FAQs

About WorldWise

1. What is WorldWise?

WorldWise is a development education programme that provides funding to support linking and immersion projects between post-primary Irish schools and their partner schools/organisations in developing countries. WorldWise aims to raise awareness of development issues among Irish students, teachers and the wider community, and to heighten the interest in and relevance of development education within the post-primary curriculum.

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2. What are the objectives of WorldWise?

WorldWise aims to:

• raise the profile of development education in post-primary Irish schools
• provide advice and guidance on the principles of school linking
• have a positive impact on existing school linking and immersion projects and encourage the building of new school links

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3. When did WorldWise start?

WorldWise is currently in its pilot year. It was officially launched by Minister Conor Lenihan in April 2007, and programme activities commenced in the summer of 2007. The scheme is currently funding 27 projects. The current application deadline is 04 April 2008, and is for funding for the academic year 2008-2009.

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4. How long will the scheme run for?

At present, WorldWise is expected to run at least until September 2011.

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5. What is the role of Irish Aid in WorldWise?

Irish Aid has overall responsibility for the Scheme while the implementation (i.e. administration) is outsourced to Léargas in the form of a three-year contract following a competitive tendering process. All decisions regarding policy rest with Irish Aid. These include:

• Aim and objectives of the scheme
• Areas of intervention (i.e. second level schools/colleges in Ireland)
• Eligible partner countries
• Funding conditions
• Publicity and educational materials

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6. What is the role of Léargas in WorldWise?

Léargas is responsible for the administration of the scheme. This includes:

• Publicising and promoting the scheme
• Managing each funding round through its whole life-cycle (application through final reporting)
• Providing advice and support to potential applicants and funded projects
• Developing draft education resources
• Monitoring and evaluating the scheme and making written recommendations to Irish Aid in relation to the current running of the scheme and/or the future of the scheme.

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About Partners and Countries

7. What countries are eligible to link with under WorldWise?

Eligibility is restricted to developing countries; please see our Eligible Countries list for more details. Irish Aid particularly welcomes projects that have a partner based in a country benefiting from Irish Aid support. If the developing country in which your partner school or organisation is based is not listed please contact the WorldWise team for clarification of its eligibility under the Scheme.

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8. Can you find us a partner school to link with?

We do not currently provide a partner-finding service to schools. However, we can offer advice on where to look for a partner school. In Ireland organisations such as Amawele and Link Community Development link Irish schools to partner schools in sub-Saharan African countries.

There are also online partner-finding resources available such as www.globalgateway.org.uk , where you can look for a partner school in any part of the world. Many schools identify a partner through staff members or students who have lived or worked overseas. If you would like to talk to a member of the team about finding a partner school please contact us.

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About Funding

9. Who can apply for funding under WorldWise?

The scheme is for Irish second-level schools and colleges, including colleges of further education. Institutions and NGOs may not apply for funding under WorldWise. Please note that applications cannot be accepted from individuals, but must be made by the schools in which they work. Only schools which have identified and agreed on a partner school/organisation to link with may apply for funding, as we do not currently provide a partner-finding service for schools (for further details on partner finding see question 8). Partner schools or organisations must be from one of our eligible countries.

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10. What types of funding are available?

Project Funding (both School-to-School Linking and Immersion Projects)

• up to €3000

Reciprocal Teacher Visit Funding

• up to €1500 per teacher from the Irish school to a maximum of €3000 per school where two or more teachers are travelling
• for a visit by teacher(s) from a partner school to an Irish school, the funding is based on travel and per diem costs; contact the WorldWise team for more details

Network Funding

• specific funding is also available for networks of schools: contact the WorldWise team for more details.

Disadvantaged schools

• where schools that are members of the DEIS School Support Scheme require additional funding to enable student travel, this may be available, based on travel costs; contact the WorldWise team for more details.

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11. Our school is very new to linking and to development education. Can we also apply for funding?

If your school does not have a partner school or organisation to link with, then you are not eligible to apply for funding at this stage. But don’t worry! There will be plenty of opportunities for you to apply for funding in future years of the programme. During the course of this year you can take certain steps to ensure that you are in a better position to apply for funding at a later stage. To find out more about development education have a look at What is development education of the website.

Here are some tips on how to get your school linking project started:

• Find out how much support and enthusiasm there is in your school for establishing a link with a school in a developing country. Successful school partnerships require long-term commitment from both schools involved, not only from teachers; if the project is to be successful, it will also require the full support of the students, principals and school management from both schools.
• Examine the reasons why you want to form a link with a school in a developing country. It is important to discuss your motivations and expectations with your partner school so that you are both clear on what you want to achieve.
• Think about the practical problems you will need to overcome in order for the link to be successful, and whether you have the necessary support and resources to make that happen.
• Ask yourself how such a project would be of mutual benefit to both schools involved and how you will avoid an unequal power relationship.
• Consider the opportunities in your school curriculum for introducing development education, which will help in raising awareness of development issues among staff and students.
• Think of strategies that will help to embed the linking project in your school’s curriculum and ethos.
• Consider what themes or topics you would like to study with your students, and what would be most relevant to them and your partner school. In short, ask yourself lots of difficult questions!

Have a look at the Good Practice Guidelines for North/South Linking (PDF | 569 KB) , which highlights the principles of linking that WorldWise promotes. Use our website as a starting point to look at the wealth of development education resources that are available for schools to use, and to find out more about development education organisations working in Ireland.

Check out other resources. A very helpful resource can be found at Ukowla’s (UK One World Linking Association) website, which examines in detail the challenges and opportunities of school linking. Further ideas on building school partnerships and embedding a global dimension in your school can be found on the British Council Global Schools Partnership website.

Look for a partner school. There are organisations in Ireland that link schools here to partner schools in developing countries. Alternatively there are online resources where you can look for an appropriate partner school. See question 8 for more details.

Finally, get in touch with us if you would like to talk through any aspect of your planned linking project.

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12. How do we apply for funding?

Applications may be sent by email (preferred) or post and must be:

• submitted by midnight, 4 April 2008
• made on behalf of a school or college
• signed by the legal representative of the institution making the application
• filled out completely, providing the required details on all participants, aims and objectives, activity plans, etc.

Note: If you are submitting your application by email (preferred) it must be followed up by an identical signed hard copy within seven days. Without original signatures from the legal representative of your institution your application will be considered ineligible.

No application for backdated funding will be considered under any circumstances.

If you would like assistance during the application process, please contact a member of the WorldWise team. We will be available to answer questions and will be happy to give feedback on draft applications. You may wish to find out more by attending one of our information seminars or application workshops.

Send completed applications to: WorldWise, Léargas, 189 Parnell St, Dublin 1. Tel. (01) 873 1411; Email: worldwise@leargas.ie. You can download the application forms and guidelines here. You will need to read the guidelines fully before filling in your application form.

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13. Can we apply for backdated funding?

No. Funding will be awarded to schools on the basis of their application and proposed activities for this academic year (2008-2009). Schools cannot apply for funding to pay for linking or immersion activities that have taken place in previous years.

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14. What can project funding be spent on?

Project funding received under the scheme may be used for the following activities (in school-to-school linking this applies to both schools participating in the project):

• Development education workshops
• Project materials and resources
• Development education resources
• Paper, art materials and other resources used during the classroom-level implementation of project activities
• Purchase or hire of equipment relevant to project activities up to a maximum of €200 for Irish schools
• Production of project-related materials (photocopying, publishing costs)
• Project-related communications e.g. telephone, fax, email, postage
• Dissemination costs e.g. newsletter, open/themed days in school, website updates, project exhibition
• Small items of hardware for the partner school (not the Irish school) that are necessary for the success of the project e.g. web cam, camera, fax machine, telephone (or mobile phone), modem, CD-writer

Note: If you propose using a percentage of your grant to purchase small items of hardware, you must fully justify this in your application and demonstrate how it will contribute to the development of the project.

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15. Can we use the funding to buy materials for our partner school?

Yes, but these materials must be used directly to meet your jointly established linking aims. Funding for school-to-school linking projects is intended for use by both schools on activities and resources that will strengthen their link and provide a development education context. It is to benefit all students and teachers involved, both in the Irish school and its partner school. Any materials purchased should be presented as project costs and not gifts.

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16. What can we spend reciprocal teacher visit funding on?

Teacher visit funding may be used for travel and accommodation during the visit by the teacher(s) to their partner school.

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17. What criteria are used to assess applications for WorldWise funding?

The following ranked criteria (No.1 is the most important) will be used to assess the applications:

1. Evidence of strong development education dimension e.g. including relevant themes, values, goals, learner-centred and action-based methodologies, local-global links etc.
2. Degree of collaboration between the two partners e.g. evidence that both partners have contributed to the completion of the application form and that there will be a shared input into the development of the project
3. Sustainability
i.e. is there evidence of good past/future communications between both schools?
4. Evidence of strong evaluation and dissemination skills
5. Degree of whole-school involvement
6. Degree to which the project involves and engages the wider community
7. Contribution to teachers’ professional development

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18. Do you fund travel costs for students and teachers travelling to developing countries on immersion visits?

Project funding does not provide for teachers’ or students’ travel on immersion visits except in the case of disadvantaged schools, where a contribution to student travel may be available. Please contact a team member for additional information here.

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19. Our school is designated disadvantaged (DEIS). Is there separate funding available for designated disadvantaged schools?

Yes. Where schools that are members of the DEIS School Support Scheme require additional funding to enable student travel, this may be available, based on travel costs; contact the WorldWise team for more details.

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20. Can networks of schools apply for funding?

Yes. Specific funding is available for networks of schools: contact the WorldWise team for more details.

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About WorldWise Projects

21. What is the difference between linking and immersion?

School-to-School Linking Projects, also called twinning or partnership projects, involve the establishment of learning partnerships between schools in Ireland and in developing countries. The main aim of these partnerships is to increase mutual understanding and collaboration between schools.

These projects may include immersion elements (i.e. student travel) but may also work well without any travel by students. To work best, linking involves a relatively long-term commitment. Important elements of a successful school link are:

• jointly agreed project aims, learning objectives and communication methods
• realistic expectations
• thorough preparation
• full support from the schools’ management
• built-in evaluation so that the partnership improves with time
• long-term commitment

Immersion projects typically involve students travelling to a host school, organisation or community in a developing country to experience at first hand the realities of the developing world. Immersion visits may take place as part of a school-to-school link or, more usually, they may arise from other links the school has with an organisation or community in a developing country.

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22. How will WorldWise support school-to-school linking and immersion projects?

WorldWise funding for school-to-school linking projects will:

• support communication and joint project work between partner schools to facilitate mutual learning for students and teachers in both schools
• enable Irish schools to access development education providers in Ireland to set a context for their project and to help them build a sustainable learning relationship with their partner school
• allow teachers from both schools to plan project activities through face-to-face meetings; this will be accomplished through reciprocal teacher visits (see details under Funding).

WorldWise funding for immersion projects will:

• support communication and joint project work between the Irish school and its partner organisation or community
• enable Irish schools to access development education providers in Ireland to set a context for their project (for example through pre- and post-visit workshops) and to help them build a sustainable learning relationship with their partner

Funding through the scheme is designed to help place the student visit within a broader development education context, as well as disseminate the learning outcomes throughout the school and its wider community.

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23. Can we fundraise for our partner school?

It is very likely that there will be financial disparities between Irish schools and their partner schools and organisations. There may well be expectations from both sides that fundraising for facilities and equipment in the partner school will be the main purpose of the linking project. However, we recommend that Irish schools think carefully before they decide to embark on fundraising, and discuss the issue carefully with colleagues in their partner school or organisation. Fundraising can promote stereotypical views and create barriers to mutual learning and understanding. It is difficult for students to view each other as equals in a link where one partner ‘has’ and the other partner ‘has not’.

We envisage the scheme providing schools in Ireland and their partners with the support needed to establish and sustain long-lasting learning partnerships, where students and teachers from both schools learn from each other in a two-way relationship. Fundraising can transform an equal partnership into an unequal donor-beneficiary relationship, and once this pattern has been established it can be very difficult to have the same level of honesty, mutual learning and respect that existed before.

Naturally, many schools that are planning an immersion visit will need to fundraise to finance it. There are also many school partnerships in which fundraising does play a role, but is not the main focus of the project. It can be used successfully to support partnership activities rather than improving facilities in partner schools. Where fundraising does happen, we strongly recommend that all partners should be involved in planning a strategy and in agreeing on how funds will be spent.

For further information we recommend reading Linking between Ireland and the South: Good Practice Guidelines for North/South Linking (PDF | 569 KB), which provides practical guidelines. Other useful advice can be found at www.ukowla.org.uk/main/toolkit.asp and www.britishcouncil.org/globalschools-partners-in-learning.

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About The WorldWise Project Lifecycle

24. What is the procedure once we have submitted an application for WorldWise?

On receipt of an application, the WorldWise team in Léargas will assess it for eligibility and, if it is eligible, will prepare it for review by the Grants Committee. All eligible applications will be acknowledged within 14 days of receipt by Léargas.

When the round has closed, all eligible applications will be forwarded to the Grants Committee for assessment. The criteria that the committee will use are listed above. The Grants Committee will meet to review all the applications and will make agreed decisions on which applications will receive funding. The decisions of the Grants Committee are final.

Assuming a successful application, the funding will be supplied within 30 days of a signed contract between Léargas and the successful applicant school. The funding will be supplied in two stages: 80% up front and the remaining 20% on receipt of a satisfactory final report (for more details see question 25).

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25. Once we receive funding, will our school be monitored during the course of the scheme?

Your school may receive a monitoring visit from Léargas staff during the course of the year. This will be part of our on-going monitoring and evaluation of the scheme.

We also ask that you keep track of expenditure and receipts during the year. These will be needed to report on your project activities in order to receive the final 20% of your grant funding.

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26. What do we need to include in our final report?

Project Funding (School-to-School Linking or Immersion): evidence of the project activities that have taken place within the school during the year (for example student essays, guest speakers, workshops, transition year modules, school exhibits etc.), in accordance with the application. If a student visit has taken place as part of the project, you should include evidence such as photographs/video footage, student and teacher journals, partner school feedback,etc.

Teacher Visit Funding: proof of the visit (e.g. boarding cards, ticket and accommodation receipts) and evidence of the teacher visit activities (e.g., photos, summary of meetings, agreed aims of linking or immersion project, Partnership Agreement drawn up between partner teachers, etc.)

Check back soon for a Final Report Template that will give you a better idea of what you will need to include.

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27. How is the scheme being evaluated?

An external evaluator has been monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of WorldWise for the duration of the pilot phase. This has included baseline surveys of a selection of the schools currently participating in the scheme.

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About Development Education And WorldWise

28. What is development education?

“Development education is an educational process that aims to deepen understanding of global poverty and injustice and to encourage people towards action for a more just and equal world.”

(Irish Aid Development Education Strategy 2007)

Development education enables people to understand the links between their own lives and those of people throughout the world. For more details please go to: What is development education?

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29. Do you provide guidelines on linking that we can access?

Yes. Linking between Ireland and the South: Good Practice Guidelines for North/South Linking (PDF | 569 KB)

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30. Where can we find materials/resources to get started on our linking project?

The Resources section of this website is a good place to start: here you will find a list of useful organisations and resources that will give you ideas for themes and materials for your project (for example www.developmenteducation.ie). You will also find a list of development education organisations and NGOs, which are very good sources of information and expertise on many aspects of development. We will be continually updating this list.

Any questions or enquiries can be sent to a member of the WorldWise team who will be happy to assist you and give you advice on getting your project started.

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