HOPE & THE CSPE PROGRAMME in Irish Schools

The Civic, Social & Political Education course in second-level schools is divided into 4 units of study. Under Unit 4: Ireland & the World: World Development Issues, students can take a closer look at the development work carried out by an Irish charity organisations like The Hope Foundation.

HOPE's CSPE Guide for Teachers is now available:

You can download it here or you can request a copy by telephone on 021-4292990 or by emailing madeleine@hopefoundation.ie.

School Visits
A representative of Hope is available to come and visit your school. They can give a talk to pupils, show a short film and answer your questions about the work of HOPE.

To set up a visit call 021-4292990 or email: madeleine@hopefoundation.ie

The HOPE Transition Year Mini-Company Pack can be downloaded here.

Development Education: is an educational process aimed at increasing the awareness and understanding of the rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world in which we live. It seeks to engage people in analysis, reflection and action for local and global citizenship and participation. It is about supporting people in understanding, and acting to transform the social, cultural, political and economic structures which affect their lives and the lives of others at personal, community, national and international levels.

Immersion Programme: The Ireland we live in today is a prosperous and vibrant place, far different from the Ireland of 10 and 20 years ago where emigration affected every family in some shape or form and money was scarce.

Our children are lucky enough not to have experienced these sad times. It is hard for them to understand the value of money when everything is plentiful, nice clothes, MP3 players and the list goes on! As a nation we have embraced this new wealth, it is something that we have worked hard for and it is something to be proud of.

As parents and teachers we want to bring up our children as best we can, to be responsible and respectful to others, to have a well-balanced view on social issues and to care for people who are less well off than ourselves.

It is in this context that we have developed the concept of a Development Education Immersion Programme. This programme gives young people from a Transition Year an opportunity to travel to Calcutta, to visit the HOPE projects, to visit slums and to take part in an Indian Cultural Event.

A young person who can experience and understand what poverty really is, to immerse themselves in it for one week of their lives, to smell it, to witness it, to let a small part of it be a part of themselves for the rest of their lives will gain a valuable wealth of knowledge and experience.

It is important to ensure that we as adults never make these young people feel bad with what they have, but simply to make them aware of somebody else’s reality. The immersion programme gives students an opportunity to see and experience first hand.

"We are all part of an international family, whose members should work together to help the under privileged in our society. In doing so, we can improve our own lives and the lives of others and make this a better and more compassionate world to live in. Children have a right to grow up in a protective environment. Every child in the world is entitled to the care and protection that a family can provide. Children will not be free from exploitation until all levels of society, from the immediate family to the broader international community, work together. Universal responsibility is vital for the betterment of society".
Maureen Forrest (Director of the Hope Foundation)

Travelling to Calcutta with HOPE

Every year a number of Irish second level schools send Transition Year students to visit HOPE’s projects working with street children in Calcutta. Participating students are chosen by their schools from among the TY students who have expressed interest in HOPE’s Immersion Programme and who have actively worked to fundraise for HOPE on behalf of their school.

Who should take part?

Students travelling to Calcutta are chosen as representatives of their schools and all the students who have worked to fund the trip and HOPE’s children’s projects. For this reason it is important that the selection process is carried out by teachers who are familiar with the students, their personal qualities and their level of commitment to this charitable cause.

Students should be made aware that being selected to travel to Calcutta on behalf of their school is an honour and a responsibility. It is not a holiday but rather an awareness-building exercise and they must bring back as much feedback as possible to their fellow students. They must be prepared to spread this awareness on their return e.g. by giving a slide show and talk to their classmates and/or the whole school. It is not enough for a student to have the desire to take part in the trip, they must also be prepared to work hard to fundraise before leaving and to use their experiences to raise awareness of the plight of Calcutta’s street children on their return.

Students who are selected to travel should be committed, trustworthy, mature and capable of coping with potentially distressing sights in Calcutta. The trip is emotionally and physically quite demanding so it is essential that participating students should be mentally and physically robust.

There should also be good relations between all members of the school group, as they will be travelling around Calcutta together in hot temperatures and visiting slum areas and projects where they will witness children and families living in terrible conditions. They will also see the happy, healthy children who are being helped by HOPE’s projects. Students will find the entire experience to be something of an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows and they will need solid emotional support from the rest of the group. Any problems or personality clashes between students can quickly escalate in these circumstances so we would ask that teachers also take the group dynamic into account when selecting participants for this trip.

NOTE on School Group: If more than 4 students from a school are participating in this trip, it is required that the school also send at least 1 responsible adult to accompany the group. This can be a teacher or a parent (preferably a teacher who knows the students).

Student Selection Process

Schools are free to select students according to their own chosen methods eg. Interviews, essays, monitoring of fundraising work etc.

HOPE does not involve itself in a school’s selection process in any way, as we are not familiar enough with the student applicants. We will accept the students chosen by a school on the school’s recommendation.

If you have any queries about any aspect of the Calcutta trip, please contact Madeleine Cummins at HOPE on 021-4292990

The HOPE Butlers Irish Chocolate Initiative
HOPE Pens / HOPE Wristbands

Under this initiative, students can sell HOPE chocolate bars, kindly supplied by Butlers Irish Chocolate, HOPE pens, or HOPE wristbands in aid of The Hope Foundation.

Just one bar/pen/wristband per child per annum at €2 each will make a huge difference to the lives of children in Calcutta. Pupils can buy bars/pens/wristbands themselves or sell them to family or friends.

HOPE chocolate bars, pens and wristbands are also being used by Transition Year students as a basis for their mini-business project giving students an opportunity to also help a good cause.

Every year the school that sells the most bars per head wins a trip for 2 students to visit HOPE’s projects in Calcutta. Any other schools interested in fundraising may also select 2-4

Should your school decide to take part in the Hope Foundation Chocolate Initiative or CSPE Programme, we would be delighted to send a representative to visit your school to show a short film to the students and answer any questions they may have about the work of HOPE in Calcutta. For further information about The Hope Foundation or any of these of these initiatives please do not hesitate to contact the HOPE office on 021-4292990.