This article is from page 14 of the 2012-04-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
STUDENTS from Coláiste Muire will meet Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Dublin tomorrow as part of an ongoing campaign to make Ennis the age-friendly capital of Ireland.
The group of transition-year students are hoping Mr Kenny will support their project on Positive Ageing, which aims to tackle ageism in Ennis.
They will also present the Taoiseach with an age-friendly loyalty card during their meeting at Leinster House on Wednesday.
The meeting was arranged by local Fine Gael councillor Mary Howard.
Led by their teacher, Mrs Finola Howard, the transition-year students have set out to tackle as many of the aspects of ageism as possible.
The foundation of their project is based on the areas of age discrimination and abuse, loneliness, lack of social connection and an education in technology.
The group have submitted a proposal to Ennis Town Council for new signage to caution motorists to be more aware of elderly pedestrians.
They also put forward the idea that the time period available to pedestrians at traffic lights is insufficient and should be lengthened.
The project is the school’s entry in the annual Young Social Innovators competition, the finals of which take place on May 9.
As part of the project, the students take part in paired walking with elderly members of the community, to keep them company while walking and to run errands for them.
The students are also promoting ‘New Year, New Price’, a collabora- tion with a number of cafés and taxi companies to agree on a reduced price for OAPs, which will take effect this month.
The students will also be actively involved in the consultations for Ennis’s Age Friendly Strategy on May 3. To mark this occasion, the European Day of Solidarity, the class have invited an active retirement group to visit the school on April 27 and relive their school days.
Student Muireann O’Shea said, “Ennis, as a potentially age-friendly town, needs to adapt its structures and services to be accessible to and inclusive of older people with varying needs and capacities.
“We, as a community, need to look after our elderly. Crossing the roads is a basic function and should not cause unnecessary stress or injury to any individual, least of all the vulnerable in our community.”