This article is from page 35 of the 2007-05-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 35 JPG
DUBLIN’S RDS belonged to the transition-year students of Gort Community School last week. Some 20 students and two teachers from the school made the long trek to the capital to take part in the National Young Social Innovators Showcase.
The journey was well worth it, how- ever, as the school saw off competi- tion from almost 400 other schools to win their category and come sec- ond in the overall competition.
The students presented a project based on the work they have been doing in highlighting issues around HIV and AIDS over the past year.
“Each school had a stand, the kids would man the stand and students
from other schools and judges would come and visit the stand. It is like a Young Scientist competition for so- cial issues,’ said teacher, Carmel Neylon.
“We thought that we were getting on well because the judges kept com- ing back for a second and third look. They especially liked the links that we made with outside partnership eroups, people like Aids West, Aids Partnership Africa and all the vari- ous projects that the students have undertaken on an ongoing basis, things like World Aids Day.
“We are also now selling pins with all the profits going to AIDS chari- ties. They organised workshops for other students in the school to make them aware of HIV/AIDS, to make
them and the wider community aware and got politicians involved as well.”
The project grabbed national head- lines last year when a photo-shoot was organised featuring almost 100 students spelling out the word HIV.
“It has really opened their eyes. They would have known of HIV/ AIDS, they probably would have known how people become infected but they would not have known the huge numbers of people who die in different countries every day. This is partly because there is a stigma at- tached to it and that is why it is not being tackled properly,’ continued Cr Turtoe
“The wider community was a big focus. It wouldn’t have been as effec-
tive if we had started it just here in the school. One the biggest achieve- ments of the project is the creation of a mural, which will be put up in the community as a long-term reminder of the project.”
Meanwhile, the school’s debating team reached the final of the Concern National Debating Championships for the second year in succession last week. The team — which included Kate O’Connor, Emma _ Fogarty, Danielle Cuffe and James Mahon — was coached by Sr de Lourdes Fahy and Caroline Meagher and lost out narrowly in the grand final.