Vision

Our vision is a world where all young people are given the opportunity to realise their potential to effect positive change in our society.

Mission

Suas is a movement dedicated to supporting quality education in  under-resourced communities.

Our results from 2009

Overview

Suas Educational Development has partnerships with education NGOs in India and Kenya, as well as a network of twelve student societies across Ireland.   Through the partnerships, we support the education of thousands of children in primary schools and increase the capacity of our partner NGOs to benefit their communities.

The societies in Ireland fundraise for the schools overseas, hold events and courses to engage the public in these issues and run mentoring programmes to address educational disadvantage in their communities.

Read our news to find out about recent events.

 

Strategic Framework

The next stage of our strategy will be developed within the following framework:

 

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

 

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

 

Inspire: We will develop 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 a previous Extraordinary Lives event

Values and Principles

Our core values have evolved over the first five years of our existence. 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.