On April 19th, the final day of classes for the semester, the Physical Education, Sports Studies and Arts (PESSA) programme ended the year on a high note, with its first edition of a mixed-ability basketball tournament held in conjunction with partners from the Cope Foundation. The Cope Foundation is a Cork-based non-profit organization which supports 2,800 children and adults across county Cork with autism and other intellectual disabilities. We were proud to support Cope in assisting with coaching sessions for their men’s basketball team over both semesters and are grateful to our close partnership with the Mardyke Arena for the provision of facilities, and additional court space for our final tournament. The tournament served as a fine culminating event to a community outreach project which began in semester one. Staff and students from the PESSA have served as coaches on Friday afternoons in the Mardyke arena for basketball sessions for the Cope Foundation, assisting Cope staff in their delivery. Participation in a succession of skill development activities, and games served as the cornerstone of these sessions. The core philosophy of this link-up was to highlight the role and value physical activity has for improving quality of life, developing physical fitness, and nurturing all-round health for all members of the population. Additionally, it gave our PESSA students a wonderful opportunity to gain practical experience working with individuals with additional needs supporting their in-class teaching across their range of modules.

In an insightful and participative keynote event held on April 16th, 2024, during the university's annual Praxis Week, Caoimhe de Barra, CEO of Trócaire and a notable figure in global social justice, captivated both students and faculty with her discussion on the transformative power of Development Education in higher education settings.

EdFest 24 took place in the School of Education on the 24th of April 2024. EdFest is a Community Engagement Seminar organised by the School of Education for schools and the wider education community.