All About Cork: CPR awareness day in Carrigaline

LGBTQ+ Quality Mark

Carrigaline Community School was among six Cork schools to receive the Belong To LGBTQ+ Quality Mark, recognising their work over an 18-month period to foster LGBTQ+ wellbeing and inclusion for their students.

The accreditation initiative was developed by Belong To — LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland in 2022.

That year, the School Climate Survey by Columbia University revealed that 76% of LGBTQ+ young people in Cork and across Ireland do not feel safe in post-primary schools. Since the pilot programme, more than 100 schools and Youthreach centres have embarked on the LGBTQ+ Quality Mark journey to improve the lives and experiences of their LGBTQ+ students.

The initiative draws on national and international best practice to create an environment where students feel safe and welcome regardless of who they are.

This is done through a host of practical, proactive actions such establishing an LGBTQ+ and Allies Club for students, training whole-staff teams on supporting LGBTQ+ students and promoting the representation of LGBTQ+ families and identities in classroom teaching.

The School Climate Survey 2022, showed that through an action as simple as including LGBTQ+ related topics in the curriculum resulted in 22% of young people being more likely to feel like they belong at school, 11% more likely to feel accepted by the student body and 8% less likely to miss days of school due to feeling unsafe.

The other schools in Cork to receive the mark were: St Vincent’s Secondary School, St Colman’s Community College, Carrigtwohill Community College , Nano Nagle College Cork, and Terence MacSwiney Community College Applications to take part in the LGBTQ+ Quality Mark initiative for the 2025/2026 academic year are now open to schools and Youthreach centres and full details and application forms are available at:
www.belongto.org.

Men’s Shed choir on song

The Men’s Shed choir is on the programme for the Cork Coral Festival on May 4, at the fringe festival at the Carlton Hotel. They will also perform at Marymount on April 15. The choir continues to practice on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Separately, Carrigaline’s honorary treasurer, Aidan Winters, has been appointed by the Irish Men’s Shed Association as one of four volunteers to help and advise individuals or groups to set up a Men’s Shed.

Knock pilgrimage

The Carrigaline Pilgrimage to Knock on the last weekend of June coincides with the St

Joseph’s Young Priests Society Pilgrimage Day on Saturday and the National Franciscan Pilgrimage on the Sunday, also the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The pilgrimage leaves from beside the Church at 8am on Saturday, June 28, and hopes to book into the Knock House Hotel shortly after noon. Dinner and overnight at Knock House Hotel and the full Sunday to visit all the favourite places. Contact Aislinn (021) 4372035 / 087 9699 488, Mary (021) 4371025 or Mary (021) 4373316.

Have Carrigaline and Crosshaven news to share? Contact bill.browne@theecho.ie