Children and families benefit from JADD summer project

CHILDREN and families will benefit from receiving an iPad from a private tech donation to a summer project run by the Jobstown Assisting Drug Dependency in partnership with other local community groups.

The ‘Jobstown Summer Project’ is a multi-agency project run in partnership between Jobstown Assisting Drug Dependency (JADD), The Tallaght Drug and Alcohol Task Force, Foróige Youth Service, Meitheal – a national practice model from TUSLA, Barnardos and the Jobstown Community Centre.

Shane Hamilton, Co-ordinator at JADD told The Echo that this is the first time the programme has been run: “It is specifically targeting families who we felt were most in need of it from all services and this was ran within Jobstown with a full week of services and at the end trying to integrate them into other services and build better connections with all community partners.”

A global tech company has sponsored the programme by donating an iPad to families who are in need in hopes to give them access to allow them to engage in education and other interests and hobbies they may have by staying connected.

“We were hoping that instead of it just being a once-off week of a fun programme, which alone would have been a successful outcome, that children would have had a respite from what has been a very challenging year,” Shane explained.

“This means that they can go home and no matter what challenges or barriers [they may have] to engage in their education or have access to the proper equipment for their own interests and hobbies, now they have access, and their families will be connected through the iPad.”

JADD continues to provide support for clients and families with addiction problems in the community, including Childcare services – pre-school, crèche, homework club, afterschool activities and monthly Adventure Day are provided at the JADD facility in Jobstown.

Shane says that despite the challenges that we all have faced during the pandemic and recent tragedies and incidents that have taken place in the community and local area, he wants to “reinforce” to everyone how important these activities are to people who are witnessing these elements of the community over and over again.

“We want to get children in the community to experience positive reinforcement and experiences with their families and away from any other elements of their lives that may be challenging and get them connected again.

“We hope it is the first of many and that the partnership will develop it even more so and target more and more families next year. We hope that this will be run multiple times throughout the year targeting families that are most in need of it,” Shane concluded.

To find out more about the work JADD carries out, you can visit their website at www.jadd.ie