The ESD group has an exciting year ahead of them! There are more people allowed to meet in person, schools are opening their doors to visitors, and we hope community groups will do so as well.
Therefore, the first aim of the year is to deliver a greater number of sessions to different types of groups: students, adults, community and women centres. We want to be open to those who are interested in sustainability!
The second aim of the year is to keep delivering sessions to schools on the same level if not higher. Last year our programme adapted some sessions so there was less hand-to-hand contact. Therefore, we plan to continue working with schools on their terms and are happy to tailor our programme in a way that works for each individual school. We believe some schools may be willing to change this once again, and others not, so we will follow all regulations the school has put in place.
The next goal is to continue our programme with youth clubs. Unfortunately, last year we did not get to visit this group, however, it is one of the main aims for us in the next 12 months. Before the pandemic, we had great exposure to the clubs and our international volunteers enjoyed taking part in it as well!
Another goal, which is now underway, is to translate the school programme into the Irish language for the Bun schools. We have already started implementing these changes and we hope that after Christmas we will be able to deliver the first session in the Irish language. Currently, we plan to visit around 4 schools with such a programme. However, it all depends on how well it will go, and if it will be in demand.
Lastly, we are looking forward to creating a couple of lead volunteer positions that will be filled by local volunteers. As for now, one of the ESD volunteers from Belfast is going through an Access NI check to work with children. We hope he will receive his certificate at the end of October so that we can start reaching more schools at the same time. Apart from it, it also creates more opportunities for our ESD Officer to cover the adult group!
Therefore, we believe these improvements to the programme will allow the development of local youth and our sessions as well.