Fidelity Investments and Xilinx combined forces with Junior Achievement Ireland to complete very successful ‘Working It Out’ events on 22nd and 23rd April at UCD Sports Centre. These fun-filled maths and games events were the culmination of the Make Maths Matter project, which has involved 126 children in West Dublin.
73 students from Talbot Senior National School, Bawnogue, Clondalkin and 53 students from St. Ronan’s National School, Deansrath, Clondalkin worked in teams, led by business volunteers from Xilinx and Fidelity Investments at the action-filled events.
‘Working It Out’ combines sports-related activities and maths to enable students to explore the relevance of maths in their everyday lives in a fun environment. Maths exercises are enlivened, becoming the focal point of team activities in which students are encouraged to see the discipline in a different light, away from textbooks and copy books. Competing in basketball, football penalty shoot-outs, skipping, bowling and ring throw activities while practising mental arithmetic, calculating averages and compiling aggregate scores! Each activity incorporates a specific maths challenge, complementary to and reinforcing the school curriculum.
Junior Achievement aims to bridge the gap between school and the world of work and to inspire students at risk of early school leaving to remain in education.
This school year Junior Achievement will bring enterprise and life skills to 66,000 students all over the country in ca. 600 schools with the help of ca. 3,000 business volunteers. A not-for-profit organisation, Junior Achievement is supported by more than 180 of Ireland’s leading business organisations in both the public and private sectors.