To find out more about GIVE please find us onwww.facebook.com/LITGIVE,www.twitter.com/LITGIVE or email us at give@lit.ie

elcome to the 2012/2013 issue of the GIVENewsletter. It has been an exciting and busyyear in GIVE, with our memberscontributing even more voluntary hours tothe local community.

The GIVE programme is an opportunity for LIT students togive their time to worthwhile volunteering projects both onand off campus. GIVE members select the projects and timecommitment that suits their lives and join a community ofvolunteers who are committed to giving back to society.GIVE recognises the commitment from our members and inMay of each year a Commendation Ceremony is held oncampus. At this event students are presented with a personalcommendation from Dr. Maria Hinfelaar, President of LIT.Interested in joining the GIVE team? To learn more visit us atwww.Facebook.com/LITGIVE, www.Twitter.com/LITGIVE orsend an email to give@lit.ie. Let’s make a difference together!

W

LIT Access Service

In this issue...Page 1• Welcome to this edition• GIVE on the Big Screen

Page 2• GO 4IT Overview• It’s all a piece of Cake...!• GO 4IT at the Movies

Page 3• Limerick Lifelong Learning

Festival• Want to join our team of

Ambassadors?

Page 4• GIVE Members are top of

the class• LAA & GIVE join forces

GIVE on the Big ScreenGIVE has finally made its big screen debut with thepremier of the GIVE Promotional Clip. This truly was ateam effort, with GIVE volunteers filling every role requiredto bring our vision to the screen. Check out the GIVE clipat www.lit.ie/access/give but not before you read whatExecutive Producer & GIVE member Drew Murphy had tosay; When we were asked to help with the making of apromotional video for GIVE, I don’t think we had any ideajust how much fun it would be. All the work that was putinto making the GIVE superhero costume, writing the scriptand the hours that went into filming it paid off immensely.Everybody who was involved had such a good time, andto be part of something that showcased the excellentservices provided by GIVE was a fantastic opportunity andsomething that we will all remember for a long time. Notonly did the video provide an informative background tothe work done by GIVE, it was also an opportunity for thevolunteers to be reminded just how valuable they are.Congratulations to everyone! It was a great success, can'twait to get back into it next year!Further volunteer thoughts..“Such brilliant craic and I really enjoyed every minute ofit from start to finish. I loved being able to try new skillsand I gained great confidence. As for my acting skills... Idefinitely see an Oscar in my future.” (Aileen O Brien,GIVE Member) “Working on the video was loads of fun, even the dizzinessof the multiple attempts at the spinning part at the end!Glad I agreed to be Billy!” (Luke McAndrew, GIVEMember)

GIVE Members are Top of the ClassThe LIT GIVE project recognises the importance of providing engaging and enjoyable training opportunities for our volunteers.Here is a taste of just two of the opportunities for learning and development that our members availed of in 2012/2013.

Facilitation and Group Work Skills TrainingA group of GIVE volunteers embarked on a four day training programme which aimed to facilitate the professional developmentof the participants by enhancing their leadership and facilitation skills and knowledge. The programme was highly participativewith a strong emphasis on experiential learning. Each of the four days involved group discussion, exercises and role-play,feedback sessions, skills development and presentations. The programme was an enjoyable way of learning how to workeffectively with groups and each volunteer got an opportunity to enhance their new skills by facilitating a group during thetraining. This learning was really put to the test when the newly-trained group facilitators volunteered their time for the MatureStudent Orientation programme. GIVE members worked with two groups of incoming students and facilitated the process ofintroductions and team building activities. GIVE volunteers had a fantastic day stretching their new skills and abilities. Thelearning continued as some members of the training programme undertook further training to become proficient in deliveringGIVE inductions for new volunteer members. Overall, it was an exciting and rewarding year for our new group facilitators. “Asa mature student, I thought I would NEVER have the confidence or ability to facilitate a group. After my group work skillstraining, I now say WHEN will I next get to be a group facilitator" (Jackie Kearney, GIVE Member).

Volunteers are FrontrunnersArticle by Aileen O Brien , GIVE MemberGIVE volunteers were given the opportunity to attend the fourday Frontrunner programme in Cork. Frontrunner is run byCommon Purpose which is an independent, non-profit,educational organisation, which aims to improve the waysociety works. The Frontrunner programme was a uniqueopportunity to develop lasting leadership skills for futurecareers. There were thirty- four students from seven highereducation institutions in attendance. The first day includedintroductions, an overview of the programme and someinteractive ice breakers. It was a fantastic opportunity for GIVEmembers to meet with students from other colleges and makenew contacts. Throughout the programme there were guestspeakers, including Paschal Sheehy (RTE News), Anne O’Leary(Executive Chairperson, Kinematic), Brendan Keating (ChiefExecutive, Port of Cork), all of whom were generous with theirtime and what they shared with the participants. During theinteractive and engaging four days there were team challengesto complete. One such challenge saw the participants visit siteswhere they got to interview different directors. This programmeis excellent. It really helped me as a person and has led me togrow as a leader. Every part of the programme had a purposeand each and every minute of it was very enjoyable andexciting. Meeting leaders from different sectors has shown methat everyone has to start somewhere. I would truly recommendthe Frontrunner programme. It is an amazing opportunity andvery worthwhile.

LAA & GIVE Join ForcesArticle by Jennifer Stritch, Lecturer in Social Care

The Leadership and Advocacy (LAA) programme at LITbegan in 2009 as a joint effort between the Department ofHumanities Social Care course and organisations thatsupport individuals with disabilities. Facilitated byMartina Neylon and managed by LIT Lifelong Learning, agroup of adults with intellectual disabilities come to LITon a weekly basis to explore topics such as human rights,advocacy, independent living, communications, goal-setting and relationships. In the past four years we havehad over fifty Social Care students attending theLeadership classes on Friday mornings, and the feedbackhas been overwhelmingly positive. Current 2nd yearSocial Care student and GIVE member Susie Lewisrecommends getting involved with LAA. “I learned somuch from being an LAA co-learner this year. Being withsuch a wonderful group of people, learning new skills andhelping others learn has been very rewarding. Alsolaughing for a few hours every Friday morning has beenamazing!"2013 has been a real milestone for Leadership andAdvocacy. The course was run at the LIT Thurles campusfor the first time, and it was shortlisted for a nationalAONTAS Star Award. Leadership and Advocacy II, afollow-on course for graduates of LAA I, has been runningsince January at the Moylish campus with the focus oncommunications and public presentations for advocacy.One of the biggest developments this year has been thatSocial Care students who volunteer as LAA co-learnerscan now use those hours towards GIVE awards. Apositive step forward for both programmes

14A massive thank you to all the amazing GIVE volunteers and LIT staff who made the production of this GIVE Newsletter possible.

Guided In it iative in Voluntary Engagement

204485 LIT A3 to A4:Layout 1 15/05/2013 10:09 Page 1

32

Go4IT Programme update...

In March 2013, GIVE volunteers assisted theAccess Service in organising and running an eventto celebrate the Limerick Lifelong LearningFestival. A workshop entitled ‘Confidence MadeEasy’ was open to the public. The aim of the eventwas to show participants how to boost theirconfidence in everyday life. The event wasthoroughly enjoyed and very well attended.

Want to join our team ofAmbassadors?GIVE Ambassadors are volunteers whogive their time to meet with potentialstudents and share with them theirexperiences of third level education.During the 2012/2013 academic year, theGIVE Ambassadors assisted with thehosting of Coffee Mornings for those whoare contemplating a return to education.GIVE Ambassadors predominantlyvolunteer on campus and training isprovided . For more information contactgive@lit.ie .

GO 4IT at the Movies Article by Kim Mulcahy, GIVE Volunteer

GO 4IT OverviewThe aim of the GO 4IT programme is to support young peoplefrom the Northside Regeneration areas of St. Munchin’s andMoyross who have academic potential but are frombackgrounds where there is limited tradition of third leveleducation. Over the years of this successful programme, wehave found that GO 4IT and GIVE has been a winningcombination. The GO 4IT participants get to meet withcurrent college students and learn about college life and howthey can work towards a place in LIT for themselves. Equally,the GIVE volunteers get to have endless amounts of fun andlearn about life in primary and second level education. TheGO 4IT education initiative engages with young people from6th class in primary level to 6th year in second level so thereare an abundance of different projects for GIVE volunteers toget involved in. Take a look at a sample of GO 4IT activitiesbelow.

It’s all a piece of cake...!There was plenty of fun in the kitchen when GO 4IT and GIVEjoined forces to get baking! This activity took place with theGO4IT participants from Transition/Fifth year and their GIVEMentors. This is the second year that the mentoringrelationship has been on-going and the mentors assist theirmentees as they plan for their very bright futures. The entiregroup let their creativity run wild as they explored the endlesspossibilities for the future through the medium of cakedecorating. Each mentor/mentee pair had to tell the story oftheir future dreams/plans through their culinary creations.Every detail on their cake needed to signify something in theirpresent or future and they all shared their stories with thegroup.

The 2012/2013 movie making project has been created, castedand crewed by the first year Go4IT participants under the expertguidance of Nora NiFhlatharta and the Video and Sound Tech-nology students. Their star-studded production this year is entitled"Cyclops".Many sessions took place before moving production to the set inthe Millennium Theatre. Filming was completed in mid-Februaryand was followed by the "Wrap Party" enjoyed by cast and crew.This year for the first time the GO 4IT participants have decidedto put their own unique mark on the production and have addedanimations to their movie. For all involved, it has been great funand incredibly beneficial for developing communication and or-ganisational skills. Some participants have even developed a flarefor movie making. Watch out, Steven Spielberg!

204485 LIT A3 to A4:Layout 1 15/05/2013 10:09 Page 2

32

Go4IT Programme update...

In March 2013, GIVE volunteers assisted theAccess Service in organising and running an eventto celebrate the Limerick Lifelong LearningFestival. A workshop entitled ‘Confidence MadeEasy’ was open to the public. The aim of the eventwas to show participants how to boost theirconfidence in everyday life. The event wasthoroughly enjoyed and very well attended.

Want to join our team ofAmbassadors?GIVE Ambassadors are volunteers whogive their time to meet with potentialstudents and share with them theirexperiences of third level education.During the 2012/2013 academic year, theGIVE Ambassadors assisted with thehosting of Coffee Mornings for those whoare contemplating a return to education.GIVE Ambassadors predominantlyvolunteer on campus and training isprovided . For more information contactgive@lit.ie .

GO 4IT at the Movies Article by Kim Mulcahy, GIVE Volunteer

GO 4IT OverviewThe aim of the GO 4IT programme is to support young peoplefrom the Northside Regeneration areas of St. Munchin’s andMoyross who have academic potential but are frombackgrounds where there is limited tradition of third leveleducation. Over the years of this successful programme, wehave found that GO 4IT and GIVE has been a winningcombination. The GO 4IT participants get to meet withcurrent college students and learn about college life and howthey can work towards a place in LIT for themselves. Equally,the GIVE volunteers get to have endless amounts of fun andlearn about life in primary and second level education. TheGO 4IT education initiative engages with young people from6th class in primary level to 6th year in second level so thereare an abundance of different projects for GIVE volunteers toget involved in. Take a look at a sample of GO 4IT activitiesbelow.

It’s all a piece of cake...!There was plenty of fun in the kitchen when GO 4IT and GIVEjoined forces to get baking! This activity took place with theGO4IT participants from Transition/Fifth year and their GIVEMentors. This is the second year that the mentoringrelationship has been on-going and the mentors assist theirmentees as they plan for their very bright futures. The entiregroup let their creativity run wild as they explored the endlesspossibilities for the future through the medium of cakedecorating. Each mentor/mentee pair had to tell the story oftheir future dreams/plans through their culinary creations.Every detail on their cake needed to signify something in theirpresent or future and they all shared their stories with thegroup.

The 2012/2013 movie making project has been created, castedand crewed by the first year Go4IT participants under the expertguidance of Nora NiFhlatharta and the Video and Sound Tech-nology students. Their star-studded production this year is entitled"Cyclops".Many sessions took place before moving production to the set inthe Millennium Theatre. Filming was completed in mid-Februaryand was followed by the "Wrap Party" enjoyed by cast and crew.This year for the first time the GO 4IT participants have decidedto put their own unique mark on the production and have addedanimations to their movie. For all involved, it has been great funand incredibly beneficial for developing communication and or-ganisational skills. Some participants have even developed a flarefor movie making. Watch out, Steven Spielberg!

204485 LIT A3 to A4:Layout 1 15/05/2013 10:09 Page 2

To find out more about GIVE please find us onwww.facebook.com/LITGIVE,www.twitter.com/LITGIVE or email us at give@lit.ie

elcome to the 2012/2013 issue of the GIVENewsletter. It has been an exciting and busyyear in GIVE, with our memberscontributing even more voluntary hours tothe local community.

The GIVE programme is an opportunity for LIT students togive their time to worthwhile volunteering projects both onand off campus. GIVE members select the projects and timecommitment that suits their lives and join a community ofvolunteers who are committed to giving back to society.GIVE recognises the commitment from our members and inMay of each year a Commendation Ceremony is held oncampus. At this event students are presented with a personalcommendation from Dr. Maria Hinfelaar, President of LIT.Interested in joining the GIVE team? To learn more visit us atwww.Facebook.com/LITGIVE, www.Twitter.com/LITGIVE orsend an email to give@lit.ie. Let’s make a difference together!

W

LIT Access Service

In this issue...Page 1• Welcome to this edition• GIVE on the Big Screen

Page 2• GO 4IT Overview• It’s all a piece of Cake...!• GO 4IT at the Movies

Page 3• Limerick Lifelong Learning

Festival• Want to join our team of

Ambassadors?

Page 4• GIVE Members are top of

the class• LAA & GIVE join forces

GIVE on the Big ScreenGIVE has finally made its big screen debut with thepremier of the GIVE Promotional Clip. This truly was ateam effort, with GIVE volunteers filling every role requiredto bring our vision to the screen. Check out the GIVE clipat www.lit.ie/access/give but not before you read whatExecutive Producer & GIVE member Drew Murphy had tosay; When we were asked to help with the making of apromotional video for GIVE, I don’t think we had any ideajust how much fun it would be. All the work that was putinto making the GIVE superhero costume, writing the scriptand the hours that went into filming it paid off immensely.Everybody who was involved had such a good time, andto be part of something that showcased the excellentservices provided by GIVE was a fantastic opportunity andsomething that we will all remember for a long time. Notonly did the video provide an informative background tothe work done by GIVE, it was also an opportunity for thevolunteers to be reminded just how valuable they are.Congratulations to everyone! It was a great success, can'twait to get back into it next year!Further volunteer thoughts..“Such brilliant craic and I really enjoyed every minute ofit from start to finish. I loved being able to try new skillsand I gained great confidence. As for my acting skills... Idefinitely see an Oscar in my future.” (Aileen O Brien,GIVE Member) “Working on the video was loads of fun, even the dizzinessof the multiple attempts at the spinning part at the end!Glad I agreed to be Billy!” (Luke McAndrew, GIVEMember)

GIVE Members are Top of the ClassThe LIT GIVE project recognises the importance of providing engaging and enjoyable training opportunities for our volunteers.Here is a taste of just two of the opportunities for learning and development that our members availed of in 2012/2013.

Facilitation and Group Work Skills TrainingA group of GIVE volunteers embarked on a four day training programme which aimed to facilitate the professional developmentof the participants by enhancing their leadership and facilitation skills and knowledge. The programme was highly participativewith a strong emphasis on experiential learning. Each of the four days involved group discussion, exercises and role-play,feedback sessions, skills development and presentations. The programme was an enjoyable way of learning how to workeffectively with groups and each volunteer got an opportunity to enhance their new skills by facilitating a group during thetraining. This learning was really put to the test when the newly-trained group facilitators volunteered their time for the MatureStudent Orientation programme. GIVE members worked with two groups of incoming students and facilitated the process ofintroductions and team building activities. GIVE volunteers had a fantastic day stretching their new skills and abilities. Thelearning continued as some members of the training programme undertook further training to become proficient in deliveringGIVE inductions for new volunteer members. Overall, it was an exciting and rewarding year for our new group facilitators. “Asa mature student, I thought I would NEVER have the confidence or ability to facilitate a group. After my group work skillstraining, I now say WHEN will I next get to be a group facilitator" (Jackie Kearney, GIVE Member).

Volunteers are FrontrunnersArticle by Aileen O Brien , GIVE MemberGIVE volunteers were given the opportunity to attend the fourday Frontrunner programme in Cork. Frontrunner is run byCommon Purpose which is an independent, non-profit,educational organisation, which aims to improve the waysociety works. The Frontrunner programme was a uniqueopportunity to develop lasting leadership skills for futurecareers. There were thirty- four students from seven highereducation institutions in attendance. The first day includedintroductions, an overview of the programme and someinteractive ice breakers. It was a fantastic opportunity for GIVEmembers to meet with students from other colleges and makenew contacts. Throughout the programme there were guestspeakers, including Paschal Sheehy (RTE News), Anne O’Leary(Executive Chairperson, Kinematic), Brendan Keating (ChiefExecutive, Port of Cork), all of whom were generous with theirtime and what they shared with the participants. During theinteractive and engaging four days there were team challengesto complete. One such challenge saw the participants visit siteswhere they got to interview different directors. This programmeis excellent. It really helped me as a person and has led me togrow as a leader. Every part of the programme had a purposeand each and every minute of it was very enjoyable andexciting. Meeting leaders from different sectors has shown methat everyone has to start somewhere. I would truly recommendthe Frontrunner programme. It is an amazing opportunity andvery worthwhile.

LAA & GIVE Join ForcesArticle by Jennifer Stritch, Lecturer in Social Care

The Leadership and Advocacy (LAA) programme at LITbegan in 2009 as a joint effort between the Department ofHumanities Social Care course and organisations thatsupport individuals with disabilities. Facilitated byMartina Neylon and managed by LIT Lifelong Learning, agroup of adults with intellectual disabilities come to LITon a weekly basis to explore topics such as human rights,advocacy, independent living, communications, goal-setting and relationships. In the past four years we havehad over fifty Social Care students attending theLeadership classes on Friday mornings, and the feedbackhas been overwhelmingly positive. Current 2nd yearSocial Care student and GIVE member Susie Lewisrecommends getting involved with LAA. “I learned somuch from being an LAA co-learner this year. Being withsuch a wonderful group of people, learning new skills andhelping others learn has been very rewarding. Alsolaughing for a few hours every Friday morning has beenamazing!"2013 has been a real milestone for Leadership andAdvocacy. The course was run at the LIT Thurles campusfor the first time, and it was shortlisted for a nationalAONTAS Star Award. Leadership and Advocacy II, afollow-on course for graduates of LAA I, has been runningsince January at the Moylish campus with the focus oncommunications and public presentations for advocacy.One of the biggest developments this year has been thatSocial Care students who volunteer as LAA co-learnerscan now use those hours towards GIVE awards. Apositive step forward for both programmes

14A massive thank you to all the amazing GIVE volunteers and LIT staff who made the production of this GIVE Newsletter possible.

Guided In it iative in Voluntary Engagement

204485 LIT A3 to A4:Layout 1 15/05/2013 10:09 Page 1