Picker Pals Positivity!
2023-24 was a bumper year for Picker Pals, with a record-breaking 1,365 classrooms taking part all over the country.
That works out at over 35,000 children picking up litter to make the world better!
Over two thirds of all primary and special schools have now taken part in Picker Pals and we are on course to continue next year, with some exciting developments in the works to make the programme even better.
Keep reading until the end to find out more……we’re very excited about them!
100% of teachers who responded to our end-of-year survey were very satisfied with the programme and would recommend it to other teachers.
A Family-Led Approach to Environmentalism
We are immensely grateful to the many thousands of children, families and teachers who brought Picker Pals to life as they scoured the main streets, boreens, school-yards, beaches and playgrounds of Ireland! Parents & guardians in particular continue to play a vital role in enabling their children to take part and allowing them to take the lead in family-based environmental stewardship.
A Tidal Wave of Creativity
Our Art and Story competitions provided superb platforms for children to express their environmental hopes and concerns creatively.
We were taken aback, not just by the levels of engagement from schools with the competitions, but also with the range and creativity of the entries.
“Sugarloaf” was the overall winner of our art competition and was created by the students and staff of St. Catherine’s Special School in Co. Wicklow.
You can find out how they created it and what their prize was by watching the Picker Pals TV update HERE.
Picker Pals TV
YouTubeThis year was also noteworthy, as we further expanded our educational offerings.
Picker Pals TV took a deep dive into some of the most topical environmental issues of the year, with our videos on The Deposit Return Scheme and the SDG’s among the highlights. The entire catalogue of Picker Pals TV can be enjoyed on our Youube channel.
Our Live Meet-Ups were a huge success!
These community-building events were fun and educational, as the Picker Pals team taught directly from the Picker Pals World syllabus.
Many teachers submitted questions from their students in advance and the ever-popular “Kahoot” interactive quiz tested the students’ knowledge of what was taught.
Teachers continue to express their satisfaction with Picker Pals.
100% of teachers who responded to our end-of-year survey were very satisfied with the programme and would recommend it to other teachers. The adaptable approach that schools can take to implementing Picker Pals, combined with our year-round support and online engagement makes the programme an easy choice for teachers.
Picker Pals is Evolving
Over 4,200 Irish classrooms have now taken part in Picker Pals since the programme first launched in 2019. That’s a lot of Picker Packs out there!
In order to reduce our impact on the environment and to behave sustainably, we want to keep as many of those Picker Packs in use as possible. To do this, we have designed a way of boosting the programme and keeping lots of those pre-loved packs going for the 2024-25 school year and beyond.
Teachers who are interested in applying for next year’s programme can choose which pack suits them best by using our online form HERE.
We are immensely grateful to everyone who helped us to bring the programme to fruition this year. Picker Pals is aiming to create a generation of young people who feel empowered to make a positive impact on the environment and all the support we receive helps us to do that.
If you would like to support Picker Pals, please reach out to us at pickerpals@voiceireland.org
With thanks to….
