lionsclubs.ie

DG Visits Roscommon Leo Club Film Project

2010-07-30

DG Visits Roscommon Leo Club Film - Project Updated 30/07/2010 DG Terence visited the Roscommon Leo Club Film training project at the Quad Youth centre in Roscommon Town. 11 Leo club members have been learning the art of film production and have just started the post production work on their new film "Shadows" which is a positive mental health short film that will be shown in eleven secondary schools in the West and showed in an abbreveiated trailer format at cinemas in the West this Autumn. The project was funded by the Roscommon Integrated development Company under the EU Leader funds for rural development. Pix by Andrew Fox (Roscommon Leo Club).

Clare man takes over as District Governor

2010-07-20

Clare man takes over as District Governor - Updated 20/07/2010 "Our work in the coming year will focus on Youth, Sight, Hunger, Suicide and the Environment" County Clare man Terence Mangan of the Ennis Lions Club formally accepted the chain of office of District Governor of the Lions Clubs on the island of Ireland at a special ceremony in Ennis on Saturday July 19th, 2010. The popular Clare man has devoted much of his life to raising funds for those in need and has been a voluntary worker since 1987 with the Lions International agency – firstly with the Lions club of Ennis and since then at national and international level where he has established a reputation for raising thousands of euro for the needy and less well off at home and overseas. He was crowned District Governor of the Lions movement in Ireland in a special ceremony at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis on Saturday July 19th. Terence Mangan, a member of the Lions Club of Ennis for over 20 years - has helped raise funds with the Lions there for dozens of worthy projects. "The need for service has never been greater" Terrence said this week as he prepares to take on a new challenge, "as the largest humanitarian service organisation in the world, Lions Clubs are dependant on the voluntary work of their members to ensure that the organisation plays it's part in alleviating the suffering caused by disaster, distress and poverty. Our work in the coming year will focus on Youth, Sight, Hunger, Suicide and the Environment". “The District of Ireland comprises 118 clubs from Ballycastle to Bantry, from Letterkenny to Wexford. There are close to 3,000 members involved in their own communities on the island. Lions Club International is the largest humanitarian service organisation in the world, with 1.33 million members in almost 46,000 clubs in 205 countries, states and territories. In 2007, the Financial Times voted Lions Clubs the most effective philanthropic organisation globally. As well as annual national projects that include the Christmas Food Appeal and the Trabolgan Holiday for the elderly, Lions have been involved in the relief of distress caused by the November floods and raised almost €100,000 for this project. In the Haiti earthquake, three Lions members lost their lives and Lions in Ireland raised almost €200,000 in five weeks as part of the Lions International response to the disaster. FOOTNOTE; for further information and media interviews with Terence Mangan please contact the Lions Media Team at: roscommonlionsclub@gmail.com

Roscrea training day success

2010-07-13

Roscrea Training Day - Updated 13/07/2010 Forty five Lions from 15 clubs in Region 6 and a handful of other progressive clubs north and south came to Roscrea on Saturday June 26th for a half day media skills training event. The event was organised by Region 6 Chair Liam Doab and the members of the Regional PR committee chaired by VDGE Ciaran Mullooly from Roscommon Lions Club. DG James got the event underway at 10.30am and in the following four hours leading club members were given expert tutorial workshops on how to work effectively and efficiently with local papers, local radio and use the Lions brand to the benefit of their clubs. The tutors were Eddie Coffey from the Daily Mail, VDGE Ciaran who worked in local radio some years back and Heather Yaxley from the UK. Bill Blake from Multiple District was also there to help out but the stars of the show were Paddy Gollogly and Mick Murphy from Carrickmacross Lions Club who stunned the gathering with their profile of the public relations their club attained when they organised their twins festival event recently. The Monaghan club showed how it should be done with some style. Well done lads! At the end of the event in Roscrea VDG Sean Sandford gave an update on the District's new website that is presently under construction and Ciaran Mullooly confirmed that a new district magazine will also be published before Christmas this year. The next media skills training event for regions 1 and 2 is planned for Armagh in October. For further details please contact VDGE Ciaran Mullooly at - roscommonlionsclub@gmail.com Finally - the Regional PR team is made up of Danny Bohan (East), MalcolmDawson (North), Bernard Grieves and Teresa Dineen (South and Ed Horkan (West) Download Lions Media Interview Guide.pdf , Lions Club PRO Guide.pdf, Eddie Coffey Presentation.ppt

Nationwide

2010-07-12

Carrickmacross Lion's Club Twin(s) Parade - Updated 12/07/2010 The Carrickmacross Lions Club Twins Parade will feature this week - 19th of July, on RTE's Nationwide programme. The Twin(s) Parade was an attempt at the Guinness World Record for the Largest Gathering of Twins in one place. Over 250 twins turned up on the day and paraded through the streets of Carrickmacross.

Bantry Bay Lions Flood Appeal

2009-12-22

Bantry Bay Lions Flood Appeal The people of Bantry Glengarrif and Durus have shown themselves extremely generous Bucket Collection - €3,925.47 Food Appeal Cash - €1,285.00 Food Appeal Food [Approx] - € 750.00 Charity Shop - €4,000.00 Gleengarriff Theater Group - €450.00 Total - €10,410.47 Added to this is the range of toys and goods already donated to the Red Cross both at the Marino Street station and pledged via the Lions Web Site and the result is an extraordinary show of generosity by the communities of West Cork. Approximately 75 Christmas hampers will be distributed via SVP, Bantry Red Cross and MABS, Twentyfour hampers have already been put together by Lions Club volunteers and the remainder will be assembled by SuperValu using the €1,285 Food Appeal fund. The toys, furniture and clothing etc collected via the Red Cross will be distributed by the SVP and the remainder of the cash will be added to the €25,000 Flood Appeal so far collected by other Lions Clubs. Many thanks to the members of the I.C.A., St Colums Ladies Group, and Bantry Red Cross who stepped up when our commitment to the annual food appeal stretched our resources. We look forward to gathering representatives of each of the participating groups to offer our thanks for this huge effort. In the meantime, the Red Cross will continue to accept toys and gifts for the victims of the floods at their Marino Street reception centre until Saturday 19th December.

FLOOD DISASTER

2009-12-08

Flood Disaster strikes Ireland - Irish Lions Launch Appeal Our District Governor has initiated an appeal to try to alleviate the suffering of the thousands of people effected by the recent flooding throughout the country. Rainfall over the first two weeks of November along the west side of Ireland was double the total for the whole of November in the previous year and during the first 3 weeks of the month in excess of 10” fell in most places. In a land saturated from 3 successive very wet summers, this amount of rain was falling on a sodden landscape that was incapable of absorbing so much water, and as water rushed to find rivers that were already overflowing, flooding became an inevitable consequence. For people in previously flooded areas, the deluge meant sandbagging, and manning the pumps once again, but in many cases to no avail. By Friday 20th November the floods were reaching crisis points in locations from Cork to Cavan. It was necessary to release huge volumes of water from the dams on the river Lee and this caused significant damage in the western suburbs of Cork City and in particular to UCC, and the Kingsley Hotel. The town of Bandon was also badly affected by a severe flash flood that swept through the town centre. Relief works taking place in previous flood areas of Mallow, Clonmel and Carlow minimised damage in these areas. The first location affected in the Mid-west was Ennis where parts of the town were submerged as the River Fergus overflowed, flooding houses, shops and an industrial estate. Next hit was County Galway with Claregalway on the outskirts of Galway City experiencing unprecedented river flooding and many new housing schemes under water as a result. The River Suck burst its banks at Ballinasloe, splitting the town in two, and it became one of the worst hit towns. Gort in South Galway was badly damaged in 1995, but nothing prepared them for this flood. The area surrounding Gort comprises much of the eastern Burren and rains flow very rapidly with no direct sea outlet. Business premises, houses and farms were swamped and access proved very difficult. At one point Galway City was almost isolated, surrounded by water, and very difficult detours resulted. The River Shannon in full spate from source to the sea saw floods all along its 200 mile spine through the centre of Ireland with Carrick in County Leitrim seeing damage to new buildings and old, Athlone having families rescued from their homes, and all the way down to Limerick City where suburbs were affected. Thankfully, no lives were lost, but lives, homes and farms have been devastated and many people will not be able to return to their homes for months. Many had already been uninsured, more will be now. Cherished heirlooms, essential household appliances, and carpets and furnishings on ground floors have all been lost and need ultimate replacing. Businesses, already battling the most severe recession in living memory, are now trying to keep their heads above water, and farms will be out of production for some time. The HSE, Local Authorities, Red Cross and St. Vincent de Paul organisations have done tremendous work alleviating the suffering for most people. However, the situation for many families will continue to be desperate for many months, and the resources available to these organisations will be limited. The need for other organisations, like Lions Clubs, to row in is essential.

Beat The Blues

2009-12-08

'Beat The Blues Suicide Prevention Project' AOIFE MURRAY from Ballinasloe Lions Club is leading an exciting new project called 'Beat The Blues' aimed at using multi-media outlets to highlight suicide awareness and prevention. After a four year pilot project in Roscommon, where a new colour magazine was published and an innovative new radio show went on air, the Lions District 105 I is now at an advanced stage to bring the project a step further - by promoting it at 3rd level institutes, colleges and universities in the next 6 months. The plan is simple: By taking the magazine and radio projects and introducing special ASIST training (applied suicide intervention skills) at campus level a new generation of people can become aware of suicide prevention measures. It's never been tried before at this level but thanks to some good work at Carlow IT and NUI Maynooth former District Governor Pat Connolly is optimistic this can make a real difference and help save lives. For more details on the project e mail: roscommonlionsclub@gmail.com Teenagers from Roscommon Leo Club took part recently in a ten week Radio Show called 4U to highlight awareness of positive mental health. It is now hoped to extend this 'Beat The Blues' initiative to third level colleges all over Ireland. To listen back to the 4U Radio shows visit www.rosfm.ie

Our District Governor

2009-12-08

Our District Governor Throughout the world the Lions elect a new District Governor for their particular District each year. This elected person is then responsible to the International Board. This is an extremely busy and, fast moving year for the Governor as he/she has to manage the District, provide leadership to the 2750 Lions in a 117 Clubs in the District 105 I. District Governor James will also serve on the Multiply District Council which oversees the running of Lions Club in the British Isles and Ireland. For the year, July 2009 to July 2010, a leading member of the Carrigaline Lions Club was elected to lead the Lions Organisation in Ireland, Mr. James O'Sullivan, who took over the role of District Governor on 6th July, 2009. James is the first Carrigaline man to assume this position. Lion James O'Sullivan is a member of Carrigaline Lions Club and has been for twenty years. He was President in 1991/1992 and also served as Director. James, a Melvin Jones Fellow, has been a driving force, seeing the Club membership grow to 44 members. In his Presidential year he founded the Carrigaline Lions Cycle Classic, which to date has raised 500,000 euros for charities, and was Chairman of the Fund Raising Committee which has provided housing for the elderly in Carrigaline over the years. He also responsible for forming the Leo Club in Carrigaline. He is married to Cathy, and has a daughter, Emma, and a son, Eoin, both of whom are attending college. He is joint Managing Director of a third generation of a family business, founded by his grandfather in 1905. In his spare time he enjoys walking and listening to music and is also a keen sailor. James O'Sullivan is very proud and honoured to be bestowed on him to serve the District 105 I. As District Governor, he looks forward, enthusiastically, to meeting as many Lions volunteers as possible during his many visits around the Districts in the coming months.

District Calender

2009-09-17

District 105-I Text in here. Some more text in here

Regional PR Contacts

2009-08-30

Regional PR. Lions Clubs of Ireland are part of the Multiple District of the British Isles and Ireland. Our Regional PROs are listed below for futher information on local Lions Clubs and events. PR-North-Ulster Malcolm Dawson Armagh Lions Club PR-South-Munster Bernard Graves Kinsale Lions Club PR-East--Leinster Danny Bohan. bohanbray@hotmail.com Bray Lions Club PR-West-Connaught Edward J. Horkan Castlebar Lions Club.

Our District Governor

2008-02-05

Speech and Hearing

2008-02-04

Speech & Hearing Hearing loss is an increasing problem in today's society. Lions have helped in many ways to lend sympathetic support to those suffering this unseen affliction. Lions have paid for the installation of Loop Systems in theatres and public places. They have long been supporters of the "Sympathetic Hearing Scheme" for the hard of hearing. Lions support hearing and speech rehabilitation centres, clinical research on prevention and treatment of hearing and speech disorders, and contribute to educational centres for the deaf or hearing/speech impaired. For the profoundly deaf, Lions support the "Hearing Dogs for the Deaf" scheme with provides the comfort and security of a trained dog that acts as "hearing ears" and responds to many of the everyday sounds so many of us take for granted. Lions also operated collections for unwanted hearing aids which when serviced, are sent to Third World and Eastern European countries. Lions have developed, and now produce , a unit called "Speech Aid" which amplifies speech for people suffering from severe speech volume loss due to Laryngectomy surgery, Parkinson's and Motor Neurone Disease and Strokes

LCIF - No.1 NGO according to Financial Times

2008-02-04

LCIF ranked No.1 NGO by Financial Times Lions Clubs International Foundation was recently ranked the number one non-governmental organization (NGO) in a study by the Financial Times. To announce this major achievement, Lions Clubs International has placed advertisements in national daily newspapers around the world, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, London Times and Delhi Times. Lions are encouraged to download the black and white or color half-page ad to place in their local newspapers. To localize the information, include a local phone number and local Lions Web site. Most newspapers can easily make this change, and many offer a special advertising rate for not-for-profit or service organizations. Another way to include this information in a local paper is to mention the number one NGO within a story on your local club. When promoting a fundraiser or service project within your community, highlight this international achievement. This is free publicity that is good for everyone. View the full press release announcing the number one NGO ranking.

Historic moment in Trachoma control

2008-02-04

AWI ZONE, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA— On January 23rd, a group led by Lions Clubs International Foundation Chairperson Jimmy Ross witnessed a historic moment in trachoma control when the 10 millionth dose of azithromycin (Zithromax®) was dispensed to a person in Awi Zone. The antibiotic, donated by Pfizer Inc, is a main strategy in the fight against the blinding disease in poor, rural areas. Representatives from The Carter Center, Lions clubs of Ethiopia, Pfizer, the national trachoma program, government of Ethiopia, and other partner organizations joined the celebration. “As Lions, we are passionate about the need to end preventable blindness,” said Ross. “It is heartening to see Ethiopian Lions making such a difference in their community.” Awi Zone is located in the most trachoma-endemic area of the country. Together with the Amhara Regional Health Bureau, the international coalition is working to eliminate trachoma as a source of blindness from the region by 2012. A disease caused by bacterial infection, trachoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Seven million people have lost their sight due to trachoma and another 500 million are at risk worldwide. It is estimated that there are 1 million Ethiopians suffering from severe trachoma who are at risk of immediate blindness, 600,000 of whom live in Amhara. “Rosalynn and I have seen the devastating effects of uncontrolled trachoma on people and their families in Ethiopia,” said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Lion and founder of The Carter Center. “The 10 millionth dose represents remarkable progress for those families suffering from the disease and proves that we can empower communities to protect themselves from blindness in the future. Lions Clubs International Foundation is a vital partner in this effort.” Trachoma control is based on the integrated strategy known as SAFE—Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement. To achieve Ethiopia’s goal of eliminating trachoma from Amhara by 2012, the entire population at risk, around 18 million people, will need a minimum of three annual doses of the antibiotic in addition to reducing trachoma through improved sanitation and hand and face washing. The 10 millionth dose comes after just 18 months of full scale intervention and points toward meeting the elimination target date. The Carter Center, with support from its partners, has been fighting trachoma in Africa since 1998. Today the Trachoma Control Program assists ministries of health in six endemic countries in Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan. The Center’s efforts are part of a global push to eliminate the blinding effects of the disease worldwide by 2020, including Ethiopia. The Lions Clubs International Foundation has been involved with blindness prevention and treatment for more than 80 years through their SightFirst program. In addition to supporting tens of thousands of cataract operations, training ophthalmic nurses and surgeons, and strengthening eye care centers in rural and underserved areas, Lions educate communities on sight diseases and help to distribute azithromycin to fight trachoma. #### Lions Clubs International Foundation is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International, the largest service club organization in the world with 1.3 million members in 201 geographic areas and countries. LCIF was recently ranked the number one NGO in a Financial Times study. Since the beginning of the SightFirst program in 1990, Lions have restored sight to 7.3 million people with cataracts, prevented serious vision loss in 27 million people, and improved eye care services for hundreds of millions of people. LCIF has awarded $211 million in SightFirst grants. For more information, visit www.lcif.org. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, the Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 70 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching farmers to increase crop production. Visit www.cartercenter.org for more information.

Convention

2008-02-02

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-style-parent:""; font-size:12.0pt;"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-"Times New Roman";} WELCOME TO OUR 41ST CONVENTION Click here for Booking Form James O’Sullivan, our District Governor and the Host Club Antrim would like to see you at Convention on the 12th March to 14th March 2010 at the Dunadry Hotel. A grand and homely place is a true rarity and Dunadry Hotel is unlike any other. A four-star hotel built on the site of an ancient fort and once home to both paper and linen mills, The Dunadry Hotel is rich with stories of times past. In fact the Red Branch Knights of Ulster used the Dunadry as their middle camping ground. It is now our turn for the third time for the great Lions of Ireland and further a field to put a mark on history during convention and change people’s lives for the better. Your thoughts and views really count. Please come to convention This is the land of special surprises and fun. The only Nights you will see are ones of great food, entertainment and a cocktail of friends old and new. The perfect location…only minutes from Belfast International Airport and convenient to Junction One Outlet Village. Belfast city centre and IKEA are only 20 minutes away and the Antrim Coast and Giants Causeway are only an hour away. Shopping Junction One International Outlet is a unique shopping complex with 70 individual outlets which houses high street giants such as Next, Marks and Spencer’s and Nike as well as designer brands and international market leaders offering up to 60% discounts every day of the year offering the opportunity to buy famous brands at genuine savings on high street prices. It provides an excellent range of coffee houses and restaurants as well as an Adventure Island indoor play area for the children which offers supervised childcare facilities.. Giants Causeway The coastal scenery adjacent to the causeway is the some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring that you are likely to find anywhere. The majestic cliffs and inaccessible bays combine with myth and legend to inspire, but look carefully amongst the breathtaking landscape and you will find echoes of another reality, isolated ruins, kelp walls and shoreline fields bear testament to the harder life of subsistence farming and fishing endured by past generations. Dotted along the coast you’ll find small sheltered harbours and slipways, fishermen’s cottages and rock formations that you will never forget. Bushmills Distillery In 2008, Bushmills celebrated 400 years of local distilling history…a unique, unbroken whiskey-making tradition still very much alive today at the Old Bushmills Distillery. Just two miles from the spectacular Giant’s Causeway, the distillery lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty which is rich in history and folklore. At Bushmills, the visitor can observe the craft and skills of making Irish whiskey. The guided tour includes the ingredients and processes, spring water from Saint Columb’s Rill and the finest malted barley, to the art of triple distillation in copper stills and ageing in oak casks. Of course, no visit would be complete without enjoying a complimentary glass of Bushmills whiskey

DG's Newsletters

2008-02-01

Our District Governor issues a newsletter to the Lions in the District on a regular basis. It is sent by email to those who wish to receive it electronically. Other than that, it is available through Club Secretaries. Please see below this year's back-issues. Depending on your connection speed, download times may be slow. Please be patient. July 2010 October 2009 December 2009 February 2010 April 2010

Outwards Exchange

2008-02-01

LIONS INTERNATIONAL CAMP AND YOUTH EXCHANGE PROGRAMME. OUTWARDS PROGRAMME. The Youth Programme is based on the first object of Lionism “To create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world”. For many young people, participating in the Lions International Camp and Youth Exchange Programme is a life changing experience. Travelling to another country, living with a host family, participating in a camp and experiencing another culture and the cultures of their fellow campers are milestone events. Unlike many other exchange programmes the Lions International Camp and Exchange Programme is not about tourism, education or employment. It is purely a unique cultural learning opportunity. In excess of 100 Lions camps are held worldwide, annually. The vast majority include a period of Camp and Family Hosting. Camp duration is usually one or two weeks long while Family Hosting stay varies between one and four weeks, dependent upon the camp chosen. The Youth Programme is open to girls and boys aged between 16 and 22 years. Obviously there are general rules covering youth’s participation:- · Must be within the Camp programme age parameters. · Must be sponsored by a Lions Club. · Must be a suitable representative of their community, Sponsor Lions Club and country. · Must be willing to accept the customs of another culture. · Must complete in full all sections of MD105 Youth Exchange Application Form. Travel arrangements for the participants are usually agreed between the Host and Sponsor Districts Youth Exchange Persons and are passed to the Sponsor Lions Club to enable the participant have adequate time to purchase the relevant travel tickets. Travel expenses, flights, airport fees, insurances etc. for the return journey between home and camp are the responsibility of the youth, the youth’s parents or the Sponsor Lions Club. Or any combination. This also applies to Camp Fee’s where applicable. Accommodation and food during the camp and family hosting are the responsibility of the Host Lions Club. Personal spending money is the responsibility of the youth or the youth’s parents. Youth Exchange is where barriers are broken and friendships flourish. Selection of young people to participate can be via – Having represented your club in Lions projects, in recognition of their work in the community, school essay competitions, personal recommendation etc. Consider giving a youth from your area the opportunity of participating in Youth Exchange. The Youth Exchange Outwards is open to all youths irrespective of gender, be they Leo’s, related to a Lion or indeed have no family connection with Lionism. Check the International website www.lionsclubs.org for Camp List, updated every month. Open Volunteer services Organisation, open English, open Youth Programmes, open Youth Camps and Exchange scroll to bottom of page then open youth Camps and Exchange Directory. Download MD105 Application Forms from our District website – www.lionsclubs.ie

Downloads

2008-01-31

Constitutions: DISTRICT Maneline: Maneline is a useful District reference book to be used by Club Officer and and Cabinet Members in particular but is also invaluable for all members. It should be used specially for orientation and training of new members. It is intended that the information will be updated regularly and any suggested improvements and additions should be forward to the District Governor. To download any section of Maneline, just click on the appropriate link below. Please be patient, it might take some time for the download to complete, depending on the speed of your internet connection. LIONS INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION LIONS SUPPLIES MEMBERSHIP RUNNING A CLUB EFFECTIVELY CLUB ADMINISTRATION DUES CLUB ADMINISTRATION & YEAREND HANDOVER YOUTH PROJECTS/YOUTH AWARD YOUTH PROJECTS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS CONVENTIONS

Lions Holiday Project

2008-01-30

Lions Holiday Project The Irish Lions Holiday Week is one of the largest service projects undertaken by Lions in Europe, if not the world. Each year, Lions Clubs throughout Ireland combine to give 900 "old and/or lonely" citizens a full week's holiday to remember.The idea for the holiday was first developed by Lion Cecil Vard (now deceased) of Dublin Club, Lion Cecil took 1500 deserving persons to the Mosney Holiday Centre, some 25 miles north of Dublin, for a week away from home to enjoy themselves. Since 2002 the holiday has been held in Trabolgan, Co. Cork. The week was a wonderful success each year. Our guests have a terrific week of fun and enjoyment. For the week itself, the Lions and helpers arrange quizzes, bingo, talent competitions, various novelty competitions and other activities to supplement the normal Trabolgan entertainments. Lions minibuses are on duty from 8.00 am to 1.00 am to transport guests to and from their chalets, a communications centre is operated for message to and from guests and a full medical team (with 2 ambulances) is always on standby to deal with illnesses. Approximately 130 Lions or Helpers give up a week of their own holidays to look after their Guests in Trabolgan. In the spirit of Lionism, the Holiday provides these Lions and Helpers with an opportunity to renew old friendships and to make new friends from all parts of the country. To date, over 24,000 deserving persons have been provided with a holiday at a total cost of well over €2,000,000!

Alcohol Awareness

2008-01-30

Alcohol Awareness Project Background The Dublin Lions decided to undertake a Peer Education “Alcohol Awareness Project” to mark the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the Dublin Lions Club. In the first year of the programme 6 schools and 10 teachers were directly involved. A total of 60 Peer Educators and 400 First year pupils benefited from this unique approach to education about alcohol and its impact on the individual and society The pilot project has proved exceptionally successful with all the schools wishing to remain involved in the project. This conclusion is based on the feedback we received in the schools from teachers and pupils and also in the formal evaluation we carried out. We are now in the third year of the programme and have seen the programme extended to other Lions Clubs both in Dublin and outside Dublin and currently are working with 20 schools. What is the Alcohol Awareness Programme? The Alcohol Awareness Programme is a school based initiative, which is focused of training Transition Year students to act as Peer Educators for 1st Year students. This Peer Teaching takes place in a structured environment with specially trained teachers taking the group of 15/16 year olds through a programme designed to equip them to work with groups of 12/13-year-old children. The Peer Leaders are typically selected from Transition Year, though in schools where Transition year was not offered, 5th Year students participated. The Peer Leaders will then work as a team with a class of 12/13 year olds, using the supplied materials and other material developed by the Peer Educators to address the issue of Alcohol Abuse. The Peer Education approach to Alcohol Awareness was developed and piloted by TACADE, which is a non-profit body that specialises in developing training materials in areas such as life skills, drug awareness, alcohol and more recently gambling. TACADE, as a recognised Lions Clubs Charity, has and continues to work with Lions on a number of innovative projects. For many Irish Lions Clubs the first contact with TACADE was through the Drug Awareness Programme. Formal Evaluation of the Alcohol Awareness Programme We have evaluated the programme with schools. Peer educators and 1st Year pupils. The results are consistently excellent. The strongest endorsement of the Programme has been the fact that all the schools involved in the early years remain committed to the programme. The trend is increasingly been for the Programme to be timetabled for Transition Year students. The following are some quotes regarding the programme by teachers, peer educators and first year pupils. How do you think the project has been an effective method to educate about alcohol? “The idea of learning from peers was the main benefit. It is very effective for students to be taught by their peers. The peer educators also learned a lot from the training and teaching.” “Very effective and created a good relationship with the 5th and 1st years.” What were some of the key learning outcomes of the project for you and the students involved? ‘Students learned to respect alcohol; the consequences of lack of respect towards alcohol and that they have choices around alcohol.’ ‘Many teachers also learned that peer education is very effective’. Can you provide some quotes/feedback from the peer educators? “I loved it. I think I may become a teacher if this is what its like!” “I learned a lot during my training and enjoyed working with the 1st years. They would now think twice about drinking.” “I loved being involved in it. It is great to give something back to the school and was very rewarding to see how much the 1st years got out of it. There was great motivation and spirit in the group.” Can you provide some quotes/feedback from the first year students? “I have learned that it’s not cool to drink and it’s dangerous.” “It means way more when older students tell us. They know what its like. I think we should have more classes like this, it’s easier to learn stuff.” Students felt that all 1st year classes should be given this module. Would you recommend this to other schools? All schools would recommend the programme. “This is an experience that I would strongly recommend to other schools, immensely enjoyable and thoroughly rewarding.” The Benefits of the Programme We see 3 major benefits attaching to the programme: Alcohol is a major issue in society. Through this initiative Lions will not change society but will put the spotlight on alcohol for young people and ensure that they are informed in their decisions Peer Education helps build a spirit of leadership and social responsibility among the Peer Educators. These are qualities that Lions wish to develop and support in young people. This initiative has the potential to become a Lions of Ireland project with the Lions working in a practical and effective way to help change how we as a society use alcohol. Implementing the Programme The first step for a Lions Club in deciding to implement this programme is to approach local schools to explain the concept of the programme and the experience of the schools which have implemented the programme to date. A major challenge in schools is the issue of finding gaps in the timetable for new initiatives. One solution is to focus on Transition Year when there is greater flexibility in the timetable. While the support of the Principal is essential, it is also necessary to have a teacher who is willing to act as champion for the programme. The formal Programme has 4 key steps: 1/ Training the Teachers- This consists of a 1-day workshop to familiarise teachers with the material, followed by 2 evening workshops. The training is delivered by Tacade and the materials have been developed by Tacade. 2/ Training the Peer Educators - Transition Year pupils are invited to become Peer Leaders and are trained by the teachers over 8/10 sessions. Some of these are formal classes using the material and some are classes devoted to the students sourcing their own information. 3/ Training younger pupils about Alcohol- The Peer Leaders train 1st year using the materials they have prepared. A teacher will always be present. 4/ Celebration-The final part is recognition of the Peer Educators. The Lions Club have an important role in promoting the programme to schools, in recognising the achievement of the Peer Educators and arranging the Celebration. Lions also have a role through out the Programme by acting as an external promoter of the Programme, which is essential to ensure that the originality of the initiative does not get lost and become another part of the general curriculum Alcohol Awareness- a 105 I Initiative At the invitation of PDG Gerald Langford a presentation on the programme was made at the District Convention in Mullingar, March 2007 and Frank O’Donoghue was invited on to District Cabinet by DG Pat Connolly to promote the programme with Lions Clubs through out the country. Momentum is building with interest expressed by clubs through out the country and the programme is firmly established as a Zone Project in Dublin with some 20 schools involved and Thurles Lions also implementing the programme in 4 schools. The target for 2008/9 is to involve 20 Lions Clubs nationally and 60 schools involving some 1,000 Peer Educators.