On the 8th November 2017 third years visited the Irish Aid Volunteering and information centre in Dublin as part of our CSPE Action Project for the Junior Certificate. The topic we chose for our Action Project was interdependence and our class agreed that going to the Irish Aid Centre would be an effective way to learn about Ireland’s contribution to interdependence in the world.
Upon reaching the Irish Aid Centre, we were greeted by volunteers. We were shown a presentation outlining what exactly Irish Aid is and the work they do overseas in developing countries on our behalf. One of such countries is Malawi, one of Irish Aid’s key partner countries.
While we were at the centre we experienced through group work and games what it was like to live without education and in difficult physical conditions with little control sometimes over our fate. We also were shown the value of education and Foreign Aid to help these countries. It was a valuable experience for my class and we passed on what we had learned through a poster campaign when we returned to school. We now understood part of Ireland’s contribution to a better and safer world for all.