Project Visit Options 22nd June

Options for project visits are listed below.

On 22nd June, each guest will be offered the opportunity to partake in one offsite project visit in the South Dublin and Wicklow area between 10.30am and 1.00pm and also partake in a group project presentation between 2.00pm – 4.00pm in Powerscourt House

Offsite Project Visit Options in South Dublin and Wicklow Area 10.30am – 1.00pm

Please rank your morning project option below in order of preference (your first, second and third) and we will do our best to accommodate your choice.

• Option 1 – Irish Men’s Sheds Association
• Option 2 – ReCreate
• Option 3 – FoodCloud
• Option 4 – The Native Woodlands Trust
• Option 5 – AsIAm.ie
• Option 6 – Barnardos
• Option 7 – I am open to going to any one of the options listed above

Option 1 – Irish Men’s Sheds Association
The Irish Men’s Shed Association (IMSA) is a community-based, non-profit organisation, creating space for men of all ages to gather in a safe, friendly environment. Here they can work on interesting projects at their own pace, in their own time and in the company of other men where the primary objective is to advance the health and well- being of the participating men. IMSA supports a network of over 350 Men’s Sheds throughout Ireland – member-focused, grassroots spaces where men can pursue shared interests, alleviate feelings of stress and isolation, and make a genuine contribution to their communities. The Sheds have proven to be of immense and lasting value not just to individual men, but also to their families and communities. Within the supportive and co-operative environment of a shed, barriers are lowered and stigma and taboos regarding mental health and loneliness are overcome.

Option 2 – ReCreate
ReCreate is an award winning, thriving social enterprise making art materials and educational supplies affordable and accessible to every sector of the community for all kinds of creative purposes from its Warehouse of Wonders in Ballymount, South Dublin. This is achieved by salvaging clean, unwanted but reusable end of line materials from businesses and distributing them to members for free in unlimited quantities. The project is based around the concept known as Creative Reuse which encourages the public to reuse materials on an industrial scale that would normally be sent to landfill or for recycling, for all kinds of creative and inventive ways. ReCreate runs numerous creative programmes (300 workshops per year) to schools. There is also a creative workshop in house should you be overwhelmed by a desire to create on the spot!

Option 3 – FoodCloud
The premise behind FoodCloud was to fight food waste in Ireland and to tackle food poverty. FoodCloud was addressing the issue recently enshrined in the UN stating that reducing food waste by 25% could feed all people who are malnourished globally. FoodCloud Hubs match large volumes of food to the charity sector. They work with food businesses nationwide who have volumes of surplus food. In some instances, businesses deliver directly to the Hubs in Cork, Galway and Dublin and in other circumstances, FoodCloud collect from food businesses. Once the food reaches the closest FoodCloud Hub, it is counted, uploaded onto the IT system and segregated into storage. Each day the Hub team connect with their network of 3,600 charity partners, go through all the products available and take an order for delivery or collection. Charity partners pay a nominal contribution towards the storage and transportation. To date FoodCloud have distributed over 12 million meals.

Option 4 – Native Woodlands Trust
Native Irish woodlands—places filled with species that are native to Ireland—are in a precarious state and have been so for hundreds of years. The Native Woodland Trust was established to protect and preserve some of Ireland’s remaining ancient woodlands for the enjoyment of all people. They purchase and protect existing ancient and native woodlands and also create new woodlands across Ireland where they would naturally occur. Registered as an Irish Charity, much of the tree planting events take place in six nature reserves and are carried out with the continued assistance and dedication of volunteers.

Option 5 – AsIAm.ie
Founded by Adam Harris, an Autism advocate in his early twenties, AsIAm.ie is an organisation committed to building a more Autism-friendly society in Ireland. Adam established AsIAm.ie based on his own experiences of growing up with Aspergers Syndrome, a condition on the Autism Spectrum. AsIAm.ie provides a central online hub for the Autism community which aims to inform and empower those affected by the condition, their families and supporter. Through online engagement with users, AsIAm.ie creates training programmes and campaigns to engage various aspects of Irish life to understand Autism better and to become more Autism friendly.

Option 6 – Barnardos
Barnardos, Irelands leading children’s charity, has worked in Ireland since the early 1960s with the aim of supporting the children and families who are struggling with a lack of education, lack of opportunities, poverty and crises like bereavement or violence. There are over 30 Barnardos centres across Ireland providing programmes for children, be that a pre-school, after-schools support and parenting support-all aimed at supporting a child reach their full potential. Barnardos does not work in isolation. Services are about supporting the whole family and community around the child that has come for help. A key part of the work is supporting children and parents in accessing education which is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

Option 7 – I am open to going to any one of the options listed above
Select this option if you do not have a distinct preference for a particular project visit and we would be very happy to select an option for you.