This past Spring semester, our i-PLAYERS were treated to some special guests in attendance to celebrate the final session of our 16th offering of the ‘Inclusive Play & Leisure Activities for Youth’ (i-PLAY) programme. Caroline Hickey, Áine McGrath, Róisín Ambrose, Niamh Ryan, and Clodagh McGrath, members of Limerick’s Champion 2018 TG4 All-Ireland Junior Ladies Football Team, were kind enough to stop by, hand out certificates of participation to our i-PLAYers, and most importantly show off the mighty ‘West County Hotel Cup’!!! It was definitely the highlight of the semester. Well done ladies!!! Also pictured with members of the team is i-PLAYer Laura, her Coach Kate O’Donoghue (4th Year PE/Irish), and Group Leader Betty Barlow (4th Year PE/Maths).
First established in the Autumn of 2011, i-PLAY (or Imrím) is a weekly physical activity programme designed for children, youth, and young people (ages 5-21) with special needs held within the Physical Education & Sports Science (PESS) Dept. here at the University of Limerick. Led by faculty members Brigitte Moody and Daniel Tindall, 3rd and 4th year PE students participate in the i-PLAY experience as part of the PY4135 – Adapted Physical Activity & Physical Education module. Offered in both the Autumn and Spring semesters, the main goal of this weekly programme is to engage participants in various physical activities (dance, games, health-related activities, fundamental movement skills, etc.) throughout the term. As part of this service learning experience, each participant is paired with one of our pre-service Physical Education students receiving individual attention, support, and encouragement. The focus of the programme is on promoting physical activity for young people; incorporating it into their daily lives (i.e., in school, after school, and at home). Ultimately, the main goals of the programme are:
- To provide children and young people with special needs the opportunity to play and interact socially with peers,
- To provide pre-service Physical Education teachers with the opportunity to gain experience in planning and assisting youth with special needs as it relates to the physical activity setting, and
- To provide families an opportunity to connect with one another as a way to support each other and their children with special needs.
For more information on the i-PLAY programme, please visit us at the following website: http://www.ul.ie/pess/undergraduate/i-play. There you can listen to an interview conducted in 2011 on Limerick’s Live 95 that further explains the rationale for the programme.
Contact Daniel Tindall (PE Course Director) for more information about this programme: daniel.tindall@ul.ie twitter: @PETE_ASSEMBLE
PESS News & Information 