Minister McHugh announces special History project as part of Glasnevin Trust Education Programme

€60,000 awarded under Dormant Accounts Fund to give hundreds of students in DEIS schools access to Glasnevin Museum.

Four other projects announced to support teenage migrants, improve numeracy standards in disadvantaged communities and promote innovation and entrepreneurship in teenagers.

The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh T.D. today (31st December 2019) announced projects to be funded under the Dormant Accounts Fund Provisional Action Plan 2020.

One of the flagship projects has secured access to the Glasnevin Trust Education Programme for students from schools in the Deis programme.

The scheme will run from September 2020 and will see students from up to 70 schools across the country gain valuable knowledge on a site steeped in history and further their familiarity with Irish history.

Minister McHugh said:

“I am delighted that this money has been awarded, in particular to Glasnevin Trust to help them to expand the education programme and give students from Deis schools access for free.

“One of the best ways to get young people engaged with the stories from our past and how they are relevant today is to see history and Glasnevin Cemetery is one of the best places for that rich experience.

“Glasnevin’s educational programme is hugely successful at getting people to connect to the history of Ireland in a unique way. It allows them to view history through a different lens and investigate sources – proving that there is more than one side to every story.”

Aoife Watters, CEO at Glasnevin Trust said:

“We at Glasnevin Trust are delighted to have been awarded this grant under the Dormant Accounts Fund. The funding ensures that a wider cohort of school students will benefit from the unique learning opportunities that exist within Glasnevin Cemetery Museum and will engage with a variety of historical events and figures which are central to The Decade of Centenaries.

“The cemetery is a site steeped in history and students participate in educational programmes to further their knowledge and awareness of Irish history. They are enabled to view events from the past through multiple viewpoints, encouraging skill development and supporting the teaching and learning of history.”

Along with the Glasnevin plan, other projects announced in the Department of Education and Skills’ Dormant Accounts Fund Provisional Action Plan 2020 are:

Time to Count – Funding of €60,000 approved as part of a CSR initiative, managed and operated by Business in the Community Ireland. It aims to support the Department’s national strategy on literacy and numeracy. It is an employee engagement opportunity for business volunteers to provide numeracy support to 8-9 year-old children in a local disadvantaged primary school with specially chosen numeracy games and activities.
Young Social Innovators (YSI) – Growing Youth Participation – Funding of €150,000 approved to significantly increase YSI work with post-primary schools by 2023 by developing clusters of on average five schools, provide training, development of in-school capacity and shared learning to address local needs, both rural and urban.
Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) – €300,000 approved to engage 15-18 year-olds who are experiencing adversity and disadvantage to develop core skills in business and enterprise by providing them with opportunities to develop and apply entrepreneurial skills both inside and outside school. Involvement in the NFTE programme aims to change young people’s lives by facilitating them to develop and run a company and acquire academic and life skills acumen.
CDETB Migrant Integration Project – €105,000 approved for targeted education interventions for newly arrived teenage migrants with low levels of English language proficiency and significant periods of disrupted education, or complete absence of formal schooling. It includes a migrant access programme with core modules of English, maths, basic IT, and Life-skills and runs from September to the end of July with ongoing intake and progression.

Ends

Notes for Editors

The Dormant Accounts Fund is used by Government to fund programmes or projects which assist with:

The personal and social development of persons who are economically or socially disadvantaged;
The educational development of persons who are educationally disadvantaged or persons with a disability

The costs associated with Dormant Accounts measures are Exchequer neutral. Under Government Accounting procedures, disbursement to Dormant Accounts projects are paid in the first instance from the relevant Department’s Vote and, once spending takes place, the costs are recouped from the Dormant Accounts Fund and treated as Appropriations-in-Aid.

Please note that projects/programmes approved for inclusion in the Action Plan may only drawdown funding once approval has been formally notified by the DRCD, developed proposals have been assessed by this Department and approved by DRCD where appropriate and requisite pre-funding sanctions are in place.

Glasnevin Cemetery Museum – Education Programme

The Glasnevin Trust is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum. It is a key partner in the Decade of Centenaries Programme 1912-22. The Decade of Centenaries programme aims to commemorate each step that Ireland took between 1912 and 1922 in a tolerant, inclusive and respectful way.

Glasnevin Cemetery is an intrinsic part of the commemorations of the most pivotal moments in Irish history, including the Decade of Centenaries.

As part of its work, Glasnevin Trust provides schools with access to the museum. Geographical distances and the cost of transportation often pose an obstacle to schools, particularly DEIS schools, wishing to avail of the learning opportunities within Glasnevin.