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Minister Launches Interactive Literacy
Pack
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At the launch of the Interactive Literacy Pack by
CDVEC in Dublin's Mansion House in September 2012, Rúairí
Quinn TD, Minister for Education and Skills described
the issue of literacy as a 'project close to his heart'.
Often the issue of literacy is the 'elephant in the
room' according to the Minister who said that our education
system has been in denial about drop-out rates among
learners for years and is now taking active measures
to put this to rights. The Minister warmly congratulated
CDVEC on this initiative which was designed and produced
by Helen Cawley and Jimmy O’Rouke and students in Arbour
Hill Education Centre. Following the Minister's address
the package was demonstrated by Helen and Jimmy.
The e-learning literacy pack is a response to an
identified need for learner-centered methods and materials
that combine literacy with new technologies. It transfers
paper-based materials to an interactive computer environment.
The pack was launched to a wider audience of Adult Literacy
Officers and tutors across the City of Dublin. Michael
Donnelan, Director General IPS, spoke about his personal
conviction that education is a key response to addressing
social inclusion and Jacinta Stewart, CEO CDVEC, spoke
about how the provision of basic literacy and numeracy
skills to disadvantaged adults is a crucial part of
what the CDVEC does. The launch was also attended by
Liam Dowling ,Governor of Arbour Hill Prison, Paddy
Bourke, Chairperson of CDVEC and Michael Conaghan, former
chairperson.
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Zoo Keeper Visits St. Pats
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Dublin Zoo Operations Manager, Gerry Creighton, came
to St. Patricks Institution in December 2012 bringing
two very special guests with him - a snake and a chameleon.
A number of the students got the opportunity to hold
the snake and they really enjoyed this.
Gerry is a second
generation zoo keeper and has worked in the zoo for
over twenty six years. He showed the students a DVD
of some of the goings on in the zoo. In all, his visit
was really well received by students and staff alike.
– Jane Kelleher
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Creative Writing Workshop in Mountjoy
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In January, 2013, fiction writer and playwright,
Mia Galllagher, began a creative writing workshop in
Mountjoy which ran up to the mid term. Mia has been
writing professionally since her early 20s and has written
journalism and educational content for TV, DVD and the
internet. "My work, she says, "usually tends to dark
themes but I wouldn’t say I’m gratuitous about this.
I enjoy exploring how human beings get themselves into
compromised situations, how they try and fail or succeed
in getting themselves out". Her first novel, HellFire,
is about a young woman from inner-city Dublin who is
involved in the heroin trade but also fascinated by
stories of magic and the supernatural. The novel she
is working on at the moment is about Georgia, a transgender
woman who is triggered into re-telling a story of her
childhood; at the same time, Georgia’s childhood babysitter,
in a different time and place, is just about to die
and has to come to terms with her deeper ancestral history.
In relation to her writing and drama workshops, Mia
believes in meeting all her students where they are
and in working with them to find ways which will allow
them express themselves, their experiences and their
stories as fully and imaginatively as they can. She
has done workshops with lots of different types of groups
such as people in recovery from addiction, people with
mental health issues, young people at second-level schools
who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, people with
literacy issues, professional writers, emerging writers
and senior citizens. She has worked with Merchants Quay
since 2001 where many of those she sees have come straight
from prison. "I work mainly with drama, storytelling
and building body and voice awareness", says Mia, "I
believe writing classes should be a pleasant and stimulating
experience, involve interaction and talk, and encourage
people to move beyond what they think their limitations
are." - June Edwards
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One of Dublin’s most favourite authors, Neville Thompson,
who penned the modern Dublin classics Jackie Loves
Johnser, OK? and Have Ye No Home To Go To?,
along with his latest novel, Mama's Boys, visited
Cloverhill Education Unit in February 2013 for Literacy
Day and spoke to the students about the opportunities
of prison education and encouraged students to spend
more time reading and writing.
Literacy activities took place in each classroom for
the first hour in the morning to highlight the importance
of integrating literacy into every subject. Students,
teachers and officers all gathered to participate in
Drop Everything and Read (DEAR), an initiative where
everyone stops what they are doing and reads for ten
minutes. - Joan O'Shea
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In October 2012, the Director General of the Irish
Prison Service, Mr Micheal Donnelan, opened an international
event hosted at Wheatfield Prison. Special guests were
representatives of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies
of 37 countries in Europe as well as some from the Far
East. There was also representation from the headquarters
of the International Federation of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies in Geneva. The delegates were
in Ireland to attend the Red Cross/Red Crescent First
Aid Education in Europe Network (FAEEN) meeting which
was being hosted in Ireland from 11th - 13th October.
The Irish Red Cross was represented by its Secretary
General, Mr Donal Forde, and the CDVEC by its CEO, Ms
Jacinta Stewart. There were also representatives of
Governors, chiefs, nurses and teachers from many of
the prisons undertaking the programme. The purpose of
this event was to show case Ireland’s Community Based
Health & First Aid in Action programme to these visiting
countries who are now interested in how this award winning
programme could work in prisons in their own countries.
Inmate volunteers from Mountjoy, the Training Unit,
Dochas Centre, Cloverhill, Shelton Abbey and Wheatfield
presented examples of first aid skills and a wide range
of health projects that they are undertaking as Irish
Red Cross volunteers in their own prisons. At the end
of the presentations delegates were invited to visit
the individual display stands of each prison and talk
to the volunteers, their Governors, chiefs, nurses and
teachers. Opening the event, Michael Donnelan said that
he recognised the importance of the project and acknowledged
the important changes that it had already brought about
in prison health. “The Irish Prison Service”, he said
“is going through a period of change where its strategic
goals and aims will make a dramatic change to how custodial
care is administered in Ireland and the programme fits
very well into these with its community and voluntary
service focus.”
He added that “The partnership between the Irish Prison
Service, the Irish Red Cross and the City of Dublin
Vocational Education Committee began in June 2009 when
the pilot Community Based Health and First Aid in Action
approach to prison community health was introduced here
at Wheatfield Prison. Since then it has been rolled
out to five other prisons between 2010 and 2012 and
is set to start in Cork, Portlaoise, St Patricks and
Castlerea Prisons in 2013. It is hoped that all fourteen
prisons in Ireland will be operating the Programme by
the end of 2014”.
The event was a resounding success and the volunteers
from all prisons were well received by the international
delegates who were amazed by the skills, knowledge and
dedicated work being undertaken by them in the name
of the Red Cross in Ireland.
Over the past three years, Ireland’s prison-based Community
Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) – also known as the
Red Cross project prison programme - has received international
acclaim. In 2011, this prison health initiative won
the World Health Organisation Award for Best Practice
in Prison Health and in 2012 won the Bionmis Irish Healthcare
Innovation Award for Best Health Promotion Project and
also won an Irish Medical Times Commendation Award for
Best Public Health Initiative at the Irish Healthcare
Awards - Maeve Donnelly
To mark 'International day for the Elderly' in October,
2012, Irish Red Cross volunteers in Mountjoy prison
hosted an afternoon tea party for a group of elderly
persons from Nethercross Day Care Centre. This was attended
by over twenty people from the centre and each of the
guests was presented with a handmade crochet hat and
scarf made by volunteers in the fabric workshop.
The guests enjoyed delicious cream cakes, jam buns,
luxurious deserts a selection of sandwiches served with
tea and coffee and were entertained with music and singing.The
group was presented with a hat and scarf and doll houses
made in the carpentry workshop that could be raffled
by the centre to raise funds which could go towards
an event or occasion of their choice.
As part of their awareness campaign, some of the Irish
Red Cross volunteers in Mountjoy produce a montly newsletter.
An Irish Red Cross graduation was held in Mountjoy for
nineteen volunteers in March, 2013. It was attended
by President Michael D Higgins. - Josephine Rice
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Training Unit Careers Fair
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A major highlight in the Training Unit in 2012 was
the hosting of the first Careers Fair. The event was
organised by Maria Ward, Guidance Counsellor. There
were over thirty exhibitors including CDVEC Further
Education Colleges, CDVEC Literacy schemes, DITs, Universities,
Pathways, PACE and a variety of other agencies supporting
prisoners after their release. Apart from providing
information on a broad range of course choices open
to prospective students, the day provided them with
the opportunity to meet representatives of the different
institutions exhibiting in a face to face ‘chat’ situation.
It was a huge success with many students being inspired
to pursue education or training courses after their
release.
Following the event, a number of prisoners were given
day releases to attended interviews for college places
for the academic year 2012-2013. - Margaret Joyce
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ITEC Diploma Award Cermony
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In February, 2013, students in the Education Unit,
Mountjoy were awarded their ITEC diplomas in Gym instruction.
This was the second year that this award ceremony. The
diplomas were presented by the ITEC examiner, Niall
Raferty
The ITEC Diploma in Gym instruction is the most widely
recognised qualification for fitness instructors in
Ireland and the UK. The International Therapy Examination
Council (ITEC) is based in London and is the largest
international examination board offering a variety of
vocational qualifications in sports and beauty therapy.
ITEC qualifications are recognised nationally and internationally.
The main aim of the course is to enable students to
provide clients with an appropriate gym workout for
their needs to improve overall fitness including strength,
flexibility and cardio-respiratory function. The course
includes a combination of theory and practical components
including anatomy and physiology, exercise techniques,
exercise programming, benefits of exercise, fitness
testing, business awareness, professionalism and nutrition.
The current graduates in Mountjoy are now studying an
'add on course' in teaching children Physical Fitness
and Exercise. - Josephine Rice
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The school promo video project began in July 2012
and was finished in October. It profiles the educational
journey of four Training Unit students, covering a wide
range of abilities and interests from Level 2 FETAC
to Open University. The interviewees were asked a series
of questions relating to their experience of and engagement
with educational opportunities in the prison school
and whether or not they intended to pursue education
on their release. The purpose of the video is to promote
education within the Training Unit and encourage newcomers
to the Unit to attend the school. It is planned to screen
the promo prior to showing in-house DVDs on the prison
TV network system. - Bernie Masterson
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The school choir was formed in October 2012. The
idea behind the choir was to have a more modern feel
using popular songs with choir members creating their
own upbeat arrangements. Rehearsals took place every
Thursday and the choir got to perform for the first
time in December at the Christmas concert with songs
that included House of the Rising Sun, Ronald
Orzabal Mad World, Bob Dylan Make You Feel
My Love, and The Pogues Fairytale of New York.
The choir was accompanied by music students and teachers
and the performance was very well received. New choir
members are recruited on an ongoing basis and they are
currently working towards performing at future events.
- Lisa Hutchings
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