The Jesuit Refugee Service, Ireland recently finished an exciting Summer Programme for 2011 which included six weeks of activities for the families of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in the Dublin area. The programme was attended by 120 people.

JRS hosted a weekly activity on Mondays at Balseskin for groups of children aged 5-15. Each week, the children showed their creative flair with a different activity. The first week, the children painted T-shirts with fabric paint and personalised them with beads and buttons. The second week, they made cards using coloured paper, glitter, markers and crepe paper. Some of the children also made masks – a scary lion, with a crepe paper mane caught our attention! In the third week, the children greatly enjoyed making ornaments from air-dry clay – from a handmade Luchador (Mexican Professional Wrestler) figurine, to a pot with a snake curved around the top, the children showed great imagination and talent in their creations. The final week’s activity was the most ambitious – making Plushies, or small animal-shaped cushions. The children had to pick a template and material, decide on a filling (cotton wool or peas) and then sew the 2 sides they had cut from their template. They could also customize their animal cushion with buttons or coloured embroidery thread. The sewing proved difficult, but the children persevered and were delighted with the Plushies they created. Some of the days we also had time for sports outside and played football with the older children and catch with the younger children.

On Tuesdays, JRS accompanied children and their parents from Clondalkin to the Clondalkin Leisure Centre for swimming. We brought lots of inflatable armbands and toys. After swimming, we went to the playground for some fun on the slide and swings, and in the sandbox.

On Thursdays, we took day trips in Dublin and the surrounding area with families from Balseskin, Clondalkin, and Hatch Hall Provision Centres.
The first week we accompanied a large group to Dollymount Strand for sunshine and lots of games. We played skipping and cricket, football and rounders. We had a picnic lunch, and built sand castles and paddled in the surf.
Unfortunately, the second week’s trip had to be cancelled due to torrential rain which did not stop all day!
The third week, JRS brought 2 groups of children to the Natural History Museum and the National Print Museum in Dublin with a picnic lunch in Merrion Square Park in between. The children enjoyed drawing their favourite animals from the Natural History Museum and seeing the collections of animals on display. In the National Print Museum, the children learned about hand setting (printing using hand placed metal type) and made printers’ hats.
A Family Fun Day for the fourth week was held in Mountjoy Square Park. The children and their parents arrived in great spirits and were ready to tackle the Treasure Hunt! The children were divided into teams of three and given a map which detailed the locations of brightly coloured clues around the park. Teamwork was very important, as they were timed and the winners were chosen based on accuracy of answers and the time it took them to complete the questions. All participants got a piece of treasure (a foil-wrapped biscuit or chocolate money!) from the Treasure Chest. Later, the children could get their faces painted, or get an animal balloon made by a Balloon Artist. There was an area to relax, and draw or colour and there was a playground nearby. We had a delicious Intercultural Picnic for lunch which included chappatis (flat bread), peanut and chicken stew, fried chicken, and rice. After lunch, we set up races and obstacles courses on the lawn.
For the fifth week, JRS took children and their families to Malahide Castle grounds and playground. The playground had a large spider rope, swings, and a long slide which was very popular with the children. After lunch in the park, families relaxed or joined in with the competitive games of rounders! There were also groups playing football or catch, and skipping.
The final week saw JRS take a trip to Funtasia (a water theme park) with the children. There was great excitement on the buses on the way to the park, and the children had a wonderful time at Pirates Cove (“30,000 square feet of water gushing fun”) and sliding down The Boomerang (a 60 feet long slide!) and the Superbowl (a spinning slide).

On Fridays, JRS took groups of young people aged 13-18 on trips to the cinema, bowling, Quasar (Laser Tag) and to play pool. This was a chance for the teenagers to spend time together and to meet new people. One Friday, the group took part in a workshop where they wrote and recorded their own song, and made a music video. The workshop showcased some amazing talents for composing lyrics and music, as well as singing and dancing!

The Summer Programme 2011 Team included; JRS Staff (Nicola Morris and Elizabeth O’ Rourke), JRS Intern (Kathleen Putney), and JRS Volunteers (Madalena Filippe, Rafal Strzebrakowski SJ, Jakub Niedzielski SJ, and Christopha Mukamuenza)

The Summer Programme 2011 was a great success and JRS would like to thank the many people who supported our work this year including;

• The staff at Balseskin Provision Centre especially Deirdre and Mike; The staff at Clondalkin Provision Centre especially Mark and Róisín; The staff at Hatch Hall especially Rachel, Killian and David.
  
• The Lifeguards and staff at Clondalkin Leisure Centre.
  
• Mrs. Rameli, Rita and Christopha for preparing delicious food for our Intercultural picnic.
• The music video workshop staff; Ken and Cindy from Craftzone.
  
• Maria McKenna from Marvellous Faces.
• Dublin City Council, Catholic Youth Care, CDYSB and The Impact Joe Lucy Fund.

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By: Kate Putney,
Communications & Projects Intern,
JRS Ireland