Donate to Suas

Suas is an ambitious, education-focused social change organisation that supports programmes in Ireland, India & Kenya.  Founded in 2002, Suas has grown quickly to become a leading mid-size organisation in development within Ireland. We now employ thirteen full-time staff, with an annual budget of over €1M.

We promote quality education for all by providing short-term volunteers, financial and technical support to our Partner schools in India & Kenya. In Ireland we support young adults to engage with social change through service-learning programmes, thereby developing their team and leadership skills. We are also developing a mentoring programme and a new educational model for Transition Year students to provide project and team-based approaches to learning.

We view education as key to social transformation - change education and you change the world. Key issues are not just about access but also quality - helping children and young people to go beyond the 3Rs (reading, writing, arithmetic) to realising their full potential to enable them to positively shape their futures and that of their communities and countries.

We believe that we need an education system that also develops the 3 Cs: Character, full Capability and Commitment to others.

This requires many changes: including a shift from a more instructive based approach to experiential learning within a values-based ethos.

We view change and development as a process and see ourselves as a catalyst for change and growth within individuals and organisations.  We view leadership as essential and espouse a servant-leader approach, serving the cause and our partners. 
 

Strategic Framework

Educate: We support partner education organisations, catering for 3 to 18 year olds, in under-resourced communities that share similar values to Suas.

Engage: We engage our active and passionate youthful volunteers in service-learning and fundraising programmes that address educational disadvantage.

Inspire: We operate programmes that help young people to be better informed and connected with global issues, with a view to engaging them in our vision and mission.

Poster from the 2006 Extraordinary Lives event

Poster from a previous Extraordinary Lives event

Values and Principles

We expect all Suas volunteers to subscribe to these beliefs. We will only seek partnerships with organisations that could show demonstrable evidence of sharing similar values.

Education: We believe the type of education an individual receives can considerably influence their likelihood of achieving their potential and playing a meaningful role in shaping their communities. We believe a holistic education combines formal education, the acquisition of a broad range of skills, a process of self-discovery and substantial exposure to both community and global perspectives.

Role of Young People: We believe investing in young people is essential for long-term sustainable change in the world. Our work is personified in the vibrancy, passion, optimism and energy of youthful people of all nationalities who we seek to engage as volunteers. We believe strongly in the value of peer-to-peer education.

Partnerships: We believe maximum impact can be achieved through effective collaborations between the social, government and private sectors and by employing the unique skills of each. We believe the objectives of the education organisations that we seek to partner with must always be to the forefront of our thinking.

Respect & Diversity: We believe in the innate dignity of all people and believe we share an underlying common humanity. We believe in a society where an individual's opportunity is defined not by their network, geography, colour or creed but by their own ambition, potential and fundamental rights. We are secular and respect and value diversity including religious diversity.

Local Solutions: We believe the problems of any community have to be overcome by the members of that community. We support local solutions to local problems.

Leadership & Society: We believe that leadership is best learnt through service to others, understanding their needs and putting them first.  We believe that we all have a role in shaping our society. We just need individual responsibility, the collective will and capacity to effect change. We believe that we can best serve where our leadership talents meet the needs of communities.

 

Suas is a movement that supports quality education in disadvantaged communities in Ireland and in Developing Countries.

We do this by:

  • Working with and supporting partner organisations to develop, deliver, monitor and evaluate quality education programmes.
  • Engaging and preparing volunteers to support programme delivery.
  • Building a wider movement of members who share our vision and aims.

Our vision is a world where all young people are given the opportunity to realise their full potential in life, and to create positive change in society.

 

In April 2007, Suas and other Irish charities agreed a code of conduct around our choice of images and messages.  This is based on:

- Respect for the dignity of the people concerned;

- Belief in the equality of all people;

- Acceptance of the need to promote fairness, solidarity
   and justice

 As signatories of the Dóchas Code on Images and Messages, we strive to:

  • Choose images and related messages based on values of respect equality, solidarity and justice
  • Truthfully represent any image or depicted situation both in its immediate and in its wider context so as to improve public understanding of the realities and complexities of development
  • Avoid images and messages that potentially stereotype, sensationalise or discriminate against people, situations or places
  • Use images, messages and case studies with the full understanding, participation and permission of the subjects (or subjects' parents/guardian)
  • Ensure those whose situation is being represented have the opportunity to communicate their stories themselves
  • Establish and record whether the subjects wish to be named or identifiable and always act accordingly
  • Conform to the highest standards in relation to human rights and protection of the vulnerable people.

We welcome your feedback with regard to our implementation of the Code, please contact us.
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