Community Links Programme - creating opportunity for all

• About DIT Community Links Programme
• Pathways Through Education
• DIT Access Service
• The Digital Community
• Ballymun Music Programme
• DISC Computerisation Project
• Mature Students Access Course
• Community Learning Programme

The aim of the Community Links Programme is to help in the alleviation of educational disadvantage at local (inner-city Dublin), national and international levels. This is achieved through initiatives primarily directed at personal development including self esteem, confidence, motivation and empowerment of individuals and communities. The programmes are located in the Primary, Secondary, Third level and Community Sectors. The issues concerned are the alleviation of absenteeism, prevention of dropout, increases in attainment in schools, return to education in communities and access to education for all.

The Pathways Through Education Programme started in 1997. The programme has been managed jointly by the Dublin Institute of Technology’s Community Links Programme and the two participating schools - Presentation Secondary School, Warrenmount and St Paul’s CBS, North Brunswick Street. The programme draws upon psychological models to provide therapeutic interventions to students in Junior Cycle. The programme involves weekly sessions with First Year students and regular workshops with Second & Third Year students. The Counselling service is open to all students and their parents.

The DIT Access Service provides a broad range of supports to ensure that students from communities and backgrounds where there is little tradition of participation in higher education succeed in accessing and graduating from higher education.

The Digital Community Programme has brought Computer Labs into a number of Dublin Inner City Flat Complexes, and continues to train the residents of these communities in skills that will help them to bridge the Digital Divide in the future. The Programme trains residents in basic computer courses and gives them the skills, through our train the trainer course, to pass their new learning on to their neighbours and friends. Courses include Comic Creation, Clay Animation and a range of formal courses which are accreditated through DIT and Microsoft. The programme also provides Technical Support for Hardware & software in all the centres.

The Ballymun Music Programme provides an entry to instrumental music making for primary school chidren in Ballymun through its Recorder classes, two Junior Wind Bands, Junior String Orchestra and choirs. These are run with the support of many of the National schools in the area. At second level the Programme provides support to the Ballymun Trinity Comprehensive school in preparation for Junior and Leaving Certificate Music and maintains a scolarship programme in conjunction with the D.I.T. Conservatory of Music and Drama for exceptionally talented children. At third level contact is maintained with, and support provided for, students who are taking music as part of third level Degree courses.

The DISC Programme was established in 1998 with the aim of achieving equality of access, opportunity and training to Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) across inner-city disadvantaged schools.

The Mature Student Access Course is a one year course at DIT. It is designed for Mature Students (22 years of age on the first of January of the year the course begins) from areas and communities where there is not a strong tradition of participation in third level education. Having successfully completed the one year course participants are then eligible to enter undergraduate courses at DIT.

The Programme for Students Learning with Communities was established to encourage students to practice the skills they have developed in DIT in their subject specialist area, i.e. engineering, music etc, to help community groups and organisations. Having successfully completed this learning process, students receive course credits from DIT which form part of their overall results. Students who participate in this programme come from all the faculties at DIT and work with organisations which meet the needs of local people.

The Community Links Programme works in a number of locations in Inner City Dublin as well as other parts of Ireland. It also has a project in the Chernobyl affected areas of southern Belarus.