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Better Together Challenge 2021

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Many congratulations to all our colleagues who took part in this team challenge, recording their daily walking, running and cycling to help improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Culture & Engagement donated €60 for each team that beat their target, with the 55 teams who completed the challenge raising €3,300 for (opens in a new window)UCDVO's Uganda healthcare appeal.

This challenge has now concluded but you can find out more about how it worked below.

Overview - More than your average challenge!

We're mixing things up this time around and shifting the focus from a personal to a team challenge. Underlining this theme, the challenge is going to rely heavily on team averages meaning success will depend on teamwork rather than solo-runs!

Gather your team and set your target

  • Gather your team of 4 to 6 members and discuss your team-target. This time around, teams can include a mix of walkers, runners and cyclists (you don’t have to have all 3).
  • You can choose any target you like but make sure you pick one that is realistic and achievable for each member. Our target setter may help you decide.
  • Targets are based on average daily distances so it's important that you pick a target all team members are happy with. It's not enough to have a star performer, everyone has to do their bit in order to meet the team target!

Record your distances

  • Record your running, walking or cycling distances (in KM's) on the challenge tracker. You can do this daily or weekly. Don't worry if you miss a day, you can retrospectively enter your distances when you have a chance to catch up. Just remember, unless everyone is entering KM's each day the team average will take a hit.

Track your progress

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UCD Volunteers Overseas

For the last decade UCDVO has supported health programmes in Uganda through its volunteering and global citizenship programme.

In spite of the immense strain Covid-19 has put on the health system in Uganda, UCDVO’s partners continue to deliver critical health services to some of the most vulnerable communities.

Over 15,000 women, men and children in Nansana, Wakiso District, were able to access primary healthcare through UCDVO’s partner Nurture Africa. In the Church of Uganda Kisiizi Hospital, south western Uganda, more than 5,000 people received outpatient services every month; 8,000 patients were admitted and over 2,000 babies safely delivered.

UCDVO has partnered with Kisiizi Hospital since 2010 for short-term elective volunteer placements. UCDVO has placed 56 students and eleven professional tutors, from the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science and School of Agriculture and Food Science (Nutrition/Dietetics).

UCDVO (with funding from ESTHER COVID-19 Response) is currently supporting Kisiizi Hospital’s Covid-19 response to improve the quality of antenatal care services for mothers via outreach community ante-natal clinics.

Since 2015, (opens in a new window)UCDVO volunteers have supported Nurture Africa’s community health and livelihoods programme. UCDVO and Nurture Africa host a 4-week rehabilitation camp for children with disabilities and their families. This camp includes physiotherapy, public health, and nutrition assessments and interventions, alongside workshops and capacity building, resulting in improvements in movement, speech and sitting for many of the children

This year, 25 of UCDVO’s 50 programme participants are volunteering (virtually) with Nurture Africa and will participate in vocational training, business and livelihoods programmes and run the rehabilitation summer camp.

UCDVO works closely with the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science (SPHPSS) and School of Agriculture and Food Science for the delivery of the multi-disciplinary health and livelihoods programmes, elective placements and research in the areas of nutrition and dietetics.

Please help UCDVO continue this work in 2021 by (opens in a new window)donating.

To find out more on UCDVO's Uganda healthcare appeal (opens in a new window)visit our website.

Of course! If your target is too high or too low you can change it at any point in the challenge via the distance recording sheet. Your % complete will automatically update in line with your new target.

This is a challenge for employees and makes extensive use of Google sheets within the @ucd.ie domain. Access to the system requires participants to have a @ucd.ie email address.

For more on activities aimed at students, visit the Healthy UCD website.

It's true there are lots of APP's out there that can provide a similar service. However, we have chosen to go with an in-house version for the following reasons:

  • Better for GDPR - Names and emails are retained within UCD.
  • Better for the Charity - Using an in-house system means costs are greatly reduced and there is more money for the charity.

You sure can! For the first time, you're free to enter KM's from both smimming and cycling in your daily total.

Of course! If there aren't enough people in your area to complete a team then email (opens in a new window)engage@ucd.ie and we'll do our best to place you in another team that hasn't used all its slots.

No problem. 6 is the maximum we can facilitate but you are free to have a team of 3 or 4 if you prefer. It won't affect your ability to complete the challenge.

Contact Culture & Engagement

Culture & Engagement, UCD HR 3rd Floor, Roebuck Offices University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
E: engage@ucd.ie | Location Map(opens in a new window)