Today we went to two different places to tour. First, we went to an alternative school in Cork. The school was located right in the middle of the city and it was extremely run down. The school is for students who cannot stay in mainstream education classrooms, which could be due to poor attendance, grades, family life, etc.. So..we sat in on a lecture there where the director talked about the history of the program and how it worked..which none of you probably really care about..and then we got a tour of the building and got to meet some of the kids. The students who go to the school range from 12-21 years old..those 16-21 get paid to go to school..like they're on social welfare. 188 euros a week.. so like 240 dollars. And they pay them so that they will come to class and etc. The school doesnt really have any structure...if the students dont want to learn, the teachers wont teach that day..they just do whatever they want. The school had 6 suicides last year. It was a sad place to be at...
Next we went to a family resource center and sat in on three lectures..one was about the center itself..its a non profit organization that helps families and children...children can go to daycare provided there..and its a very diverse center with over 150 different languages. Then the next lady talked about the drug and alcohol program that they have in the building which is like a counceling center..and they try to get the family involved in the situation to look at the positives...that lecture was very boring...and the last lady talked about the 'travelers' in Ireland..and the affects that travelers have on the community, jobs, and themselves..travelers are those who have no identification...multicultural people who migrate i guess..i dont really know..but the lady said they have like 16 children on average per family..crazy. Well that's all..i get to sit in on another whole day of lectures tomorrow..cant wait. We are going to a homless shelter and an asylum i think..bye
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