The Asthma Society of Ireland would like to invite expressions of interests from schools, teachers or potential ambassadors to participate in the Asthma Youth Champions programme – across both primary and post-primary schools.
A National Youth Council will be established through electing a number of students from each school as Asthma Champions, leading their school with regards to changing asthma awareness and culture.
This project has been kindly supported by Novartis Ireland.
What is the Asthma Youth Champions Programme?
Four selected schools will participate in the Asthma Youth Champions programme – one from each province.
For Schools
There are a number of supports that the Asthma Society will provide to selected schools:
- Completing an audit of asthma awareness and asthma safety in the school,
- An asthma education session delivered by an asthma specialist nurse for teachers and students,
- Information booklets, classroom games and STEM engagements, videos and an Asthma Council project planner,
- A final information session delivered by students on their Asthma Champion programme of activity (including planned meeting with Minister for Children).
All activity will be built around ensuring that the school is supported that they can change the asthma culture in their school and community. The school will also receive publicity in regional and/or national media broadcast and print media throughout the programme.
For Asthma Youth Champions:
A National Youth Council will be established through electing a number of students from each school as Asthma Champions, leading their school with regards to changing asthma awareness and culture.
The Asthma Youth Champions will also participate in a focus group, travelling to the Asthma Society head office in Dublin where they can assist in the provision of an improved understanding of asthma management.
Findings obtained from this group will feed into advocacy campaign on paediatric asthma - a central element of the campaign being the utilization of a patient’s voice, especially children’s voices. The Asthma Society will seek a meeting on the key priorities identified by the Asthma Youth Champions with the Oireachtas Committee for Children and also with the Minister for Children.
The Asthma Society will also look to the Asthma Youth Champions for feedback on its schools programme and digital campaigns for young people.
The aims of the project:
- To empower young people who have asthma to become the leaders of the future by identifying and training Asthma Youth Champions.
- To establish a National Asthma Youth Council.
- To address and identify the issues that affect young people with asthma.
- To workshop the schools programme and youth communications campaign to ensure that they are best practice.
- To ensure that the paediatric patient voice about the experience and burden of asthma is heard by senior political decision makers and media and to work to ensure better health outcomes for people with asthma.
Please note:
Any schools that apply but are not selected to participate in the programme will be sent an asthma educational pack containing educational booklets and other materials from ASI to help them create awareness in their school. The Asthma Cociety will endeavour to have a nurse training programme for any school in which an application for this programme is received – there may be a limit on the number of nurse training events which we can facilitate – depending on the budget available for the programme.
The Asthma Society reserves any right to accept or reject any of the applications without assigning any reason thereof and no claim/dispute on this aspect shall be entertained.
The Expected Period of Project: February 2019- October 2019
To download the Asthma Youth Champions Application Form - click here
Email applications to Hp.assistant@asthmasociety.ie
