Class Acts is the perfect opportunity for schools and students to make an urgent and significant impact on alleviating homelessness – particularly child and youth homelessness. It’s a chance for students all over the country to tell the world that they care about people trapped in homelessness – and more importantly, that they are willing to act. And the wonderful extra benefit is that students learn, have fun and develop new skills by providing their support.

How it works…

Choose your event

Teachers together with students pick a time in the year for their Class Act for Focus Ireland. Students come up with a fun, interesting fundraising event or idea and they raise vital funds to help change the lives of families and children struggling in homelessness. It can be an event that is school-wide, class-wide or on a smaller groups basis.

For inspiration, see our long list of fun and exciting event ideas and some tips on how to organize it. But remember, your students may have other fun and imaginative ideas. Check out our tailor made challenges for post primary school students:
The Great School Sleep Out and The Great Camino Challenge for Schools

Build leadership and teamwork

Whether it’s the entire school or smaller groups, encourage students to work in teams. Maybe designate particular roles and tasks during the planning, project management, publicity and clean-up phases.

Pick your time

Teachers together with students pick a time in the year when they are going to organise their Class Act for Focus Ireland. It can literally be any time that suits you. Obviously, you’ll be staying clear of exam times and other school activities and priorities. But maybe you can link it to times when your students will be doing activities anyway like Easter, Halloween or Christmas.

Advertise your event

Think about how you’ll publicise the event. Set up a marketing team of students, use social media and even local newspapers and local radio if you need wider public support. We will provide you with fundraising materials and an online fundraising toolkit to help you organise and promote your event.

Run your event

Do a simple event plan and timeline. Once the prep work has been done and you’ve told everyone about it, just have lots of fun and enjoy it!

What your funds will pay for

It’s vital that your students and their supporters know why you’re a Class Act. Your funds will go to help those in most need. There are now nearly 10,000 people who are homeless in Ireland and shockingly, nearly 4,000 of these are children. There’s also a fast-growing number of young people caught in homelessness.

Your funds will help towards funding some of these crucial services aimed at supporting young people, families and children out of homelessness:

1. • Secure, supported housing
   • One-to-one guidance
   • Dedicated key workers
   • Practical help to return to school
   • Support to stay in education

Helping adults and families

We have over 60 services around Ireland that urgently need support. We focus on two key areas of work – preventing homelessness and supporting people who are homeless to move on into secure homes.

We’re here for you

When you sign-up we will send you your special Class Acts for Focus Ireland Toolkit. In it you will find everything you need to run a really successful and impactful event, including helpful stuff like:

1. • Event organisation advice, hints and tips
   • A list of imaginative and easy-to-run activities
   • Posters, sponsorship cards, balloons, branded materials for online use, t-shirts and more

Be a class act

It’s so easy. Simply fill out the registration form below or for further queries email events@focusireland.ie