This article is from page 22 of the 2009-06-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
ST FLANNAN’S College, Ennis and St Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla have been part of a groundbreak- ing educational programme which brings teenagers and retired people together in the classroom.
The programme, which has been successfully operating for the past ten years, originated from NUI Gal- way’s Adult and Continuing Educa- tion Office and is the first of its kind in Ireland and Europe.
Through weekly art, music, drama and creative writing workshops, the Living Scenes programme allows teenagers and older adults to learn together, share experiences and build bonds of mutual respect and under- standing.
A strong emphasis is placed on the holistic development of the partici- pants, promoting equality, personal development and confidence build- ing in both the younger and older adults.
The innovative programme was first piloted in Galway City’s Presen- tation Secondary School in 1999, and quickly became established in as part of its transition year. Living Scenes has since developed and expanded through partnerships between NUI Galway and secondary schools from Galway, Cork and Mayo.
In the course of its ten year history, the programme has been instrumen- tal in cultivating a strong relation- ship between the university and schools, older and younger adults, and has a key objective of promoting the school as a focal point for com- munity regeneration.
NUI Galway’s Dr Mary Surlis is the Living Scenes programme di-
rector, and has been involved since its inception. She maintains that at a time when there is a serious ero- sion of social fabric in Irish society, Living Scenes aims to respond to the growing need for communication and trust in both the school and in the local community.
“What we are trying to do is to regenerate relationships both in
schools and communities and, per- haps more importantly, between our older and our younger generations,’ she explained.
Extensive research has been carried out by Dr Surlis on Living Scenes to evaluate the project in a develop- mental curricular capacity and to identify its contribution in an overall educational context.
Dr Surlis says, “The findings of this research have implications for policy makers, as well as school and com- munity groups.”