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Students who took part in UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School’s innovative Global Leadership Programme (GLP) have raised over €18,000 for Irish charities in the 2021/22 academic year.

“Student leadership is one of the three pillars of the Global Leadership Programme,” said Dr Linda Dowling-Hetherington, Director, Assurance of Learning at UCD College of Business.

“Through engagement in this pillar, students have the opportunity to be involved in an experiential learning activity that not only helps them develop their leadership competencies, but also encourages them to consider how they can make a difference in their local community. This is just one way in which the GLP helps students become impactful global business leaders.”

In 2021, a charity fundraising committee was created highlighting the ‘active citizenship’ element of the programme. Students were encouraged to think about how they can make an impact on others around them – in the School and in their local community and fundraising for a charity is just one way of doing this. The idea appealed to many students who feel privileged to be able to study at the UCD Smurfit School and wanted to use their time with us to ‘give back’.

MSc Management student, Priyanka Verma, originally from India, raised €1,326 for Children’s Health Foundation 100minds—a programme that gave her the opportunity to fundraise and also receive an industry mentor. Priyanka analysed and identified a market opportunity for quality Indian Street Food; developed a business plan; collaborated with local food vendors to gain access to high footfall at Dun Laoghaire farmer’s market; managed purchase, production, sales, marketing, and negotiations; developed project management and time management skills.

Natalia Furlong, MSc Management student from Ireland, organised a raffle which raised an outstanding €6,601 for Dogs Angels Ireland.

Beyond the powerful impact for the charities, these projects allow students the opportunity to apply what they are learning in the classroom to ‘real-world’ activities, including managing projects, running a social media campaign, and communicating with key stakeholders.

Students also have the opportunity to demonstrate instances where they have used their own initiative, collaborated with others from across different programmes in the School and taken a leadership role.

This year, students drawn from all over the globe chose a range of charities to support. Activities such as sponsored hikes, cycles, walks, bake sales, sea swims, food markets, raffles and more, all supported an active schedule designed to support those in need. Selected organisations included the below:

Children’s Health Foundation

A number of students got involved in 100minds which challenges students to raise €1,000 in 100 days to support sick children and their families across CHI hospitals in Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly. This year, the donations will be invested into a new state of the art simulation centre which will provide a space for healthcare professionals to advance their training capabilities, resulting in better nursing within the hospitals.

Movember

Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's suicide.

Pieta House

Funds donated to Pieta House help the organisation to provide professional one-to-one therapeutic services to people who are in suicidal distress, those who engage in self-harm and those bereaved by suicide.

LauraLynn Foundation

The LauraLynn Foundation supports children with life-limiting conditions in LauraLynn, Ireland’s only Children’s Hospice.

Dogs Angels Ireland

Dogs Angels Ireland is a non-profit organisation set up by a group of dog owners who were appalled at the mistreatment of domesticated animals in Ireland. The organisation strives to rescue unwanted dogs from harrowing situations and to provide them with shelter and love until new homes are found.

Focus Ireland

Focus Ireland is a non-profit organisation based in Dublin, Ireland that provides services for people who are homeless and people at risk of homelessness in Ireland. 

Mental Health Ireland

Mental Health Ireland promotes positive mental health, supporting people with lived experience of mental health challenges in their recovery and bringing practical expression to national policy objectives.

Women’s Aid

Women’s Aid works to make women and children safe from domestic violence, offer support, provide hope to women affected by abuse and work for justice and social change. 

Enable Ireland

Enable Ireland provides services to children and adults with disabilities and their families from over 40 locations in 15 counties. Covering childhood to adulthood our expert teams work with the individual and their family on a plan for each life stage.

The SCOOP Foundation

SCOOP, which stands for ‘Supporting Children Out Of Poverty’, was set up in 2009 by Irish brothers Andy and Calvin Sweeney. Currently operating in the Middle East and in Ireland, SCOOP believes in supporting and educating the next generation, especially young people at home and abroad who are suffering through no fault of their own. Currently, our main efforts at SCOOP are focused around the implementation of SCOOP Ed to young displaced people living in camps in Iraq & Syria, and young refugees living in Direct Provision Centres in Ireland.

The initiative is expected to continue and grow in the future.