1. Eagles Flight
Eagles flight is a leadership and quick thinking workshop. My group went to the gym for the workshop and we were divided into teams of five or six per group. We sat at our team tables and listened to our instructor, Ger, explaining the board game we were about to play. As soon as Ger went through the rules we quickly decided that in order to do the best we possible could in the game we would need to join teams together as one and work together. This meant we shared all the information and resources of each team. In the end, Ger said this decision not only made us do very well in the game but also showed how close we are as a year group. We enjoyed working together although at times it was difficult as there was so many of us trying to suggest different ideas but we made our best effort to listen to everyone's idea and choose the best options. I really enjoyed this workshop as it was something very different and proved how much our year group is maturing and becoming closer as a group. We were also chuffed that we more gold bars than the average group!!!
2. IT is not just for geeks.
On Friday the 29th of September, we all gathered together in the Halla Nua for a talk from Marie and Aidan from Dell in to talk to us about IT and how's it's not just for geeks. Marie was a well experienced career woman with years of experience while Aidan had only recently graduated from college. Both of them presented us a slide showing us the ins and outs of IT and the job opportunities that it opens up. They explained the pros and the cons of working in IT company's such as Dell, Google and Facebook. They also listed the characteristics needed to thrive in the various workplaces in the IT sector. As well as this they explained the various roles that makes up the team in these various IT companies and explained that it wasn't all about working directly with the technology but also as receptionists, public relations and salespeople for people who may not want to work directly with the technology. Overall this was a great talk and really gave us an inside view on what it's like to work in an IT company and how to get there.
3. Martial Arts
We took part in a two day martial arts course on the 23rd and 24th of October. It was a very enjoyable two days and i’m looking forward to our third extra day in March.On our first morning we all gathered in the Halla Nua for a two hour talk with our instructor Darren. For most talks, they go by very slowly and they drag out, but this was the most interesting talk we’ve ever had and everyone agreed on that. During the talk we learned about attacks and different dangerous and violent situations that people can be faced with and how to deal with them.
In the afternoon we gathered in the Sports Hall to begin to learn and practise the practical side of what we had talked about this morning. For the first half we worked on hitting, kicking, punching, interceptions and various other techniques that can be used in an attack. From lunch onwards we practiced floor work that can be used in an attack from above as-well as grappling on the mats.
On day two we all came in excited for what we’d be doing that day. Firstly we did a recap on what we had learned the previous day to make sure it was fresh in our heads for our assessment that would be later on in the day. Before we started the assessment we learned some defence against guns and knives. Then came the assessment, the assessment was a mix of everything we had learned with some cardio and exercises. It took on average 6 minutes and by the end of it we were wrecked, this was designed to show us how fatigued you’d be during a real fight.
When it was time to leave, we were all wrecked and our muscles were aching but all in all it was a great two days that i’d definitely do again. Not only was it fun but it thought us necessary skills that could someday save our lives.
In the afternoon we gathered in the Sports Hall to begin to learn and practise the practical side of what we had talked about this morning. For the first half we worked on hitting, kicking, punching, interceptions and various other techniques that can be used in an attack. From lunch onwards we practiced floor work that can be used in an attack from above as-well as grappling on the mats.
On day two we all came in excited for what we’d be doing that day. Firstly we did a recap on what we had learned the previous day to make sure it was fresh in our heads for our assessment that would be later on in the day. Before we started the assessment we learned some defence against guns and knives. Then came the assessment, the assessment was a mix of everything we had learned with some cardio and exercises. It took on average 6 minutes and by the end of it we were wrecked, this was designed to show us how fatigued you’d be during a real fight.
When it was time to leave, we were all wrecked and our muscles were aching but all in all it was a great two days that i’d definitely do again. Not only was it fun but it thought us necessary skills that could someday save our lives.
4.Peter McVerry talk
As part of our YSI project Daoine gan Dídán, we had a guest speaker from the organisation peter mcferry to come and speak with us about the work they are doing to fight homelessness. The talk from Frances Doherty, head of communications in the organisation, was about 30 minutes long and was extremely interesting. What really shocked me was the amount of empty houses around the country that could house homeless people if the government would stop focusing on short term solutions such as emergency beds and began to to look at long term solutions.
I was very lucky in that the following week I got the opportunity to work in Peter McVerry for a week!
I was very lucky in that the following week I got the opportunity to work in Peter McVerry for a week!
5.Tiglin talk
As part of our YSI project to fight homelessness, we got Tiglin, an addiction centre, to come in to give an intimate talk to the small YSI group where we were told about the work Tiglin do and what we can do to help. We decided a great way to help was to make "Dignity Bags" to hand out to rough sleepers for Christmas to provide them with essentials they have the right to have.When that was decided, it was time to hear the story of John, who was previously a drug addict and rough sleeper. He told us very honestly about his story and how much he has changed his life around that now he has graduated from college and is a volunteer for Tiglin so he can give back to the community and help people who he was once in their position.
We were all so moved by this that we decided to invite John and his two colleges back in to talk to the senior cycle to really spread their message. All of the senior cycle were taken back and I think this will really help everyone become more aware of what's going on in the streets of our own country.
We were all so moved by this that we decided to invite John and his two colleges back in to talk to the senior cycle to really spread their message. All of the senior cycle were taken back and I think this will really help everyone become more aware of what's going on in the streets of our own country.
6. First Aid
On Monday until Wednesday after we came back from Easter work experience I did the First Aid course here in the school. I had already did basic first aid as part of my
lifeguard training but I felt it was a very important skill and would be no harm to refresh my memory. On the Monday our group went through mainly the heart and all the occurrences that may come up in the heart such as heart attack and cardiac arrest, which relates to CPR and resuscitation. On the Tuesday we did injuries such as sprains, fracture and breaks and how to deal with the injury. On the final day, Wednesday, we did our written and practical exam which we were graded on. To help us to really understand what we were being taught we were shown videos, given books and most importantly given a chance to practice the techniques ourselves. For CPR, resuscitation and other things if that nature we were given mannequins to practice on. For slings, bandages and other things we were given the chance to practice on each other. I really enjoyed the course and feel a lot more confident now that I could help someone in need. I got 85% in the final exam which I was really happy with and I'm happy now I can put it on my CV. |
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