2011 International Charity Bazaar will be Supporting Ireland

All the funds raised from the International Charity Bazaar 2011 will remain within Ireland. Over the decades Ireland has given so much to the world.

This year, “the world” is giving back to Ireland by supporting the following charities:

• Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
• Focus Ireland
• Headstrong
• Irish Wheelchair Association
• National Rehabilitation Hospital
• Ruhama

 

Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart

Sisters of St Joseph  in Limerick is creating a bereavement support project  support project – “Season of Growth Program”.

“Seasons for Growth” is a program for children, young people and adults who have experienced significant change or loss. The range of loss is wide – from loss of a loved one through suicide, sudden death, illness to the loss of dreams, employment and homes.

In many rural areas, availability of support services to people who are grieving life’s losses are not readily available. The program is based on the belief that change, loss and grief are normal and valuable parts of life. The impact change such as death, separation, divorce, and natural disaster upon our lives is examined and how to learn to live and grow from these experiences.

The intention of this program is the development of resilience and emotional literacy too promote social and emotional wellbeing. The imagery of the four seasons is used to illustrate that grief if a cyclical experience, not a linear journey with a clear end.

Since its launch “seasons for Growth” has reached over 120,000 children and young people throughout the world.

This program, implemented by the Sisters of St Joseph will work with Concern, a Limerick based bereavement support organisation. The International Charity Bazaar is funding the introduction of this program into Ireland.

Contact

Granagh,
Kilmallock
Co Limerick
Phone: 01 399 027
www.sosj.org.au

Focus Ireland

Focus Ireland  is developing a residential aftercare project in North Dublin for young people leaving state care.

Focus Ireland is delighted that the International Charity Bazaar has confirmed that our North Dublin Aftercare Residential project will be one of the benefices of this year’s Bazaar.

These funds will support Focus Ireland to continue the vital work of this service which provides Residential and Support & Settlement services to young people leaving state care.

Our staff at this service work to prevent young people from becoming homeless by supporting them when they leave care and help them to eventually move on to independent living.

The project also includes a mother and baby unit aimed at young people who have become pregnant shortly after leaving care (or while still in care) and who feel they are not ready to live on their own with a small baby.

The pilot project aims to support the parent to gain the skills and knowledge to look after both themselves and their baby.

The funds provided by the International Charity Bazaar will help Focus Ireland’s work to protect some of the most vulnerable young people and to help some young mothers to give their babies a better start in life.

Contact:
Focus Ireland
9 – 12 High Street
Christchurch
Dublin 8
Phone: 01 881 5900

http://www.focusireland.ie

 

Headstrong

Headstrong – a youth-centred organisation dealing with mental health issues. They are implementing a training program for early intevention.

When Headstrong began its journey four years ago, disturbing reports of self-harm, suicide and high-risk behaviour from across this country indicated that many young people and their families were experiencing levels of distress that they did not know how to handle. Suicide was the leading cause of death in young people, and one in four young people were identified as going through difficult times.

The mental health supports these young people desperately needed were rarely available, and the few services available to them were hard to access and seldom youth friendly.
Headstrong was set up in response to this need – to change the way Ireland thinks about youth mental health, so that young people are connected to their community and have the resilience to face challenges to their mental health.

Headstrong devised robust research and evaluation programmes so the inner world of young people in Ireland today could be better understood, and to ensure our thinking was relevant. We looked at policy and best practice both nationally and internationally, and we engaged world pioneers in youth mental health to guide our thinking.

We developed Jigsaw in response to this need – an innovative approach that involves the whole community working together to give young people somewhere to turn to and someone to talk to in difficult times.

Every community is unique; therefore Jigsaw is different in each community. Headstrong has established five very different demonstration sites as models for a national programme. Jigsaw is now up and running in Co. Galway, Co. Kerry and Ballymun in Dublin, and in the coming year it will be launched also in Counties Meath and Roscommon.

We have a further ten communities engaged in our community readiness programme, and this year started to roll out a comprehensive programme of community training and education.

The International Charity Bazaar is supporting Headstrong’s training program for frontline workers in the fields of health, education, youth work, social work, social care, justice, pastoral care, counseling and childcare.

Contact
16 Westland Square,
Pearse Street, Dublin 2
Phone: 0 1 472 7010
info@headstrong.ie

http://www.headstrong.ie

 

Irish Wheelchair Association

http://www.iwa.ie
Irish Wheelchair Association  based in Ardee, Co Louth who are encouraging participation in sport and activities for children with physical and sensory deprivation. The sports wheel chairs purchased for younger children will also be used in school disability awareness programs.

The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) was founded in 1960 by a group of eight wheelchair users committed to improving the lives of people with physical disabilities in Ireland.

In 1960 the first Paralympic Games took place in Rome. Ireland entered a team into this event and the seed was planted to form an organisation that would work to achieve greater independence, freedom and choice for people living with a disability.

Since then, IWA has played a key role in bringing many improvements and changes to the lives of people with physical disabilities in Ireland.

Some of these include equality, access, employment, housing, sport, independent living apartments and youth services.

Irish Wheelchair Association Sport (IWA – Sport) is an integral part of IWA and encourages people with physical disabilities to get involved in sport at a level of their choice regardless of age, ability or disability.

Through the IWA’s ‘Best Start’ project school teachers are advised on inclusion in sporting activities for children with a physical disability.

The Ardee Sports Project has been running since 2007. It has enables and encouraged people with disabilities to participate in sports and activities such as wheelchair basketball and rugby, bocce, swimming, archery, badminton, sailing, kayaking, dance and sit-fit are on offer.

Achievement is not measured by medals or competition but in personal achievement. In every sport or activity run at Ardee huge personal goals are reached on a weekly basis.

Building community disability awareness is important. Disability workshops are run with transition year students and youth clubs throughout the northeast.

The impact on the students is powerful, especially after they have experienced using wheelchairs.

The International Charity Bazaar is supporting the IWA with the purchase of sports wheelchairs for younger children and to be used in their disability awareness program.

Contact
National Headquarters
Áras Chúchulainn
Blackheath Drive
Clontarf
Dublin 3
Phone: 01 8186 400
Info@iwa.ie

National Rehabilitation Hospital

National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dublin, cares for children with life changing or threatening illnesses. Their project,  Music Therapy will aid rehabilitation.

Music Therapy is a ground breaking service which uses music in the rehabilitation of children who have experienced trauma through illness or injury.

A growing body of research demonstrates the benefits and importance of music therapy as part of rehabilitation treatment programmes. Music therapy is the planned and intentional use of music based methods to meet individuals’ emotional, social, physical, psychological, behavioural and communication needs.

Music therapy assessment and treatment contributes towards optimising overall rehabilitation. The innovative development of a music therapy service within the National Rehabilitation Hospital further enhances the service provided to young people requiring complex specialised medical rehabilitation in Ireland.

Contact
Rochestown Avenue
Dún Laoghaire
Co Dublin
Phone: 01 235 5000
enquiries@nrh.ie

http://www.nrh.ie/

 

Ruhama

Ruhama supports women affected by prostitution and sex trafficing. Their symbolic “Quilt of Hope” project supports high need, low skilled women and sustains them in their journey towards stability and recovery.

Ruhama is an Irish NGO, founded in 1989, to support women affected by prostitution, including victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The service includes an outreach van, delivering support services direct to the women involved in on-street prostitution, as well as one to one caseworking, advocacy, emergency accommodation, a Development & Education programme, awareness-raising and a resettlement service.

Ruhama is delighted to be chosen as a beneficiary of the 2011 International Charity Bazaar and the monies raised will go directly to the symbolic “Quilt of Hope“ project supporting high need, low skilled women and sustaining them in their journey towards stability and recovery.

Contact:  

Ruhama,
Senior House,
All Hallows College,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9
Phone: 353 1 8360292
www.ruhama.ie