Third Age Project Fáilte Isteach wins EU prize
Posted on 14th December 2015
Fáilte Isteach, the community-based project which involves volunteers welcoming migrants to the community through English language conversational classes, has just been awarded the 2015 EESC Civil Society Prize.
The European Economic and Social Committee has dedicated the 2015 European Civil Society Prize to organisations distinguishing themselves through their creativity and success in combating poverty, and Fáilte Isteach has been selected from 106 applications from across the EU. Fáilte Isteach is a national programme of Third Age, a voluntary organisation promoting the value of the contribution of older people and the challenges and opportunities facing older people in today’s Ireland.
Fáilte Isteach was launched nationally in 2008, and since then has established 83 groups throughout the country, providing practical support to migrants living in their community. The project is tailored to suit the needs of these migrants, and is student-focused in its approach in order to ease the transition to living in Ireland. Topics, for example, range from shopping, going to the doctor, dealing with your child’s school, through to learning about lrish culture and customs. In 2015 alone, over 42,000 hours of free English language tuition will be delivered by the programme, and each week more than 2,700 students attend the classes.
"I am accepting this award on behalf of our 800 volunteers whose commitment, enthusiasm and good make the programme the success it is." Aine Brady, Third Age CEO
15 new groups have been opened in 2015, which has proved to be a particularly busy and successful year for the programme. The demand for the service 2016 will be even greater, given the humanitarian crisis Europe is facing. Aine Brady is CEO of Third Age, and welcomed the award for the programme: “This programme is unique across Europe, and we are obviously delighted that the tremendous work of our volunteers is being validated by this award at an EU level.”
The Fáilte Isteach operating model builds in social inclusion at its heart, bringing together as it does the people in a local community and their new migrants to learn together. There is an added inter generational bonus in that many of the migrants are young people away from their homes, and families and they are offered particularly mature support from mainly older volunteer tutors.
Speaking after receiving the award this week, Third Age CEO, Áine Brady said: "I am delighted that the programme and the benefits it is bringing to communities across Ireland are being recognised. I am proud of the response of the Irish people to our initiative and I am accepting this award on behalf of our 800 volunteers whose commitment, enthusiasm and good will make the programme the success it is. Each week they give freely of their time to extend the hand of friendship to others and it is great to see them receiving the applause they deserve. It is most significant to have our project validated at European level," she commented.
Irish initiative Failte Isteach wins EU civil society Prize - December 2015 by Spotlightoneurope on Mixcloud
Interested in Fáilte Isteach? Find out more about how you can get involved
