Access

If the ethos of the access service is to raise awareness of university education among school goers, then there is no reason for this to be limited to any particular age category. Until recently, DCU has worked mainly with school children from eleven years upwards, bringing them on campus to attend workshops and other events which make them aware of what universities are; while they are about learning, they are also about having fun, making friends and getting involved in social activities.

The DCU access service is now reaching out to national school children as young as eight and nine, and has set up the following initiatives which all help to form relationships with younger children, their parents and teachers:

Access award scheme
From a pool of eleven local national schools, teachers and pupils were asked to nominate a pupil who had made an outstanding achievement in an academic subject, sport, art, culture or community spirit. There was also a special nomination for someone who had overcome a particular personal problem or difficulty in their life. An award ceremony was held in DCU and was attended by parents, teachers and friends.

School tours
In cooperation with the community office, 1,200 pupils took part in a series of school tours organised last summer. Each tour, which related to either science or sport, allowed pupils to meet DCU staff and to take a general look at the campus and all its facilities.

Discovery camps
2-day discovery camps were held during the summer where pupils came onto campus and followed a course of either science or maths-related 'classes'. The science faculty staff who were involved provided experiments and demonstrations for the children. While this is a fun activity, it also has the effect of breaking down invisible barriers which people who attend or work in universities are not always aware of.

'Soccer for success'
DCU students have undergone special training to act as mentors to pupils who are in the age group of 3rd to 6th class and who are considered to be potential early school-leavers. The children come to DCU after school, have a meal and then do their homework with their mentors who use a range of subsidiary materials which teach through the medium of soccer and other sports. A football fan, for example, will learn about geography by looking up soccer fixtures for the world cup.