Students

I was the person with the years of experience at my place of work, homeless /care industry. But I lacked that important ‘’piece of paper’’. As a plus this course was tailormade for someone like me. The modules are doable and practical and dovetail with my experience. So I believe there are lots more like me out there and could use this pathway through 3rd Level education.

Oh lots. The first 2 modules appeared to complement each other. The rediscovering talents that I had used or lost in the module around personal development. While the module around self-care felt like a welcome haven at times and also gave me the opportunity to jot down things that were bothering me in the weekly journal.

When I first met up with my fellow students I thought they were amazing, they still are. I believe the group just gel together somehow. Also I can put my experience to good use, without feeling that I’m the boring mature student. I’ve learnt I can do this.

The kind of person to do Cwell, I think, is somebody with an interest in communities and an interest in a lot of everyday life to deal with things.

Out of Cwell, I have got so far a lot of knowledge how to deal with different kind of people from all walks of life, a lot of skill doing group work which would have been a long time since I have done that as I am out of school 42 years.

About myself, I found that I have more confidence in taking part in group discussions; I was not expecting the variety of things we are covering on the course. Looking forward to next years modules.

I suppose anybody that is interested in taking part in any type of community involvement. Somebody who would like to expand their knowledge and learn about the different roles behind each community setting and what you need to do as a person to be part of it.

I have learned so much about myself that I have never put much thought into. I have learned to reflect on my personal development, both mentally and physically. I am learning new things with every lecture that I would never have had an interest in before now. Again, the course is so broad and covers so much; it’s amazing!

I didn’t expect the course to cover so many different topics and to be so broad. It has changed me as a person, and I am only into my second semester. I feel like I am definitely more aware of different aspects of society and also more understanding of people in general. I am thoroughly grateful to be apart of the CWELL group.

I suppose from my point of view, I left school very young and thought I could never go back to education simply because I didn’t have a Junior or Leaving Cert. But CWELL takes into account Life Experience and Volunteer work that people have behind them, which gives so much more opportunities to people like me.

SUPPORT is a huge one, Eileen and Maura have been amazing to us, and our tutors have been fantastic. We were lucky to be able to meet up and do the course in a class together for a few months before stronger restrictions were made, and we really enjoyed it and became a “family” as cheesy as that sounds 🙂 But I can’t stress enough how brilliant all our tutors have been so far; they are always there to help and support us with every question and encourage us to do our best.

My own capability! I hadn’t realised how much potential we all have if only we are given the support and encouragement to achieve it.

Those wanting to learn new skills. Those who take charge and create change in their lives. Those who have pride and love for their communities and want to achieve common goals.

I did not believe I would gain so much! The personal development… initially, I was sceptical but so proud to see my progress over the short duration in the first semester. The empowerment is insane. I feel confident to educate, advise and support children and parents/adults on nutrition and fitness through play themed gardening events based on sustainable living practices and organic living to tackle chronic illnesses. Women’s welfare and succession are all new areas I am exploring.

What I learned during CWELL:

> Social and personal responsibility, Networking, IT skills, Confidence, Politics, Intergenerational learning through an array of topics related to, but not limited to, health & fitness, social dynamics, political impacts, and support services alike.

The therapy aspect changed who I am. Still, it assists me to alleviate stress and anxiety by using a reflective practice method and journal writing techniques. I developed literacy skills. I was so impressed. The Wellness module truly altered my perspective and personality. I flip the coin instantly. It is quite simple in hindsight.

Any person can do this course if they are interested in the topics it covers: Community, Wellness, Empowerment, Leadership and Life Skills. It covers Nutrition, politics, co-operative, care of the elderly, social inclusion, mental health. I am delighted to have a chance to take part in the course as it helps me grow my confidence, grows networking, gaining knowledge, inclusion. The immigration community can also benefit from this course, to learn about Irish community that can help promote integration.

Knowledge, networking, empowerment, integration, confidence, friends, life skills.

The therapy aspect changed who I am. Still, it assists me to alleviate stress and anxiety by using a reflective practice method and journal writing techniques. I developed literacy skills. I was so impressed. The Wellness module truly altered my perspective and personality. I flip the coin instantly. It is quite simple in hindsight.

The kind of person that should be doing CWELL is a kind person, a person who cares about what goes on in the community, a person who wants to be a part of the community in a positive way.

What I get out of CWELL is meeting new people and learning other people’s opinions in different communities, and seeing what needs to be helped and changed.

I found out that everyone is going through something and makes us alike we all have a story, and I learned a lot about myself while building my portfolio and how to work in a team.

I think that CWELL is probably one of the most diverse courses that the University has to offer because, unlike and set subject course, it covers so much and so much diversity, so my answer to that question would be any kind of person who just wants to get back into education or anyone who has any interest in developing a love for education because I strongly believe CWELL can provide that.

There is hundreds of different ways that I could answer this question because CWELL is so much than just a course to me; it’s giving me a passion to not just have a job but to push myself in every way to build a career and from CWELL i have also confirmed my need to be a community worker I see so many opportunities that CWELL has to offer to help me complete this achievement and I am also so much more confident now not just in my education but in everyday life I believe that the personal development module is one I will forever be able to use.

Ok, so again, there is so many things about CWELL that I didn’t expect. I think the main one for me is how diverse it is; I really wasn’t expecting to come away with so much from some amazing lecturers. I can also say that I wasn’t expecting to have such a passion for it. I thought I’d just do it n get through, but every week I look forward to getting on seeing what’s next.. although, with COVID, it’s been harder not been in class, I feel we still have great connection with our tutors, and I have to mention Eileen and Maura because no matter what struggle or problem any of us have big or small they are always so quick with a solution they are amazing.

I feel any person, from any background should think of doing CWELL. CWELL isn’t just for ‘one’ kind of person, it’s open to diversity and inclusion. Anyone can benefit from the range of modules CWELL has to offer.

CWELL helps everyone gain more knowledge and insight into many different topics, from social inclusion to personal development.

I discovered my computer skills are still bellow standard to perform some task but I’m looking forward to improving and I have gained confidence in speaking in public

Anyone who cares about their community & wants to make a difference.

You get to meet people from different communities, hear their stories & help them find their voice.

I found out that I miss working in a group, discovering each other’s strength & abilities. We can do a project together that will help our community even in these uncertain times.

A person who is or would like to be actively involved in their community and become more aware of self-care and optimum health and well-being in communities.

You get the chance to accquire new skills and learn how to maximize your own effectiveness as a contributor in your community and society as a whole. It’s enjoyable and you get to initiate projects in groups and make great friends.

I learned how voting and elections work and the relevance of local and national politics and how it pertains to community work as a whole. The concept of community consultation was demonstrated to our groups and I had not heard of this before. With covid I learned how to adapt to IT platforms to continue our classes and maintain connectivity with all. 

I think CWELL is for somebody who is passionate about their community.

You get to experience Further education, you are also strengthening skills and learning new ones.

I learned that pushing through will bring positive results and increase your own strength and self-belief in what can be achieved in any community.

I think CWELL is for people who cares about the community and society

For me it gave me the opportunity to get to know people more quickly being from a different culture and familiarize myself with community work.

I found it great to have the opportunity to be taught by such professionals. I gained experience of group work and learned about peoples’ different life experiences.