I have chosen to help out at Greystones Library on Thursday evenings, for my Gaisce Community Service! The purpose and aim of Gaisce is to help us develop from teenagers to young adults by dedicating our free time to improving the lives the others, by helping our community, by expanding our skill set, by learning new and useful things, by having memorable experiences and making lifelong friends. To fulfill this purpose and aim, we are required to do 13 weeks of community service, 13 weeks of physical activity and 13 weeks of nurturing a personal skill. As I have already mentioned in a previous blog post, I am pleased to be doing my 13 weeks of community service in Greystones Library. I must admit, 13 week go a lot faster than you might think! During the summer of 2016, I was researching Gaisce and was stunned when I learned we had to do 13 weeks of an activity, and even 26 for an activity of our choice. I couldn’t believe it, it seemed like almost too many weeks! I asked friends who have already completed Transition Year if this information was correct, and was amazed when they said it is true! However I honestly find now that those 13 weeks, and even Transition Year, have flown by. I started my community service on the 22nd of September 2016, and finished on the 26th of January 2017 (I missed a few weeks because of holidays and school events!). During my community service at Greystones Library I have had many great experiences, learned many new things and have made some good friends. I looked forward to every Thursday evening, as I enjoyed working at Greystones Library. I got the opportunity to work as a librarian, by scanning people’s books and giving them book recommendations! Most of the time you would find me sitting by a table in the children’s section of the library, doing some sort of artistic and creative crafts, or sometimes simply cutting out templates! I thoroughly enjoyed this, as I received the chance to be creative and use my imagination to create something. The crafts I would make, and at times I would simply prepare the materials to make the craft, are used for the crafts sessions on Saturday mornings for little children, which is organised by the library. I also created various decorations for the library at Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day! My very last day at the library I was given the job to wrap novels in newspapers, and on a label on top of the wrapped book I had to write down the genre of the book. The label read ‘Blind Date With Your New Favourite Book'. This Book Is For ….. (write in genre) Lovers’! I thought it was a wonderful idea for Valentine's Day, that people would pick up a random book, from a genre they have an interest in, without judging the book by its cover! In addition I spent some time stacking books in the library, and putting them back in their original place, in alphabetical order. This is a relaxing and enjoyable ending to a busy Thursday, and I enjoy reading the blurbs on the books as I put them away. It is quite a wonderful feeling being surrounded by mountains of books! I am sad my 13 weeks of working at Greystones Library have come to an end, but I very happy I chose to do my community service here. I enquired if I could continue helping out on Thursday evenings for another 13 weeks, but the library do not facilitate for students working there for longer than 13 weeks for insurance reasons I believe. The library has a wonderful atmosphere of kindness and peace and gives me a sense of community. The librarians have told me a lot about how to become a professional librarian and what the work the job entails (most people picture a librarian as a grumpy old women who always says ‘shhhhh’, but really it's a proper job which needs qualification and experience!), so who knows I may decide to become a librarian because of my community service? Also its fantastic as I did not need to pay any fees for late books while I worked at the library, however I doubt this will continue!! I gave the librarians a box of Belgian chocolates as a token of thanks for having me in the library for 13 weeks, and for being so kind and helpful! The stereotypical librarian! It has been a great 13 weeks and I have learned many new and valuable skills!
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European Computer Driving Licence, is exactly what the name suggests. ECDL is the world's leading computer skills certification. The ECDL programme defines the skills and competencies necessary to use a computer and common computer applications. It offers a wide range of modules including Computer Essentials, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, IT Security and many more base, intermediate and advanced modules. When I discovered our school provided ECDL classes in Transition Year, I saw it as a brilliant opportunity to expand my knowledge on computers and improve the few skills I already have and learn many new skills concerning computers, and applications. Nowadays it is essential that one understands computers and modern technology. A large range of jobs these days are either heavily based on technology or require a basic knowledge on programmes such as Spreadsheets and Word Processor. As I do not have a natural flair or dominant interest in technology, I thought Transition Year is the perfect opportunity to evolve the skill of using computers to the best of their ability. Every Thursday evening I attend the hour and 15 minutes ECDL classes at school, from 17.15pm to 18.30pm. After games, we gather in the IT room and we are left to our own devices. It is up to us to complete modules and learn the information given to us. We each have our own account, and we can pick and choose which modules we want to complete based on interest and which one would be most practical for us in the future. It is normal that each student works at a different pace, therefore at the end of the school year some students have completed 6 modules, while others have completed 3. In order to receive an ECDL certificate, we must complete a minimum of one module. I have completed 3 modules to date: Computer Essentials, Word Processing and Spreadsheets. I am in the middle of doing the mock test for the Presentations module. For each module you do a mock test, which you can pause and resume at any time and then you do a ‘real’ test, which you must finish within the allocated time. I am enjoying ECDL, although it is challenging, I feel I am using my time wisely by learning new and useful things every week. My goal is to complete 5 modules before the end of the school year, and I am sure I will benefit from doing this course, in the future!
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February 2017
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