Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 623: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if it would be beneficial to have an element of volunteerism placed in the curriculum for transition year students in schools here; the best way to put volunteering into schools and colleges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30681/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am aware of the recent Oireachtas joint committee report on volunteers and volunteering in Ireland which recommends that transition year should strongly promote projects which involve a core element of volunteering. The transition year programme is a one-year optional programme, taken by some 24,000 students annually, which provides a bridge between junior and senior cycle. Its aim is to promote the personal, social, educational and vocational development of students and prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society. Work experience and community involvement tend to be key components of transition year programmes since these activities can contribute enormously to heightening students' social awareness and their sense of responsibility as well as encouraging self-directed learning, personal development and maturity. Through these activities, the transition year can act as a powerful catalyst for developing a real partnership with the local community.

The planning of curriculum content for the transition year is the responsibility of the individual school having regard to guidelines issued by my Department. In establishing its curriculum, schools should take into consideration the possibilities offered by employers, other work-providing agencies and community-based initiatives along with the wider interests and needs of the local community. The transition year programme's guidelines for schools issued by my Department state:

"experience in any of the community/care services would be relevant as an element of preparation for adult life. Services such as those concerned with social, economic, physical, sensory and mental disabilities, and for special groups such as children, the chronically ill and the aged are most appropriate."

In addition these guidelines state: "It is intended that the transition year should create opportunities to vary the learning environment and to dispel the notion that learning is something that happens only, or even most effectively in the classroom."

When considering volunteerism among transition year students, the young social innovators programme is particularly relevant. This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for young people together with their teachers in transition year, to engage in social awareness education and social action at local level. It is now a nationwide initiative that is open to all schools in the country that have a transition year programme. To date, young social innovators across the country have been involved in numerous community projects including setting up a youth club where none existed, making playground equipment for pupils of a special school, making buildings more wheelchair-accessible, building a portion of a school in India and setting up an intergenerational social initiative in a town. These projects fit in very well with the young social innovators' vision that "Every young person has the ability to be a social innovator, to create change in how we live, think and care for others in the community and to shape the future fabric of society".

Also relevant is Gaisce, the national challenge award given by the President to young people in Ireland between the ages of 15 and 25, which forms part of many transition year programmes in schools across Ireland. Community involvement, for example working with the elderly, forms part of this challenge.

In its study of transition year in schools, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, found that 76%, the vast majority, of schools offered civic and social studies. In many cases, this included voluntary activity, charity work and community action programmes. I am very supportive of fostering volunteerism among students and I believe that transition year programmes in our schools are making a significant contribution in this regard. Higher education plays an important role in terms of personal development. Individuals who participate in higher education should be enriched by that experience. This enrichment occurs in a variety of ways, such as the acquisition of new knowledge, the development of skills and competencies and the exposure to new opportunities that foster personal development. Higher education is about developing individuals to their fullest potential and equipping them with the depth of skills necessary to enhance their life chances and contribute fully to society. For the nation, the social and cultural returns from higher education are just as important and valuable as the economic returns.

Volunteering activities provide students with important opportunities to further foster their own personal development, become more aware of civic and social responsibilities and ultimately enrich their higher education experience. These are valuable skills that will be carried with them throughout their lives. In relation to the establishment of volunteering centres on the campuses of higher education institutions, I am aware that there is already considerable such activity taking place. All higher education institutions have a significant number of clubs and societies including charitable organisations that provide students with considerable opportunity to participate in volunteering activities. I do not have exact statistics on the numbers of such clubs and societies or on the size of their student membership.