, providing them with information on Europe, on health issues, on environmental concerns, on consumer issues and much more. This year,for the first time, the diary was bilingual, in Englishand as Gaeilge and it had a great response from

teachers as well as students. eTwinning projects continued to grow, with over 120 schools now registered, and 74 of those in active e-partnerships with schools across Europe.

Focusing on the needs of young Europeans who have arrived in Ireland in recent times, Eurodesk Ireland provided mentoring and training—held in Ireland and in Poland—for staff in Youth Information Centres, to enable them to better respond to the needs of young immigrants. The bilateral programme, Causeway, also worked on this issue, providing funding to projects dealing with issues in immigrant communities on these islands.

Executive Director’s Report

Message from the Executive Director

Léargas Annual Report 2007—04 05—Léargas Annual Report 2007

In 2007, the new generation of programmes funded by the European Commission— the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Youth in Action Programme—officially started and so we in Léargas were busy managing the completion of projects started in the previous phase (a process that will continue for some time yet) and getting projects in the new programmes off to a good start.

The programme aims to contribute through lifelong learning to the development of the Community as an advanced knowledge society, with sustainable economic development, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. It further aims to foster interaction, cooperation and mobility between education and training systems within the Community, in order to become a world quality reference.

The Lifelong Learning Programme addresses teaching and learning needs in education and training and encompasses the Comenius (school education), Erasmus (higher education), Leonardo da Vinci (vocational education and training), Grundtvig (adult education) and Study Visits (education and training decision-makers) Programmes. These programmes are primarily managed by National Agencies in each European Member State which administer bursaries to appropriate applicants through annual Calls for Proposals. The European Commission manages the Transversal Programme and the Jean Monnet Programme which focus on policy development, language learning, ICT, and dissemination of results. Léargas manages the Comenius, Grundtvig, Leonardo da Vinci and Study Visits Programmes on behalf of the European Commission in Ireland.

The target group of the Lifelong Learning Programme is wide and offers opportunities for transnational development and cooperation for pupils, teachers, trainers, trainees, educational staff, adult learners, graduates, people involved in policy development in relevant areas and people in the labour market interested in education and training.

Lifelong Learning Programme

The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013


The European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 was designed to build on the learning and outcomes of the previous generation of European Commission funded programmes in education and vocational training.

The Lifelong Learning Programme in Ireland was launched by the Minister for State at the Department of Education, Seán Haughey TD, on 30 April 2007. Minister Haughey said that ‘in the global knowledge–based economy, there is increased recognition that human talent and creativity are our key resources. Lifelong learning strategies will play a major role in facing future challenges. The Lifelong Learning Programme will be a cornerstone in enabling our Irish participants to engage in the pursuit of continued education and training on a lifelong basis.’

Comenius School Partnerships Comenius School Partnerships aim to enhance the European dimension of education from pre-school to upper secondary by promoting cooperative activities between schools in Europe. These projects give pupils and teachers in different countries an opportunity to work together on one or more topics of mutual interest. School partnerships help not only to improve skills in the subject area, but also to foster teamwork, social relations, project management, linguistic and ICT skills.

2007 was a year of transition for Comenius School Partnerships. The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 heralded the end of annual renewal projects and applicants welcomed the possibility of applying for two-year projects. In total, 103 schools received funding to participate in projects involving more than two partners and one school was awarded a grant to participate in a bilateral (language-specific) project.

Comenius Contact Seminars and Preparatory VisitsThe aim of Comenius Contact Seminars and Preparatory Visits is to enable institutions wishing to establish a Comenius School Partnership to identify suitable partners. In 2007, 23 Irish teachers participated in contact seminars across Europe focusing on themes such as Intercultural Dialogue; Environmental Education; and Early Language Learning. Eleven Irish teachers were funded to make preparatory visits to schools with which they had established initial contact, to develop project ideas.

Comenius AssistantshipsThe aim of Comenius Assistantships is to enable future teachers gain a better understanding of the European dimension to teaching and learning, to enhance their knowledge of foreign languages and to improve their teaching skills. Having a Comenius Assistant also benefits the host school by enriching their linguistic portfolio

and enhancing European and intercultural awareness within the school and local community. In 2007,22 Irish applicants undertook Comenius Assistantships for an average of five months in institutions across Europe. Forty-three Irish schools hosted Assistants, the majority from France, Germany, Poland and Spain.

Comenius In-Service Training The objective of Comenius In-Service Training is to enhance the quality of school education by enabling teachers, language teachers and other educational staff to undertake general in-service or language training. The training must take place in another eligible European country. 2007 saw 42 teachers avail of grants to attend training, job-shadowing and work placement activities for periods of one to four weeks.

Comenius Multilateral Projects Comenius Multilateral Projects are undertaken by trans-European partnerships working together to improve the initial or in-service training of teachers and others working in the school education sector. The aim is to develop strategies or exchange experiences to give rise to an identifiable outcome, such as a new curriculum, training course, methodology, teaching strategy or teaching material, which meets the needs of a defined group of educational staff. In 2007, there was one project involving an Irish partner—Mayo Education Centre worked with partners from Germany, Greece, Italy and the UK on a project entitled School Inclusion.

Comenius Thematic Monitoring Meeting—ICT in the ClassroomOn 18 September 2007, the Léargas Comenius team held its first Thematic Monitoring Meeting in St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra focusing on ICT in the Classroom. Discussion centred on the merits of ICT as a mechanism for carrying out successful and sustainable Comenius projects.

Comenius


Education Service


For example, eTwinning, formerly part of the eLearning Programme, has become a sub-programme under Comenius, and the Arion Study Visits now form part of a new Study Visits Programme, the management of which was taken on by Léargas in 2007. This involved hosting three Study Visits for incoming education specialists while also funding 19 Irish education specialists to attend Study Visits in other participating countries.

Throughout the year the Education Services continued to provide support to schools, teachers, adult education organisations and adult education trainers involved in Comenius, Grundtvig, the East West Schools Programme and eTwinning activities. It organised a number of regional information meetings and briefing meetings for institutions participating in the various programmes. It also held application procedure workshops for In-Service Training and Partnership Projects. Promotion activities included newsletters, advertisements in teachers’ union journals and on the Education Matters website, stands at education conferences and participation at various meetings and events.

An eTwinning Professional Development Workshop for 85 school principals from throughout Europe was held in Dublin in March. The Léargas Education Services team, as the national contact point for the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) in Ireland, also hosted a conference in March entitled Empowering Language Professionals. To mark the European Day of Languages (EAL) on 26 September, two schools competitions were organised and on the day, an award ceremony honoured the winners of the EAL and the Individual Award for Languages. In November, a Grundtvig Contact Seminar in Ennis, Co Clare brought together adult educators to explore the theme of Family Literacy and Numeracy.

Education Service2007 was a year of events marking the achievements of Socrates II and the beginning of the new Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013. It was also a year of transition for all stakeholders involved in the Comenius, Grundtvig and eTwinning Programmes, as changes were implemented.

Lorraine McDyer, Programme Manager

Comenius focuses on the first phase of education, targeting teachers and pupils of primary and secondary schools. It enables school communities to participate in a range of European projects.

Education Service


Education Service


eTwinning

eTwinning allows schools across Europe to collaborate via the internet and use ICT to carry out a pedagogically relevant project together. In 2007, 128 schools in Ireland registered for eTwinning and 74 formed partnerships.Two schools were awarded the National Quality Label in 2007: St Attracta’s Senior National School, Dublin and St Brendan’s National School, Kilkenny.

The East West Schools Programme is a schools-based programme that was initiated under the Good Friday Agreement to strengthen school partnerships and to encourage friendship and understanding between young people in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

It is open to primary, post-primary and special schools with a focus on disadvantaged areas. Priority is given to projects promoting respect and accommodation of difference through increased knowledge and insight into each other’s cultures.

In 2007, 20 Irish schools were involved in East West projects and 30 Irish teachers were funded to attend contact seminars and preparatory visits.

In February 2007, a group of 24 teachers from Ireland and 24 teachers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland attended a contact seminar in Liverpool for two days of formal and informal sessions to enable them to find partners for bilateral or trilateral projects under the East West Schools Programme. Participants were given information on funding opportunities and application and selection procedures, along with practical advice from previous programme participants. Participants then had time to develop and present their project ideas.

The Education Service also produced East West Programme Guidelines which are available online. The Guidelines include information on the types of funding available under the East West Schools Programme, the six stages of the project lifecycle from partner finding to reporting, and case studies from previous programme participants.

East West Schools Programme

The third annual eTwinning conference took place in Brussels in February 2007. Over 400 teachers from across Europe attended. The opening address at the prize-giving ceremony was made by Ján Figel’, Member of the European Commission DG with responsibility for education, training, culture and youth, in which he discussed the importance of eTwinning as part of the new Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013.

Eight teachers from Ireland attended the annual conference along with two staff from Léargas. In the eTwinning Prizes 2007 competition, Knockaclarig National School, Co. Kerry and St Attracta’s Senior National School, Dublin, were both shortlisted in the 4-11 age category, with the latter receiving the runner-up prize.

eTwinning weeks ran from 17 September–19 October 2007. During this period, 3,600 new schools from all over Europe registered on the portal bringing the total number of registered schools in Europe past the 30,000 mark. Eight hundred new projects were also registered. In Ireland information meetings were held in Education Centres around the country.

Professional Development Workshops (PDWs) are aimed at teachers who want to learn more about eTwinning and develop skills in European collaboration using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The workshops bring together participants from different European countries to network and share experiences.

Léargas hosted a very successful eTwinning Professional Development Workshop (PDW) at Marino Institute of Education and Science in March 2007. Twenty-five Irishschool principals attended with a further 50 coming from abroad – in all, 23 countries were represented.

Participants at the eTwinning PDW

Making contacts at the East West Seminar

Education Service


Education Service


The Grundtvig Action, the programme for adult education and other educational pathways, has been supporting activities in adult education sectors across Europe since 2001.

The Action invites those working in any institution or organisation, from community groups to universities, to participate in a range of European projects, professional development opportunities and networks. The Action has been hugely successful and the number of institutions and individuals participating in Ireland has grown significantly over the years.

Grundtvig Learning PartnershipsA Grundtvig Learning Partnership is a framework for small-scale cooperation activities between organisations working in the field of adult education in the broadest sense. Learning Partnerships are aimed at smaller organisations. There were 20 Grundtvig Learning Partnerships funded in 2007, on themes including active citizenship, parent education, adult education and the arts.

Grundtvig Contact Seminars and Preparatory VisitsIn November 2007, Léargas held a contact seminar

in Ennis, Co. Clare on the theme of Family Literacy and Numeracy. Twenty-five organisations from eleven European countries were represented at the seminar and participants included education and literacy organisers from both the formal and non-formal sectors of adult education. Four Grundtvig Partnership Project proposals resulted from the seminar. In 2007, Léargas funded 21 individuals to attend contact seminars and preparatory visits in other European countries.

Grundtvig In-Service TrainingGrundtvig In-Service Training aims to improve the quality of lifelong learning by giving those involved in the delivery of adult education in the formal and non-formal sectors the opportunity to develop skills in areas such as coaching, counselling and training methodology. In 2007, 13 adult educators availed of grants to attend courses, conferences or job-shadowing activities for up to four weeks in Europe.

Grundtvig Multilateral Projects Grundtvig Multilateral Projects are undertaken by adult education institutions or organisations from different participating countries, working together and pooling knowledge and experience, in order to achieve concrete and innovative results or products. In 2007 there was one project involving an Irish coordinator: Fast Track to Information Technology Ltd. Seven Irish institutions were involved as partners in projects.

Grundtvig—Adult Education and Lifelong LearningStudy Visits are an opportunity to spend up to one week in another European country learning about practices and approaches in education. The programme provides a forum for discussion, exchange and mutual learning on themes of common interest at European level. Themes are specifically linked to the objectives of the Education and Training 2010 work programme.

In2007, Léargas hosted three study visits under the former Arion Programme. The first visit in March 2007, A General Study of the Irish Education System, had17 participants from across Europe. Fifteen participants attended a second visit

in October, Information and Communication Technology in the Irish Education System. The third visit, The Development of Special Needs Education in the Irish Education System, was held in November 2007 and included 11 European participants.

Six applications for Irish participants in Study Visits were approved under the first Arion Call for Applications in 2007, while 13 were approved in the pilot phase for the new consolidated programme.

Study Visits

The new Lifelong Learning Programme incorporates a consolidated Study Visits Programme, comprising the former Arion Study Visits (Socrates II) for education decision-makers and Cedefop Study Visits (Leonardo da Vinci II Mobility) for those responsible for vocational education and training.This consolidated programme was launched as a common European pilot phase for the Call for Applications for March–June 2008.

Teachers participating in the study visit in Dublin in March

Students of the National Institute for Intellectual Disability who are participating in a Grundtvig Learning Partnership with partners from Iceland, Belgium and England.

It aims to alert the public to the importance of language learning; increase awareness and appreciation of all languages spoken in Europe and encourage lifelong language learning.

In 2007, Léargas marked the day by organising two competitions to encourage schools to celebrate the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe. Both competitions, Design a Postcard and Design a Poster, required students to include phrases in other languages.

An awards ceremony was also held on the day to mark the achievements of the winners of the European Award for Languages.

Education Service

European Day of Languages


Education Service


The European Day of Languages (EDL) was founded by the Council of Europe in 2001 and takes place each year on 26 September.

In the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013, languages form part of the Transversal Programme, under the Promotion of Language Learning, Key Activity 2, which replaces the former Lingua Action of Socrates II. Key Activity 2 is a centralised Action managed by the Executive Agency in Brussels.

Supported activities include Multilateral Projects to promote language awareness and develop new language learning materials and instruments for language testing, and Networks in the field of language learning and linguistic diversity.

In 2007, there was one Irish partner involved in a Multilateral Project and four Irish partners involved in Networks in the field of language learning and linguistic diversity.

Promotion of Language Learning—Key Activity 2

Language Teaching and Learning

Winner of the EDL Design a Poster competition by Juliana Gleeson and Bonnie Dowling, St Nessan’s National School, Co Limerick

The European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) is a Council of Europe institution. Its mission is to encourage excellence and innovation in language teaching and to help Europeans learn languages more effectively.

Léargas is the national contact point for the ECML in Ireland.

2007 saw the conclusion of the second medium-term programme (2004-2007), Languages for Social Cohesion: Language Education in a Multilingual and Multicultural Europe.

In March 2007, 35 people attended a conference entitled Empowering Language Professionals which centred on the Call for Proposals under the new programme 2008-2011, the benefits of participation in the ECML workshops and research opportunities within the ECML.

Funding is available for participation in workshops: In 2007, there were seven Irish participants in ECML workshops.

Education Service

European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML)


Education Service


Designed to recognise and endorse creative initiatives in the field of language teaching and learning at every level, the EAL is awarded annually to a limited number of projects in each EU country.

In 2007, eight Irish projects were selected by an independent jury on the basis of excellence, innovation and their potential to serve as a model for other similar initiatives. The projects highlighted the importance of language learning in creating an inclusive, multicultural society and the significance of real-life situations in motivating learners to develop and enhance their linguistic competence.

On 26 September, Professor Daniel Coste, Professor Emeritus of the École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Lyon, presented the eight successful projects with their awards at a ceremony in the Clock Tower, Department of Education and Science, Dublin.

Three Language Learners of the Year were honoured at the awards ceremony: Bernie Connell, Institute of Technology, Tallaght; Finbar Horgan, CBS High School, Clonmel; and Nadege Kalufando, Castleknock Community College. The Language Learner of the Year Award aims to map the linguistic development of individual learners and to recognise their achievements.

Scoil Carmel National SchoolA Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Experience in Primary School: Teaching French through the Games Strand of the PE Curriculum

Castleknock Community College (CCC)Language Centre for International Students and Intercultural Centre for CCC

St Mary’s College, ArklowTeaching Irish to Foreign National Students within our School Community

Department of Italian, NUI GalwayService Learning in Italian: A Community Language Initiative

CBS High School, ClonmelDeutsch Macht Spaß

Japanese Section, Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, University of LimerickInteractive Multimedia Courseware for Reading and Writing Japanese Script

FIONTAR, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliathfocal.ie

Kildimo National SchoolMira Quien Baila

European Award for Languages—the Language Label (EAL)

The European Award for Languages–the Language Label (EAL) is coordinated by the European Commission and managed on a decentralised basis in each Member State.

Recipients of the 2007 European Award for Languages

VET Services

The Leonardo da Vinci Programme is committed to the development of best practice and cooperation in vocational education and training across Europe through innovative, transnational partnerships, projects and mobility activities.

2007 was a year of transition for the staff, stakeholders and clients of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. Previous generation projects were coming to the end of their lifespan and activities while the impact and challenges of the Lifelong Learning Programme were filtering through to new applicants and projects.

Priorities for the 2007 Call for Applications included developing the quality of VET systems and practices; continual training of teachers and trainers; developing relevant e-learning content; credit transfer in VET; and validation of non-formal and informal learning. Successful projects addressed a range of training and education experiences and approaches across a diverse spectrum of sectors including agriculture, environmental science and the delivery and pedagogies of education and training services.

VET Services also manages the Irish Secretariat of the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE).

The March deadline for funding under this Action resulted in eight approved applications for placements for people undergoing Initial Vocational Training (IVT), one for People in the Labour Market (PLM) and eight for exchanges for Trainers in Vocational Education and Training (VETPRO). The 17approved applications received funding totalling an overall allocation of €484,715.

A total of 317 beneficiaries undertook placements or exchanges in 15 countries across Europe including Austria, Hungary, Iceland and Poland. Sectors included film production, business studies, guidance and childcare.

In addition, three Preparatory Visit grants, a new mobility activity, were awarded to support staff from the School of Applied Social Science in UCD, IASE (Irish Association of Supported Employment) and the Department of Government in UCCto meet with prospective partners and prepare project applications.

Meetings and WorkshopsVET Services staff hosted and organised a number of mobility workshops in February and March 2007 in Dublin and Cork. The staff also hosted 2008 Call for Applications workshops in Dublin, Dundalk, Galway, Kilkenny and Sligo in November. The main focus of these workshops was the transition of Leonardo da Vinci mobility projects into the Lifelong Learning Programme.

EuropassThe Europass portfolio of documents allows an individual to chronicle and display their skills, experience and qualifications in a consistent and clear presentation to facilitate mobility throughout Europe. In 2006, mobility beneficiaries from Inchicore College of Further Educationbecame the first people in Ireland to receive Europass Mobility Documents.

VET Services

Vocational Education and Training Services

Mobility Measures


Mobility plays a key role in achieving the objectives of the Lifelong learning Programme.

The Vocational Education and Training Services unit (VET Services) at Léargas implements the European Community’s Leonardo da Vinci Programme for vocational education and training in Ireland.

Business Studies students from Moate Business College depart for Barcelona on a three week work placement funded through the Leonardo da Vinci Programme.

Pat Halley, Programme Manager

Transfer of Innovation (TOI) projects focus on the identification of one or more innovative solutions in vocational education and training and their adaptation for implementation in new countries or target groups. Nine applications were selected for funding with a total funding grant of €2,486,960.

Project sectors included medicine, e-learning, physical education, special needs and information and communications technologies. Target groups include SMEs, women returners and migrants, people with disabilities and disadvantaged job seekers. Six of the nine projects will produce training programmes or resource modules available online. Partner countries include Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania and Spain.

Meetings and WorkshopsThe VET Services unit organised and hosted an Interim Report workshop for 2006Procedure B (2000-2006Programme) promoters and a Final Report workshop for 2005 Procedure B promoters in June.

VET Services staff also attended a range of thematic monitoring group meetings during 2007. The e-learning group held two conferences and produced two reports: Potential of E-learning in Lifelong Learning and E-learning, from projectsto practice.

VET Services

Transfer of Innovation (Non-Mobility)


The IAESTE Programme is an exchange programme for penultimate and final year students of Engineering, Science, IT and Architecture to gain work experience abroad in their field of study.In 2007, there were 105 applications received from students at higher education institutes who wished to get technical experience abroad.

Thirty-one Irish students went to 22 countries including Canada, Hungary, Iran and Serbia with 31 students also coming to Ireland from 21 countries including Kazakhstan, Mexico, Thailand and the US.

The Trainee of the Year Award was held on 22 November 2007 in Dublin. The overall winner was Ciarán O’Donoghue, an engineering student from Trinity College Dublin, who did his traineeship in Thailand. Second place was awarded to Warren O’Neill, a physics student also from Trinity, who trained in Kazakhstan.

VET Services

The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience


In 2007, VET Services, for the first time, administered a Call for Proposals for Transfer of Innovation projects.

IAESTE A.s.b.l., of which Ireland is a member, is a non-profit, non-political, independent and non-governmental organisation representing academic, industrial and student interests.

Participants of the IAESTE trainee of the year. L-R Joe Grogan, Charis Hughes (Léargas), Warren O’Neill, Tara Connolly, Roger Rhynehart, Neil Maher (Léargas), Itunu Soyingbe, Padraic Dunne, Donal Lynch, Ciaran O’Donoghue, Tiernan Casey.

Youth Work Service


Youth Work Service

Youth Work Service


The 2007-2013Programme builds on the experience of the2000-2006Programme, bringing new learning to young people using non-formal methods. Changes to some Actions included an increase in those eligible for participation in Youth Exchanges, Youth Initiatives and European Voluntary Service. New Actions were introduced, Youth Democracy Projects and Youth in the World, which enlarges the list of countries eligible for participation in Youth in Action activities.

Through this new Youth in Action Programme and other programmes such as Causeway and NcompasS, the Youth Work Service continues to support Irish youth organisations in running projects that are in line with both European and national objectives and priorities for young people.

In May2007, Léargas Youth Work Service held an event at Croke Park to showcase and promote Youth in Action projects. The event was attended by young people involvedin Youth in Action projects and someof the delegates subsequently travelled to Brussels to take part in the Youth Week consultations.

The Youth Work Services team at Léargas had a busy 2007, as the new Youth in Action Programme got up and running.

Action 1.1Youth Exchanges2007 saw positive changes in two areas: the minimum age for participants was lowered to 13 and a greater emphasis was placed on ensuring the safety and protection of young people participating in these activities. Over700 young people between 13 and 25 participated in Youth Exchanges funded through Léargas in 2007, meeting with others from all over Europe to explore themes such as inclusion, European citizenship, cultural diversity, participation and identity through sport, drama, art, outdoor challenges, music, and digital technology.

Action 1.2Youth InitiativesYouth Initiatives funding supports young people to participate actively and directly in activities of their own devising, thereby developing their creativity, initiative and entrepreneurship. In 2007, the age range changed to 15-30 and the duration of projects to3-18 months. A new criterion introduced in 2007 means that Youth Initiative participants aged 15 to 17 must have the support of an identified coach to guide and facilitate the project process; this proved key to the successful implementation of a number of projects over the year.

Over 200 young people participated in Youth Initiative activities during 2007. Some groups developed projects at local level, while others linked with European partners to share their

experiences and promote their results on a European stage. Projects focused on issues such as safe socialising, exploring identity and social inclusion, developing creative writing skills, combating isolation and loneliness, bridging the intergenerational gap, community history, providing peer information and what it means to be a European citizen.

Action 1.3 Youth Democracy ProjectsIntroduced in 2007, Youth Democracy Projects support young people’s participation in the democratic life of their local, regional or national community and at international level. This activity is developed through a European partnership and provides an opportunity to bring young people closer to decision-making at many levels. It also helps to identify and overcome obstacles that may prevent groups of young people participating in representative democracy.

The first Youth Democracy Project in Ireland was implemented by the Irish Youth Media Organisation. It linked local youth groups, media groups and academics in the field of media production and looked at how young people from Belfast, Derry and Dublin are represented through the media, how media connects with young people and what issues young people feel should be addressed through TV, radio and the internet.

Action 1 Youth for Europe

In 2007, Action 1 of the Youth in Action Programme, Youth for Europe, encompassed three sub-Actions: Youth Exchanges, Youth Initiatives and Youth Democracy Projects.

Des Burke, Programme Manager

Participants at the Youth in Action Day at Croke Park

Youth Work Service


The duration of projects can be as short as two weeks (for group projects and those involving young people with fewer opportunities) or as long as12 months. There is only one application form and one financial decision per EVS project.

This has opened up the possibility of Irish volunteers being funded by another National Agency and volunteers coming to Ireland being funded by their own National Agency. Another change means that sending organisations now need to be accredited before applying for funding. This should improve the preparation of volunteers before they travel and the quality of support they receive at all stages of their projects.

Finally, additional support measures, financial and other, are now available to help young people with fewer opportunities to take part in the EVS Programme.

In 2007,91 international EVS volunteers were approved to come to Ireland with 39 Irish volunteers approved to travel abroad. This was a high level of activity for both hosting and sending volunteers and in fact demand for funding exceeded the amount of money available, so unfortunately a number of quality projects could not be supported. In all, Léargas funded 84 individuals to participate in EVS projects in 2007.

Action 2 European Voluntary Service


The new Youth in Action Programme introduced some important changes to the European Voluntary Service (EVS) which is now open to young people between 18 and 30.

Youth in the World, which was introduced as part of the 2007-2013 Programme, expanded the list of countries eligible for participation in Youth in Action activities.

This has resulted in projects focusing on the themes of peace and reconciliation, conflict resolution and intercultural dialogue in places such as Israel and the Palestinian territories. In 2007, Irish youth groups participated in 11 projects under this Action.

Under Action 4, Youth Support Systems, organisations are helped to build project skills, networks and knowledge for the future.

In 2007, 421 Irish youth workers took part in contact seminars, training opportunities and other activities in Ireland and other European countries in which the focus was on developing effective means of achieving intercultural learning and on increasing participation by young people in project planning.

Introduced in 2007, Action 5.1 Meetings of Young People and Those Responsible for Youth Policy, provides support for youth seminars in the area of policy development.

In 2007, the Youth Work Service promoted this new Action and prepared for the first round of applications to be received early in 2008.

Action 3 Youth in the World

Action 4 Youth Support Systems

Action 5.1 Meetings of Young People and Those Responsible for Youth Policy

Paticipants in an EVS project in Guatemala

Léargas, as the National Partner for Eurodesk in Ireland, is part of a network of 29European countries which provide this free service. Each National Eurodesk Partner operates at regional and local level through a network of local relays (in Ireland – Youth Information Centres, YICs).

In 2007, Eurodesk Ireland focused on intercultural aspects of European youth information provision in Ireland, offering a number of events to the local relays.

In June2007, in cooperation with the Immigrant Council of Ireland and SIPTU, Eurodesk organised a training day on specific issues related to information provision to young EU and non-EU citizens living in Ireland. A second training session, provided by the Irish Council for International Students in November, was dedicated to intercultural awareness and communication in the daily work of the youth information officers.

The most frequent visitors to the YICs in 2007 were Polish nationals. As a result, Eurodesk organised a study visit to Poland from 2-6 October2007 in cooperation with Eurodesk Poland and Polish Eurodesk relays in Lublin, Kielce and Krakow. The aims of the study visit were to allow Irish youth information workers gain a better insight into the social, economic and cultural background of young Polish immigrants; to meet Polish youth information workers; to compare youth information realities in Poland and in Ireland; and to discuss cooperation possibilities between Polish and Irish Eurodesk local relays.

The knowledge gained by the Irish participants was disseminated throughout the Irish YIC network to enable YICs meet the needs of their growing Polish client base. The visit has strengthened the links between the Irish and Polish local relays and a return visit by Polish youth information workers to Ireland is planned.

Youth Work Service

Eurodesk


Eurodesk is an information service about funding and mobility opportunities for young people and those who work with them.

Youth Work Service


Bringing potential partners together is an important feature of exchange programmes, and the Youth Work Service cooperated with its partners in the British Council in London and the Youth Council for Northern Ireland to run a contact seminar in Derry for youth organisations in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The seminar, which ran from 14 to 16 September, reflected the diversity of communities that are interested in participating in Causeway activities in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Training was also a feature of the Causeway Programme in 2007. Four youth leaders from England received funding through Causeway to take part in an NcompasS training course for management in international youth exchange. The training consisted of three weekend residential sessions, held in Ireland over the course of the year.

Causeway

In 2007, the priority of the Causeway British Irish Exchange Programme was to work with groups facing exclusion through youth exchanges, contact seminars and special innovative projects, and a total of 321 participants took part in 13 Causeway projects during the year.

Irish and Polish Youth Information Workers in Krakow, Poland

Youth Work Service


In May, five groups of primary school principals from Northern Ireland were supported to spend three days visiting their counterparts in the south to share practice on working with children who have recently come to Ireland. What particularly impressed the visitors was the enthusiasm that was evident in the face of very rapid change.

The visits further cemented the relationship between the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) and the Northern Irish branch of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT).

Youth workers studying at the Dundalk Institute of Technology who had undertaken a residential course on conflict resolution in Northern Ireland were also supported through NcompasS to carry out two-month work placements in the Corrymeela Centre in Antrim, to enable participants to learn skills and work practices which would be transferable to their work in their communities.

NcompasS

Europa Dairy


The Europa Diary is designed to inform and promote awareness of young people on their rights as European citizens and the opportunities open to them, and to encourage them to take full advantage of the benefits of European citizenship. This free publication, distributed to 2.4million students in their own languages in all 27 EU countries, is made possible with the support of the European Commission. Increasingly, more and more departments (Directorates General or DGs) within the European Commission see the Europa Diary as a means of communication with young Europeans.

The 2007/2008 Europa Diary, a practical classroom tool containing a wealth of information for young people on EU issues, was distributed free of charge to almost 22,000 Transition Year students across Ireland. In 2007, for the first time, the diary was published bilingually. The pages as Gaeilge were warmly welcomed by both teachers and students and added another dimension to this cross-curricular teaching tool.

The2007 diary contained a mine of information on EU-related topics including how the EU works and how laws are made; rights and responsibilities as a consumer and a European citizen; internet use and online shopping; scam protection; scientificdiscoveries; research and development; health; consumer protection; the environment and climate change.

The Teacher’s Guide included with the diary contained lesson plans, worksheets and suggested activities for the various topics covered. Content in every edition of the diary is localised so that the information and references within it are relevant to students in the different countries.

Schools are free to use the Europa Diary either as a classroom teaching tool or simply as a reference tool. In Ireland, % of the teachers who reported back on their use of the diary said they used it as a resource for classroom discussion with 72% using it as a basis for classroom activities. Either way, it is hoped that the diary will continue to promote awareness of European issues among its target audience.

Léargas is delighted to continue working on this worthwhile project, a unique resource for teachers and students alike. We are looking forward to the forthcoming edition of the diary which will cover an even wider range of EU policy areas.

Europa DiaryFor the past five years, Léargas has partnered Generation Europe in the production of the Europa Diary. Generation Europe is a Brussels-based organisation which aims to provide information for young people on issues relating to their role as European citizens.

NcompasS projects involve young people, teachers and youth workers in both the formal and non-formal education sectors north and south of the border.

In 2007, more than 900 participants took part in NcompasS activities, a Peace II funded initiative which aims to promote understanding, respect and reconciliation between young people in Northern Ireland and the border region of Ireland.

WorldWise aims to raise awareness of development issues among Irish students, teachers and the wider community, and to heighten interest in and relevance of development education within the post-primary curriculum.

The scheme does this by providing funding to second-level schools and colleges that are involved in linking and immersion projects with partner schools or organisations in developing countries. Schools use WorldWise funding to support joint project work and communication between partners; to enable teachers from partner schools to visit each other to plan their projects together; and to provide a development education perspective to their project work.

Through the scheme, students from different countries can learn about each other and about key global issues such as sustainable development, social justice, gender equality and human rights from the perspective of their partner school as well as their own.

During the pilot year a total of almost €62,000 was allocated to 27 schools to fund 30projects. Schools from all over Ireland, with partners in ten African countries and in India, took part; the greatest number of partners were in Kenya and Zambia. An evaluation process for the scheme was set up to gauge the levels of interest in the post-primary sector in Ireland for implementing projects with a strong development education perspective.

The results of the evaluation led to new initiatives being introduced as part of the programme in its second year, including reciprocal teacher visits, funding for student travel in designated disadvantaged schools and network funding.

Throughout the year, staff met with colleagues from the British Council to examine the possibility of WorldWise working in cooperation with the DfID Global School Partnerships programme (DGSP) on a whole-island basis.

A pilot workshop was held for teachers from north and south of the border, which looked at ways of bringing development education and project themes into the classroom. This got a very good response from participants and we hope to repeat it in coming years.

Overall the pilot year has been very successful, and WorldWise has been awarded a further three years funding from Irish Aid. With this in mind, Léargas has moved into preparing for the second year of the scheme, promoting it in all relevant sectors and collaborating with the development education community here in Ireland.

WorldWiseWorldWise was officially launched in April 2007 as the Irish Aid Schools Linking and Immersion Scheme by thenMinister of State Conor Lenihan. Léargas had been awarded the tender to manage the scheme on behalf on Irish Aid, initially on a pilot basis, for one year.


A series of information seminars held throughout Ireland in November and December brought details of the scheme to interested schools. Subsequent application workshops provided guidance to teachers on how best to approach the application process.

Our expectation is that WorldWise will continue to grow and attract increasing numbers of applications from schools following this pilot phase.


WorldWise

Image courtesy of 80:20

The National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE) is an agency of the Department of Education and Science (DES) with responsibility to support and develop guidance practice in all areas of education and to inform the policy of the Department in this field. Set up in 1995 under the aegis of Léargas, NCGE has its own Management Committee appointed by the Minister for Education and Science.

NCGE provides support to the DES, relevant organisations and agencies, and guidance practitioners in education. In addition, as a member of the euro|guidance network, funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme, NCGE supports guidance practitioners in promoting European mobility and the European dimension within education and training.

Primary EducationThroughout 2007, NCGE continued its collaboration with Dublin City University Primary Access Service, as well as its research activities on EU countries incorporating a formal guidance element in their primary system.

Post-Primary EducationModule 1of the Continuing Professional Development Programme on Whole School Guidance Planning was delivered to42schools in Athlone and Cork from January to May2007 and24 schools in Athlone from September to December 2007. Module2 Action Planning was delivered for the first time in September 2007 to 15 schools through Blackrock Education Centre.

In January, a tutor training day was held in NCGE and the Report on the Evaluation of Module 1: Reviewing Whole School Guidance was published.In August, an evaluation of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), the e-learning platform for the Whole School Guidance Planning Programme commissioned by NCGE, was presented to the Centre.

In September, at a meeting with the PSI (Psychological Society of Ireland) and the DES it was agreed to implement the Agreement on Psychometric Testing, allowing guidance counsellors to register with the PSI from 2008and to receive a certificate of competence for administering psychometric tests.

Also in September, a steering group was convened to advise NCGE on the practice of counselling by guidance counsellors in post-primary schools, and it is envisaged that research in this area will commence in February 2009.

In November, NCGE convened the first Board of Examiners meeting: the Board approved the internal examiners’ recommendations and learners were advised that they would be receiving a HETAC single subject certificate for completing module 1in early 2008.

Higher Education NCGE coordinated and chaired the meetings of the Initial Trainers of Guidance Counsellors Group, which looks at counselling in schools and guidance counsellors training needs in IT.

Presentations were made by NCGE staff to students on the guidance and counselling training programmes and on the activities of NCGE and the euro|guidance Centre.

NCGE participated in the accreditation board that examined DCU’s proposed Masters in Guidance Counselling.

National Centre for Guidance In Education

NCGE

33—Léargas Annual Report 2007Léargas Annual Report 2007—32

Adult Education NCGE provides coordination, support and evaluation activities to the Adult Educational Guidance Initiative (AEGI). In 2007, training was concentrated on the needs of clients who identified as former residents of designated educational institutions; literacy awareness training; and the guidance coordinator role in strategic planning.

NCGE also reviewed and coordinated creative facilitation training for guidance counsellors, which was facilitated by Partners for Transformation and focused on the development of group work skills with guidance counsellors. NCGE also coordinated the planning and support for the re-development of the AEGI Handbook as an online resource.

NCGE provided PR and advertising support and evaluation to AEGI services. In December, NCGE, on behalf of the AEGI National Advisory Group, convened a Steering Committee to develop a proposal for overarching research on the AEGI in its entirety (2000-2007), and issued a Call for Tenders for this.

Work on the Adult Guidance Management System (client database) continued, including the development of a facility to produce statistical reports linking education categories to the National Framework of Qualifications.

On behalf of the DES, NCGE coordinated the application process for expansion of the AEGI services in2007. The DES allocated funding for an additional guidance counsellor to 12services and for the establishment of two new services in Co Louth and Co Waterford. Support was provided through peer-group meetings for guidance coordinators of services allocated extra funding and visits to new services to meet with management and new AEGI staff.

As a member of the DES Intensive Tuition of Adult Basic Education (ITABE) Advisory Group, NCGE collaborated with the IVEA (Irish Vocational Education Association) National ITABE Coordinator and NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency) to develop Key Area Guidance Guidelines for AEGI services in the area of literacy.

NCGE also coordinated and delivered the Educational Management of Adult Guidance Certificate Course held in Marino Institute of Education and accredited by NUI Maynooth, which was completed by 14 participants in 2007.

Non-Formal EducationNCGE worked with the Further Education Section of the DES to provide guidance support materials for tutors in Youthreach. A representative of NCGE attended the launch of Web Wheel in November.NCGE drafted a submission to the DES on recommendations for guidance in Youthreach and Senior Traveller Training Centres.

Special NeedsIn 2007, NCGE continued to collaborate with AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability) on the steering committee of the Great Expectations project: A Handbook for Guidance Counsellors Working with Students with Disabilities was developed and final workshops for guidance counsellors took place nationwide throughout 2007.

A guidance officer participated in a Cedefop study visit on Autism in the Education System in Slovenia in October2007, and compiled the final report for the group.

NCGE researched best practice, nationally and internationally, in the area of guidance for students with special needs.

European ActivitiesIn 2007, NCGE attended the first meeting of the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN) to which Ireland was admitted with observer status. It also collaborated with the DES and the IGC (Institute of Guidance Counsellors) on the submission of a Country Paper on Guidance in Ireland as part of the Fourth International Symposium on Career Development and Public Policy.

As a euro|guidance Centre, NCGE deals with queries from guidance practitioners, young people, and the general public relating to best practice in guidance, education and guidance systems in European countries, as well as from those seeking information about education and training opportunities in Ireland and in other countries.

In 2007, euro|guidance NCGE participated in two international meetings of the working group responsible for promotion of the network through its new website. It provided consultancy on the development of PLOTEUS II, the second version of the Portal of Learning Opportunities throughout the European Space and updated the Irish links, and appointed an Irish representative to work on the PLOTEUS II Coordination Group.

A number of study visits were hosted by the National Resource Centre for Vocational Guidance (NRCVG) Ireland during 2007, including a group from Sweden in October and Norway in November, while the Academia group visit in March included guidance professionals from Estonia, Finland, France, Norway, Spain and the UK. The NRCVG coordinator undertook a study visit to France.

The euro|guidance coordinator attended euro|guidance network meetings in Brussels and Stockholm and acted as educational representative of the Board of Directors of the Emigrant Advice Network. They also made presentations to students of guidance and counselling courses in universities and colleges in Ireland and attended career fairs and conferences.

NCGE participated in the IPA-coordinated Grundtvig-funded North South project on developing responsiveness to the customer in public service agencies, which resulted in the launch of a report, Responsive Public Services: Redesigning our Agencies as Customer Facing Organisations.

Promotional ActivitiesIn October, The National Guidance Forum final report Guidance for Life: An Integrated Framework for Lifelong Guidance in Ireland, was launched by the Minister for Innovation Policy, Mr Michael Aherne TD, and subsequently distributed to over 2000 people including guidance practitioners and policy-makers, nationally and internationally. NCGE continued to maintain and update the Forum website www.nationalguidanceforum.ie

NCGE News, which provides updated information on activities and developments that are taking place in guidance, was produced twice in 2007. A supplement with information on setting up a careers library was added to the Guidance Counsellor’s Handbook, a resource for post-primary guidance counsellors.

NCGE staff participated in a number of exhibitions and gave presentations to, or participated at, conferences relating to guidance in Ireland and abroad.

Rebranding of the NCGE logo on all promotional material, including exhibition stands, was rolled out.

NCGE


NSEC

In 2007, NSEC continued to develop a programme framework to deliver north-south ministerial objectives around school, youth and teacher cooperation. Following a joint request by the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Education, Northern Ireland, NSEC looked at how the Departments’ priorities in areas of education cooperation: Education for Children with Special Needs, Educational Underachievement, and Teacher Qualifications, could be developed.

NSEC consulted key stakeholders and experts in these three additional fields. Senior staff from the Consortium member organisations also had the opportunity to contribute to the consultation during a residential event held in July.

In November, NSEC presented a final reportto the two Departments outlining a Programme for All-Island Cooperation in Education (PACE) which incorporated the agreed themes of education cooperation.

Throughout 2007, NSEC continued to provide information on north-south funded youth, school and teacher cooperation and to supp0rt and advise organisations involved in north-south cooperation in education.

Activities included a quarterly newsletter, presentations and attendance at key events and conferences. Submissions on behalf of the Consortium were made to key consultation processes including the PEACE III Programme and the St Andrews Agreement Review.

The North South Exchange Consortium

The North South Exchange Consortium (NSEC), established in 2001, examines opportunities for cross-border strategic cooperation between the British Council Northern Ireland, the Youth Council for Northern Ireland and Léargas, and makes recommendations which will contribute to policy development in the area of north-south school and youth cooperative activities.

2007was another busy year for Léargas. Through the programmes that we manage in the formal and non-formal education, youth and training sectors, our aim as always was to enable people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the benefits of transnational learning opportunities.

—36

Learning to Include

The case studies highlighted in this section are just a small sample of those that were supported in 2007, and were chosen because they illustrate one of the year’s priorities: inclusion.

Integration and inclusion are challenges in a multicultural Ireland where many also experience isolation due to disability or social or economic disadvantage.

The projects featured here demonstrate just some of the ways in which projects supported by Léargas helped groups and individuals, young and old, to meet these challenges and learn to include and be included.

An Irish partner, HSE North West, worked with members of the Deaf community in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia to share national experiences and to learn from each other. The problems encountered by the Deaf community and hearing-impaired people are similar throughout Europe: sign language is the first language of Deaf people, which can make communication and integration problematic.

The project hoped to help Deaf and hearing-impaired people in the community break out of their social isolation and develop their social skills. One of the project’s focuses was enabling Deaf citizens to take full advantage of the benefits that new information technologies, such as mobile phones, text messaging, minicoms and the internet, can offer. It also provided opportunities to discover and exchange best practice. For example, after the study visit

to Ireland, the Latvian partner began to work with social policymakers to change legal regulations relating to the Deaf community, improving their employment, social and civic opportunities. The project also produced a number of leaflets, videos, information booklets, and internet resources.

As 2007 was the Year of Equality of Opportunity for All, The European Adult Education Association (EAEA) had invited applications from adult education projects aimed at improving and increasing learners equality of opportunity to the benefits and rewards of full active citizenship and critical democracy. The Deaf are not deaf project was awarded the 2007 Grundtvig Award, a clear acknowledgement of its quality and the innovative work of all the partners in this inclusive endeavour.

Learning to Include

Hearing and Being Heard

The difficulties faced by the Deaf community and hearing-impaired people often mean they are more likely to experience isolation and social exclusion. In 2007, a Grundtvig Learning Partnership Project, The Deaf are not deaf, aimed to raise awareness of issues affecting the Deaf community and their specific social needs.

Léargas Annual Report 2007 37—

European project participants on a visit to Donegal

One of the award winners was St Mary’s College, Arklow, whose entry, Teaching Irish to Foreign National Students within our School Community, aimed to celebrate the school’s multiculturalism through a student-initiated language project.

Seeing the diversity of the school community grow, the Fourth-Year Irish class had wanted to include students of other nationalities in learning Irish, so they devised an Irish class to which they invited foreign national students. In the process the Irish students gained valuable skills in planning and teaching the class, while the foreign national students enjoyed the experience of learning a cúpla focal.

Building on this success, the students extended the project to include a word exchange programme. The Irish class made up flashcards with an Irish word, the phonetics and a picture representing the word on them. These were given to the foreign students who in turn gave them back with the word translated into Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian. Then the words were incorporated into a multilingual chart which was displayed to the whole school. The outcome was that students and teachers throughout the school learned some basic words and phrases such as hello, goodbye and thank you, in the various languages spoken by the school community.

This project is an excellent example of young people working together to build a more inclusive society which recognises the linguistic and cultural diversity of its members. The enthusiasm and motivation of the students involved underlines an increased understanding and sensitivity on the part of young Irish people to the difficulties faced by foreign students in integrating into a new school and culture. Following its success in 2007, it is hoped that the next Transition Year class at St Mary’s will continue this educationally enriching project.

Gaeilge do Gach Éinne


Learning to IncludeLearning to Include


The European Award for Languages–the Language Label emphasised the importance of language learning in creating an inclusive, multicultural society.

The GATEWAY Project, funded by the Leonardo da Vinci programme, was designed to facilitate and encourage the use of assistive technologies (AT) for people with disabilities entering third-level education or the workplace.

Led by the Irish partner, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), groups in France, Ireland, Slovakia and Slovenia wanted to respond to the lack of national or European guidelines for assessing individuals with special learning needs.

The project partners aimed to raise awareness of and provide information on assistive technologies which can help those affected with physical disabilities, visual and hearing impairments or communication impairments reach their full potential academically and in their careers.

When the website was first developed, the Gateway project partners asked the Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT) to help test it to ensure that it was fully accessible and usable for its target audience. The expert consultancy services and facilities offered by the CFIT proved invaluable: the purpose-built user testing facility included features such as the ability to video-record user tests for later analysis, as well as a separate dedicated observation room where developers and website owners could see the user experience at first hand.

The Gateway team was relieved to find that the site worked exactly as the designers had intended and once minor changes had been implemented, the CFIT’s test users gave it the seal of approval.

The website, http://www.gateway2at.orgoffers practical, non-technical advice on assistive technologies; it is unique in that it provides a portal with three virtual doors, creating a single resource for young people with disabilities, guidance practitioners and employers.

Tony Murray, Chairman of the Vision Impaired Computer Society, gives it fulsome praise: ‘It’s the best site I’ve ever evaluated. A valuable and information-rich resource.’

Breaking Down the Barriers

Jenny McCann, Journalist and AT user

Learning to Include


During his two-month electrochemistry traineeship in Tehran, Iran, Joseph was struck by the hospitality and warmth of the Iranian people towards him and the openness with which they welcomed visitors to their country.

‘When I was accepted for an IAESTE traineeship in Iran I was happy, but with a degree of hesitancy. I was totally unsure as what to expect but I came with an open mind and eager anticipation. My stay in Tehran was nothing but enjoyable… and eventful! I can honestly say that I have never before been made to feel as welcome as I was throughout the two months I spent in Iran. From my arrival, I found Iranians to be incredibly hospitable, with strangers often inviting me to dinner the very day we met.

The ruling etiquette of taur’of means politeness is valued, and you must refuse something a number of times before accepting–a lot like Mrs Doyle’s ‘Go on, go on, go on!’ However, it’s very hard not to accept–and people were so hospitable you had to be careful. If you complimented the TV when visiting someone’s house, before you knew it they’d be it strapping it to your car as you left! My traineeship in Tehran went extremely well and I learnt a huge amount. I was lucky that my colleagues spoke English excellently, especially as my Farsi leaves much to be desired. Not many people outside of my work spoke English, but somehow our meanings got across.

Many of my friends in Iran were also involved in IAESTE. They came from Austria, Germany, Greece, Norway, Oman, Scotland, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan and Tunisia, and together we travelled the Caspian Sea region, and visited the beautiful cities of Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd and Kashan.

The highlight though had to be the ancient cities of Persepolis and Pasargarde. Walking through the bazaars of Isfahan (which span for kilometres) we were surprised to find out they were 400-500 years old. While in many of our home countries these would be certified buildings, here they were completely functional, housing banks, shops, doctor’s offices and anything else you can think of.

It was one more lesson in teaching me that Iran’s differences, rich culture and history make it an absolute joy to travel in and experience. What else can I add but that the food’s good too!’

Learning to Include

A Taste of Irish in Iran


Getting experience in the workplace is not just about hard work, as UCD Science student Joseph Grogan discovered when he applied for a traineeship through IAESTE– it can also be about feeling included in a culture very different to your own.

The aim of the Irish Wheelchair Association–Freewheelers’ Youth Exchange Project with a Dutch partner, Franciscusoord, was to share experiences and explore disability through art and culture. Freewheelers and their Dutch counterparts had met at a contact seminar in 2006 where they discussed the possibility of a bilateral exchange.

Once they had developed a project plan and worked out the details of the exchange, two Irish coordinators made a preparatory visit to the Netherlands which proved very useful in ironing out last-minute kinks prior to the exchange itself. A common concern for the ten Irish participants was their experience of social isolation due to access and economic difficulties.

For many, the isolation of living in remote rural locations was compounded by a lack of facilities and little or no contact with other young people.

The group was determined to work hard to overcome the challenges that they face together and support each other in the process.

The exchange, which took place over an eight-day period in September 2007, involved workshops and intercultural activities during which the participants explored issues affecting them all: access; employment, education, and the daily challenges of living with limited mobility.

This informal learning experience gave the participants the chance to try out new things, and by doing so, enhanced their personal development. But the highlight had to have been a visit to Wallaby World Amusement Park, where the Irish participants were thrilled to find that the majority of rides were accessible to them–a truly new and exciting experience!

Life is a RollercoasterFor people with limited mobility, everyday life can present a host of difficulties. What better place to experience life without these barriers than an amusement park?

Joseph with other IAESTE trainees in Iran

Freewheelers preparing for take-off!

By raising awareness of development issues in Irish schools, WorldWise enables Irish students, teachers and communities to gain a deeper insight into different cultures and overcome some of the barriers to inclusion in Ireland’s increasingly multicultural society.

During the 2007-2008school year, St Aloysius College in Carrigtwohill received WorldWise funding to develop its links with Mutito Girls’ Secondary School in Kenya through a project they called LifeLinks. In the past, St Aloysius had fundraised to support the Mutito School which was founded by the same order, the Poor Servants of the Mother of God Sisters.

Initially, the schools were in touch by letter and then by telephone. Together they agreed the project objectives and specific focus areas that applied to the students in both schools: cultural diversity, health and gender equality. At St Aloysius students and teachers developed a cross-curricular approach to exploring these issues. The Music Department worked on African music and dance and the English Department undertook pen-pal writing with Form One students in Mutito.

Two Development Education Workshop Days were held for Transition and Ffth Year students with involvement from Trócaire, Friends of Londiani, Self Help, Beni Oburu, the school’s Music Department and the school Fair Trade group.

One student commented after the Development Education workshops that ‘it was definitely one of the best activity days that we have ever had in the whole five years we have been here. It was very enjoyable because we were so involved.’

St Aloysius College and Mutito Girls’ Secondary School hope to build on the initial success of LifeLinks over the coming years. The groundwork has already been laid to introduce Development Education into the Transition Year programme from September, and in October 2008a whole-school Africa day will take place. Meanwhile a teacher visit is being planned for February 2009 with a student visit later that year. The project organisers see this as just the beginning of what will hopefully be a fruitful relationship: ‘We are introducing ourselves now with a view to working together on some mutually enriching project(s) in the future.’

Pole Pole Ndio Mwendo! (Slowly, slowly wins the race!)

Development education aims to foster the full participation of all citizens in world-wide poverty eradication and the fight against exclusion.

The Arrupe Society is part of the Fr Peter McVerry Trust which works with the young homeless population of Dublin. These young people have been through the care system and already faced significant difficulties in their lives, from racism in their local community to addiction and homelessness, factors that combine to reduce their access to education and employment. Trena Ratcliffe helped the volunteers to choose their projects. ‘It is important,’ Trena says, ‘to find the right project for the right young person at the right time in their life–it is part of a pathway. There are layers and layers of benefits and it can take years for the seed which is planted by EVS to come to fruition.’

The biggest single benefit of EVS, Trena believes, is its capacity for encouraging personal development and building the self-esteem of the young people. One of the volunteers, for example, got a job in Superquinn on his return. The interview panel was very interested in his volunteering experience and particularly impressed that he had spent a month living and working abroad.

Working within a group, the volunteers found they could participate as equals and rid themselves of the ‘disadvantaged’ label. Their experience in a new environment and working with people of different backgrounds helped them to see themselves and their own communities differently. For many, volunteering was the first time that they felt they were contributing to society, rather than being the problem–the former junkie or the young person in care.

They began to ask themselves questions about what they wanted to do with their lives and having experienced a different way of living, were much more confident about making changes. Having found their way around Paris on the Métro or lived independently, even just for a few weeks, in Portugal, can mean the next obstacle life puts in their way is not going to be such a big deal!

Learning to Include

Volunteering— a Pathway!

Working on an environmental farm in France, at a kindergarten in Portugal, with intellectually disabled adults in Germany, on a summer project for the disabled in Spain or a garden art project in Austria–these are just some of the activities which 14 European Voluntary Service (EVS) volunteers from the Arrupe Society were involved in during 2007.


Learning to Include


Image courtesy of Irish Aid

Under the Towards 2016 Partnership Agreement, Léargas has made commitments to customer service and to measuring its performance as an agency. Included in these commitments are measures of grant allocations and successful applications: figures for both are given below. All of the agreed Léargas performance measures are reported on regularly to the Léargas Board and to the Department of Education and Science in our Towards 2016 reports.

This section also provides statistics on the funding levels, numbers of projects, and numbers of participants (as appropriate) for the various programmes in 2007.

One of the Key Performance Indicators that Léargas sets for itself is to aim for80-100% allocation of grant funding. It’s not always possible to achieve 100% funding as some successful applicants may

withdraw their projects in a give year. However, our record for 2007 shows that the organisation is scoring well on this KPI.

In some actions and/or in some years, it is not possible to get 100% success rates for applications because there may not be enough funding available to provide grants to all applicants.

Nevertheless, tracking the approval rate of applications provides us with a measure of the quality of the technical support we provide to project applicants.

Note: 31% of Comenius School Partnership Projects and 22% of Comenius Assistantships were of sufficient quality to receive funding and were placed on a reserve list.

Note: 20% of Grundtvig Learning Partnerships were of sufficient quality to receive funding and were placed on a reserve list.

Note: 18% of Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation Projects were of sufficient quality to receive funding and were placed on a reserve list.

Programme/Action

Comenius East West Study Visits Grundtvig Leonardo da Vinci

Youth WorldWise

Programme/Action

Comenius East West Study Visits

Grundtvig Leonardo da Vinci

Mobility

Leonardo da Vinci

Preparatory Visits

Leonardo da Vinci

Transfer of Innovation

Youth WorldWise

% approved applicants

53 79 100 53 82 100 53 66 93

% funding allocated

96.32 97.77 56.29 98.49 97.97 90 78

Statistics and Performance Indicators Statistics


Summary of Grant Allocations

Percentage of Approved Applications

1 2 3

1 2

3

Statistics


Tracking the numbers of projects and/or beneficiaries across the range of the programme allows us to determine targets for future years. It also allows us to detect correlations between outside events and applications for programme funding, and to track how particular promotions that we carry out in a given year affect numbers in the following year.

Education Service

Comenius Programme

Funding (decentralised activities)

Comenius School Partnership Projects

Comenius Contact Seminars and Preparatory Visits

Comenius Assistantships

Comenius In-Service Training

East West Schools Programme

Funding

East West Projects

East West Contact Seminars and Preparatory Visits

East West Teacher Exchanges

eTwinning

Schools Registered

eTwinning Projects

Study Visits Programme

Funding

Study Visits

Grundtvig Programme

Funding (decentralised activities)

Grundtvig Learning Partnerships

Grundtvig Contact Seminars and Preparatory Visits

Grundtvig In-Service Training

w1,485,532

104

34

22

42

w81,400

20

30

1

128

74

w46,375

19

w318,667

20

21

13


GlossaryStatistics

Glossary


Leonardo da Vinci

Youth Work Service

WorldWise

LdV Mobility Projects

Funding

No. of projects

No. of beneficiaries

LdV Preparatory Visits

Funding

No. of grants

LdV Transfer of Innovation Projects

Funding

No. of projects

Total Managed by Léargas

Youth Exchanges

Youth Initiatives

Youth Democracy

European Voluntary Service

Youth in the World

Youth Support

Youth Policy Seminars

Youth in Action Total

Causeway

NcompasS

Linking Grants

Immersion Grants

Teacher Visit Grants

Total Grants Allocated

No. of Projects

9

21

5

Funding w

14,950

25,350

21,500

61,800

w484,715

17

317

w2,941

3

w2,486,960

9

w2,974,616

No. of Participants

743

216

50

84

221

421

0

1735

321

953

Funding w

284,088

169,384

25,000

778,646

155,964

238,488

0

1,651,570

113,817

27,450

No. of Projects

27

17

1

45

11

38

0

139

13

8

Action

Candidate countries

DfiD

DG EAC

EC

ECML

EEA

EFTA

EU

Euromed

Europass

EVS

FÁS

IAESTE

ICT

Mobility

NCGE

NSEC

Programme

A particular strand of activity that takes place within a programme; for example, in the Youth in Action Programme, Action 2-European Voluntary Service enables young people between 18 and 30 to take part in volunteering projects in other European countries.

Those three countries that have applied to join the European Union: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey.

UK Department for International Development

Directorate General – Education and CultureThe EC body responsible for the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Youth in Action Programme. It also runs Media and Culture programmes.

European Commission

European Centre for Modern Languages

The European Economic Area is an area of free trade and free movement of peoples comprising the Member States of the European Union, as wellas Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The European Free Trade Association is an intergovernmental organisation set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its four Member States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

European Union

Those partner countries in the Mediterranean region that can participate in the Youth in Action Programme: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey

A portfolio of documents allowing individuals to chronicle their experience, skills and qualifications in a consistent presentation to facilitate mobility throughout Europe (European Union, EFTA, EEA and candidate countries).

European Voluntary Services

Foras Áiseanna Saothair, the Training and Employment Authority

International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience

Information and Communication Technologies

In terms of European Commission-funded programmes, this refers to those actionsthat support the exchange of people between countries to facilitate learning about each other’s countries, cultures, best practices, languages, and so on.

National Centre for Guidance in Education in Ireland

North South Exchange Consortium

A DG EAC-funded programme focuses on particular areas within the broad remit of education and culture; for example, vocational education and training is the focus of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. Currently, programmes run for seven years; the DG EAC programmes managed by Léargas are the Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig and Study Visits Programmes (under the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013) and the Youth in Action Programme 2007–2013.

Summary of Accounts

Summary of Accounts 2007


Léargas Board

Eamon Kinch ChairpersonMargaret CondonDept of Education and ScienceAnne Murray Department of Education and ScienceDominica CreanKaren Hannify National Youth Council of IrelandGary KearneyRose MaloneMichael McGrathMarian O’Callaghan PJ Breen

Léargas Staff

EXECUTIVEDIRECTORJim Mullin

VOCATIONALEDUCATIONANDTRAININGSERVICESPat Halley Programme ManagerNoreen MoloneyProgramme Officer Leonardo da Vinci NA2 (to November 2007)Siobhan WallaceProgramme Officer Leonardo da Vinci NA2 (from December 2007)Neil MaherProject Assistant Leonardo da Vinci NA2Olive MooneyAdministrator Leonardo da Vinci NA2 Fiona CrokeProject Officer Leonardo da Vinci NA1Elva DugganProject Officer Leonardo da Vinci NA1

Brigid KellyProject Assistant Leonardo da Vinci NA1Gráinne CarleyAdministrator Leonardo da Vinci NA1 (from December 2007)Charis HughesIAESTE Exchange OfficerJohn Moriarty ICT Project Officer Leonardo da Vinci

EDUCATIONSERVICELorraine McDyerProgramme Manager Denise ShannonComenius In-Service, Multilateral Projects and Networks, Grundtvig Partnerships, In-Service, Multilateral Projects and NetworksMarie HeraughtyComenius Partnerships, Assistantships, Key Activity 2, European Language Label, EDL, ECML (to March 2007)Lisa FoxComenius Partnerships, Assistantships, Key Activity 2, European Language Label, EDL, ECML (from June 2007)Jeanette SaundersComenius Partnerships, AssistantshipsIvanna D’ArcyEuropean Language Label, EDL, ECML, LLP AdministrationTara StoreyLLP Information and Dissemination, East-West Schools, Ex-Arion Study Visits (June-November 2007)

May DiamondComenius In-Service, Grundtvig Partnerships, Grundtvig In-ServiceKay O’Regan eTwinningRonan Ivory Finance OfficerKathleen CareyEducation Services Administration

YOUTHWORKSERVICEDes BurkeProgramme ManagerLorraine GilliganTraining and Evaluation, Actions 4&5, CausewayPatricia DaltonActions1&3, CausewayConor D’ArcyAction 2, CausewayEva CreeleyNcompasSMalgorzata Fiedot-DaviesEurodesk CoordinatorEmmanuelle GuyotFinance OfficerCarlos BarceloAdministratorEmma GraingerAdministrative Assistant

WORLDWISESamuel FoxProject OfficerMary McCarthy Education OfficerAlthea O’Sullivan Project Assistant

CENTRALSERVICESFionnuala BroughanInformation and Knowledge Manager, WorldWise Programme ManagerAnn RyanActing Accounts Officer

Kathleen AhearnActing Financial Assistant (from July 2007)Elaine KinsellaPA to Executive Director (to August 2007)Naoise ByrnePA to Executive Director (from November 2007)Brenda O’SheaReceptionistJimmy AdamsCaretaker

NATIONALCENTREFORGUIDANCEINEDUCATIONEileen FitzpatrickDirectorJennifer McKenzieNational CoordinatorAdult GuidanceLinda DarbeyActing Guidance Programme Coordinator Hilary LynchGuidance OfficerUrsula KearneyGuidance OfficerShivaun GallagherInformation OfficerJames Hogan Administrative OfficerClare Bergin Administrative Assistant

NORTHSOUTHEXCHANGECONSORTIUMTommy FeganDirectorSimon O’HareResearch OfficerAnn MartinInformation OfficerMaria O’Sullivan Administrator

Board and Staff

The Léargas Board and Staff


Youth Work Service

Education Service

Vocational Education and Training

Lifelong LearningProgramme

Bursary Movements

Operational Accounts

Balance as at 01/01/07@

Grants Received In Year @

Other IncomeIn Year @

Grants PaidIn Year @

Balance as at31/12/07@

2,011,788 1,511,726 40,395 1,786,245 1,777,663

1,149,790 -15,611 16,373 209,089 941,463

2,909,484 1,687,100 59,164 2,429,958 2,225,789

0 3,420,766 0 0 3,420,766

6,071,062 6,603,981 115,932 4,425,293 8,365,682

0

Surplus (Deficit) @

Youth Work Service

Education Service

Vocational Education and Training Service

NCGE

WorldWise - Irish Aid

Miscellaneous Projects

Income @

930,243

1,152,311

1,063,054

884,602

138,687

102,613

4,271,510

Expenditure @

930,243

1,151,611

1,063,054

875,928

138,687

77,490

4,237,013

700

0

8,674

0

25,123

34,497

Participants

Programme Participants


A1-Sight & SoundAbbey Community CollegeAIESEC in IrelandAisling ArannAmnesty InternationalAn Cosán, The Shanty Educational Project LtdAn Ghleanna Mhóir SNAn MhodhscoilAn Sanctóir Ltd APA Youth GroupAqua-TT UETP LtdArdeen Cheshire HomeArdkeeran NSArdscoil Rís SS LimerickArklow Community CollegeArrupe SocietyArts for Peace FoundationAshbourne Community SchoolAthboy Community SchoolAthlone Institute of TechnologyAtlantic View CDP

Ball ProjectBallapousta NSBallinteer Community School SCPBallybeg Special Youth ProjectBallyboughal NSBallyfermot CFEBallyfermot Youth ServiceBallymun Adult Read and Write Scheme LtdBallymun Job Centre Cooperative LtdBallyroan BNSBallythomas NSBandon Grammer SchoolBangor Erris NSBantry & Dunmanway SCPBantry Youth CaféBayside Junior SchoolBelvedere College SJBlackrock CollegeBoomerang Productions LtdBoys’ School AthenryBoys’ School GraignamanaghBradóg Regional Youth ServiceBray Adult Learning CentreBrigidine Secondary School SligoBRYRBunscoil Mhuire

Cabinteely Community SchoolCaherleaheen NSCamolin NSCarlow Regional Youth ServiceCarnaun NSCarramore NSCarrick NSCarrigaline Youth InitiativeCarrowholly NSCashel School Castleblayney CollegeCastleconnell NSCastleknock College

Castleknock Educate Together NSCastlerock NSCastletroy CollegeCatholic Primary School Management AssociationCBS O’ConnellCCVEC Cork College of CommerceCCVEC St. John’s Central College of Further Education and TrainingCDVEC Ballsbridge College of Further EducationCDVEC Ballyfermot College of Further EducationCDVEC Coláiste Dhúlaigh College of Further EducationCDVEC Coláiste Íde College of Further EducationCDVEC Inchicore College of Further EducationCháirde Social ActionChester Beatty LibraryChurch of Ireland Board of EducationCity of Limerick VECClean Technology Centre Cló Ceardlann na gCnocClocha Rince NSCLVEC Limerick Senior CollegeCnoc an TeampaillCo Cork VECCo Donegal VECCo Mayo VECCo Sligo VECCo Westmeath VECCo Wexford Partnership LtdCo Wexford VEC Enniscorthy Vocational CollegeCo Wicklow VECCobh Community CollegeCoill Dubh NSColáiste an ChraoibhinColáiste BhrídeColáiste Bráithre PhádraigColáiste ChiaráinColáiste CholmcilleColáiste Chraobh AbhannColáiste Chríost RíColáiste LorcainColáiste MhichilColáiste na CoiribeColáiste Naomh CormacColáiste Stiofáin NaofaComharchumann Chléire Teo ComhlámhConfey CollegeCooneal NSCOPE FoundationCopernicusCork County CouncilCork County EnergyCork Insitute of TechnologyCork Prison Education ServiceCorpus Christi SchoolCourtnacuddy NSCrana CollegeCreeslough NSCrooked House Theatre Company LtdCushinstown NS

D8CECDarndale Belcamp Resource Centre-Media Initiative CollectiveDeansrath Community CollegeDeerpark CBSDepartment of Education and ScienceDepaul Trust (Ireland) LtdDerryquay NSDigital Hub Development AgencyDiocese of Elphin & Ardagh YouthDivine Word Primary SchoolDominican CollegeDonabate/Portrane Educate Together NSDouglas Community SchoolDrimnagh CastleDrogheda African GroupDrumcondra NSDrumlease NSDrumreilly Foróige ClubDublin City UniversityDublin Institute of TechnologyDunhill NSDun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology Dunshaughlin Community College

Education Development Office South EastEmper Youth GroupEnterprise Research Centre, University of LimerickEsker NS

Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association Ltd (FTMTA)FÁSFastrack Into Information Technology LtdFatima and Felim’s Secondary SchoolFDYS EnniscorthyFishbowl Youth ClubFuinneamh

Gaelcoláiste na MaraGaelcoláiste Chill DaraGaelscoil BharraGaelscoil BheanntraíGaelscoil Chnoc na RéGaelscoil na CamóigeGaelscoil Thomáis DaibhisGairmscoil Chú UladhGalvone NSGalway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT)Geesala NSGlasnevin Educate Together NSGlenans Irish Sailing ClubGlenasmole NSGlenbeag Youth ClubGlencree Centre for Peace and ReconciliationGlenstal Abbey SchoolGort Community SchoolGreenmount NS

Henrietta Street SchoolHoly Angels NS

Holy Child Pre-SchoolHoly Faith ClontarfHoly Family BNSHoly Family Junior SchoolHoly Family Special SchoolHSE South Cork University Hospital

IACI NetworkInchicore NSInnovaWood LtdInkwell Youth GroupInstitute of Technology TraleeIntegrate Ireland Language and TrainingInteresource Group (Ireland) LtdIrish Association of Supported Employment (IASE)Irish Deaf Youth AssociationIrish Musuem of Modern ArtIrish National Teachers’ OrganisationIrish Primary Principals’ NetworkIrish Quality CentreIrish Wheelchair AssociationIrish Youth and Media OrganisationISWECA

Jesus and Mary Secondary SchoolJohn F. Kennedy Memorial SchoolJohnstown/Fertagh Youth Group

Kerry Education ServicesKilanerin NSKilcoe NSKildare Education CentreKilkea NSKingscourt YouthreachKingsland Primary SchoolKingsriver CommunityKWCD Partnership Ltd

Lanesboro Community CollegeLaurel Hill Coláiste FCJLetterkenny General HospitalLetterkenny Youth Information CentreLimerick City CouncilLimerick Educate Together NSLimerick Institute of TechnologyLM Ericsson LtdLongford Community ResourcesLoreto Abbey Secondary SchoolLoreto College CavanLoreto Community SchoolLoreto Primary SchoolLoreto Secondary SchoolLucan Educate Together

Magh Ene CollegeMARDIMaria Auxiliatrix Marino CollegeMarino SchoolMary Immaculate Secondary SchoolMater Dei Primary School

Mayfield Community Arts CentreMcHale CollegeMeánscoil Iognáid Rís CBSMeath PartnershipMercy CollegeMercy Mounthawk Secondary SchoolMercy Secondary School KerryMilford Community Youth ProjectMoate Business College of Further EducationModern Languages in Primary Schools InitiativeMonageer NSMonaghan Collegiate CollegeMonaghan Institute of Further Educationand Training (MIFET)Moneystown NSMOREMI Foróige ClubMother of Divine Grace Primary SchoolMount Sackville Secondary SchoolMoville Community CollegeMuckross Park CollegeMuine Bheag Vocational SchoolMuintearasMullingar Training Development Agency

National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA)National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE)National College of Art and Design (NCAD)National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)National Council for Special Education (NCSE)National Council for the Blind of IrelandNational Council for Vocational Awards Support ServiceNational Educational Psychological ServiceNational Institute for the Study of Learning DifficultiesNational Learning NetworkNational Parents Council PrimaryNational Traveller MABSNational University of Ireland GalwayNavan Education CentreNeighbourhood Youth Project 2Nenagh Community NetworkNewcastle West Community CouncilNewpark Comprehensive SchoolNewtown NSNexus Europe (lreland) LtdNorth Presentation Primary SchoolNorth Presentation Secondary SchoolNorth Tipperary VECNorthampton NS

O’Connell’s Primary SchoolO’Dwyer Cheshire HomeOld Bawn Community SchoolOssory YouthOur Lady of Mercy Convent SchoolOur Lady’s Hospital Special School

Ovens NSOylegate Youth Club

Pobalscoil Chorca DhuibhnePobalscoil Inbhear ScéinePobalscoil IosoldePortmarnock Community SchoolPresentation Primary School George’s HillPresentation Secondary School

Queen of Angels Primary SchoolQuilty National School

Raheen Wood SchoolRamelton Community Youth ProjectRamsgrange Community SchoolRathfredagh Cheshire HomeRichmond Cheshire HomeRockbrook Park SchoolRosses Community SchoolRoyal and Prior Comprehensive SchoolRylane National School

Sacred Heart SchoolSalesian College CelbridgeSan Carlo Primary SchoolSandymount SchoolScartleigh NSSchull Community CollegeScoil Áine NaofaScoil an Chroí NaofaScoil An Spioraid NaoimhScoil Bhríde CroghanScoil BhrídeScoil CarmelScoil ChaitríonaScoil Chaitríona NaofaScoil Chaitríona SeniorScoil Choca NaofaScoil Cholmcille LetterkennyScoil Chríost RíScoil Chroí Ró NaofaScoil Chros tSeainScoil Cnoc MhuireScoil Colmcille NaofaScoil Éanna CBSScoil EimearScoil Eoin Pól Loch an IuirScoil FhursaScoil ÍdeScoil Iósaif NaofaScoil Mhichil NaofaScoil Mhuire BanríonScoil Mhuire Gan Smal BuachaillíScoil Mhuire NS CorkScoil Mhuire DungarvanScoil Mhuire GalwayScoil Mhuire KildareScoil Mhuire MarinoScoil Mhuire SandymountScoil Mhuire TullamoreScoil Mhuire Waterford

51—Accounts and StatisticsLéargas Annual Report 2007

Participants


Scoil na Maighdine MhuireScoil Náisiúnta IniscealtrachScoil Naomh AnnaScoil Naomh FiachraScoil Naomh FionánScoil Naomh FursaScoil Naomh LorcainScoil Naomh MhuireScoil NeasainScoil OilibhéirScoil Phádraig NaofaScoil Uí MhuiríSeamount CollegeShanbally NSShelagh Primary SchoolSimon CommunitySkyview Youth ClubSlatefield NSSmashing Times Theatre Company LtdSN Cnoc Na ManachSN Mhuire NaofaSouthside Local Employment Service NetworkSphere 17 St Aidan’s Community SchoolSt Aidan’s Comprehensive SchoolSt Aidan’s Primary SchoolSt Aloysius CarrigtwohillSt Andrew’s Resource CentreSt Angela’s NSSt Angela’s Ursuline ConventSt Attracta’s Senior NSSt Baithin’s NSSt Brendan’s NSSt Brigid’s NSSt Brigid’s Special SchoolSt Catherine’s NS St Ciarán’s Community School St Colman’s BNSSt Colman’s CollegeSt Colmcille’s 49th Venturer Scout GroupSt Colmcille’s Junior NSSt Colmcille’s Primary SchoolSt Columba’s AcresSt Columba’s NSSt Columba’s School with Facility for Deaf ChildrenSt Conleth’s NSSt Cronan’s Senior NSSt Cuan’s NSSt David’s CBSSt David’s NSSt Declan’s NSSt Dominic’s Secondary SchoolSt Eithne’s GNSSt Ernan’s NSSt Fanahan’s CollegeSt Fiacc’s NSSt Fursey’s NSSt Gabriel’s SchoolSt George’s NSSt Goban’s CollegeSt James’ Hospital

St John of God Menni ServicesSt John’s NSSt Joseph’s CBSSt Joseph’s Mercy Primary SchoolSt Joseph’s NSSt Joseph’s Primary SchoolSt Joseph’s School for the Visually ImpairedSt Joseph’s Secondary SchoolSt Kevin’s SchoolSt Kilian’s Deutsche SchuleSt Laurence Cheshire HomeSt Louis Secondary School MonaghanSt Louise De Marillac NSSt Margaret’s NSSt Martin de Porres NSSt Mary’s AcademySt Mary’s Centre for the Visually ImpairedSt Mary’s BNSSt Mary’s Central NSSt Mary’s CollegeSt Mary’s Convent Primary SchoolSt Mary’s Holy Faith Secondary SchoolSt Mary’s NSSt Mary’s on the Hill NSSt Mary’s Secondary SchoolSt Mary’s Star of the Sea BNSSt Mary’s TullamoreSt Michael’s Boys’ SchoolSt Michael’s House SchoolSt Michael’s Infant SchoolSt Michael’s NSSt Nessan’s Community CollegeSt Nicholas Montessori CollegeSt Oliver Plunkett’s NSSt Patrick’s Boys’ NSSt Patrick’s CollegeSt Patrick’s GNSSt Patrick’s Infants SchoolSt Patrick’s Junior School SkerriesSt Patrick’s NSSt Paul’s Community CollegeSt Paul’s NSSt Paul’s Secondary SchoolSt Paul’s Senior NSSt Peter Apostle Senior NSSt Peter’s College Secondary SchoolSt Peter’s NSSt Riaghan’s NSSt Ronan’s NSSt Saviour’s NSSt Seachnall’s NSSt Stephen’s NSSt Theresa’s NSSt Tiernan’s Community SchoolSt Joseph’s Girls’ NSSt Lachteen’s NSStonetown SchoolStraffan NSSupply Network Shannon Ltd

Talbot Senior NSTallaght Partnership

Tallaght Youth TheatreTarbert Comprehensive SchoolTeagascTech Amergin Community Education CentreTemple Bar Cultural TrustTenters Drama GroupThe Downs NSTrue Teens GroupThomastown Steiner SchoolTipperary InstituteTirhugh Resource CentreTubber NSTullamore CollegeTullylease NS

University College Cork University College DublinUniversity of LimerickUrsuline Secondary School

Virginia CollegeVoluntary Service International (VSI)

Waterford Adult Learning SchemeWaterford Educate Together NSWaterford Institute of TechnologyWaterford One World CentreWaterford Youth ArtsWestern Business and Innovation Centre (WESTBIC) Wexford Area PartnershipWhitecross Primary SchoolWicklow Further Education CentreWilson’s Hospital SchoolWoodlands NSWork Research Centre Ltd

YMCA BallincolligYMCA BantryYMCA CorkYoung People for a United WorldYouth Group of WexfordYouth Work Ireland