Longford students honoured at SVP Youth Day for hosting fashion show

Transition Year (TY) Students from Meán Scoil Mhuire, Longford were honoured at a recent Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) North East & Midlands Youth Day.

They were awarded certificates for their participation in the Young SVP Programme 2022/2023

In conjunction with TY students from  Castlepollard Community School, the Meán Scoil Mhuire students organised a fashion Show with clothes from Vincent’s charity shops. 

The TY students broke up into groups and had to raise €15 each to spent in their local SVP shop. The students priced each outfit before it was donated to SVP.

In addition to raising money for the charity and supporting the community the students learned the benefit of shopping in the Vincent’s shops and became more aware of how the Society of St Vincent de Paul helps people in need.

Longford ladies raise funds for Féileacáin

The Young SVP programme is a social justice programme designed for students and 3rd Level Institutions. The programme encourages young people and Young SVP groups to get involved in their local communities, improve the lives of others and gain a better understanding of SVP and social justice. 

There are four types of project types in Young SVP:

Befriending Project.  Befriending is one of the central works of SVP. At its heart is the person to person contact with people. In befriending another person, you are giving of your time, your talents and yourself Work with elderly, young people, people with additional needs, fellow student support, local SVP, random acts of kindness, help a local community cause

Education Project SVP acknowledges the importance of education and the fact that it can be a way out of poverty for many people. A little help at the right time can make all the difference Teach a skill to another person, peer learning, paired reading, homework club, tech classes, information booklets, music classes, language aid

Longford student assists Uganda humanitarian efforts

Awareness Project Through this type of project, you will learn how to research and create awareness on a social justice issue you are interested in Research a topic of interest and create an awareness campaign in your school, local community, on social media

Direct Aid Project SVP is funded almost entirely by donations by the public. Direct Aid projects, where money or items are raised for a cause, should be done with a clear focus in mind and in conjunction with the charity or cause you are collecting for - Fundraise, clothes drive, collections for homeless charities, annual appeal collection, help local SVP.