Milestone marked at graduation ceremony for 51 schoolchildren hosted by Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn
Education charity Suas and corporate law firm A&L Goodbody today celebrated the first year of a three year partnership, to improve declining levels of literacy among young people in Ireland, with an event held in the Mansion House.
566 students in schools in disadvantaged areas have been supported to improve their literacy through paired reading and the use of technologies. Over 80% of these schoolchildren more than doubled their rate of progress.
The anniversary milestone was marked at a graduation ceremony hosted by Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn for 51 school children from St. Laurence O’Toole’s Girls National School, St. Vincent’s Girls National School and St. Joseph’s Co-ed School, all located in north inner city Dublin. To date, 120 A&L Goodbody staff have volunteered as literacy mentors in this programme. In addition to volunteering, A&L Goodbody is supporting Suas through the provision of funding (€150,000) and significant pro-bono legal counsel.
Speaking at the event, Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn commented, “Building the confidence of young people and providing them with the opportunity to develop their literacy skills is essential to the future of our society. It provides them with the tools to reach their full potential and strive for whatever it is that they put their minds to. I would like to congratulate Suas and A&L Goodbody on their achievements to date through the partnership and the difference they have made to young people across Ireland.”
Adelaide Nic Charthaigh, Literacy Support Programme Manager, from Suas Educational Development said, "this partnership with A&L Goodbody has not only allowed us to scale up the programme both nationally and in Dublin Central, but feedback and lessons learned sessions with our corporate mentors has also allowed us to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme. This is incredibly valuable to the sustainability of the programme.”
Managing Partner for A&L Goodbody Julian Yarr added, “The Suas Literacy programme is a really important initiative and A&L Goodbody is delighted to be part of it. Having formed our relationship with Suas only 12 months ago, we could not have anticipated the success of the programme or the enthusiasm and engagement of our people. We believe that through partnerships such as this, our people's skills are used over and beyond their day job, giving them the opportunity to see first-hand the difference their contributions can make in their local community."
Article Published: 07/04/2014