Queen's University students to team with Lislagan Farm project to provide respite accommodation
Business students from Queen’s University in Belfast are set to partner with a Ballymoney charity in a special project to provide respite accommodation.
Master’s and MBA students from Queen’s Business School will take part in a project with Compass Advocacy Network, over a two-week period in October, helping to build and improve facilities for the charity.
Compass Advocacy Network (CAN) is dedicated to supporting over 450 children and adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health issues. They offer a range of services from day opportunities, pre-employment training, to social and leisure activities and short breaks and holidays.
The Lislagan Farm project will see CAN develop respite accommodation on site, which will soon be expanded to benefit families across Northern Ireland and beyond. Students from Queen’s Business School will take part in hands-on building work, transforming a vacant area of land into a site - consisting of a building to house social enterprise activities, and a community garden area for safe and imaginative play, learning, and relaxation.
Professor M.N. Ravishankar, Dean and Head of Queen’s Business School, said: “We have over 400 postgraduate students joining us this year, from Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and all over the world. Belfast is an inclusive, welcoming place to undertake a postgraduate year, and we want to help facilitate a sense of community and foster friendships for students from all backgrounds.
"Getting our students involved with a social impact project enables us to give back to our local society. As a leading business school, we have a duty to inject societal impact into the curriculum, and partnering with Splash projects has given us access to this opportunity to support services for families of those with learning disabilities across Northern Ireland.”
Janet Schofield, CEO of Compass Advocacy Network said: “The impact of this project will be transformative, and we’re delighted that Queen's Business School has chosen to work with CAN.
"The new facilities will be used by children and adults with learning disabilities, autism and other neurodiversities, aged 8 – 80 plus, and their families and carers for years to come. We are so excited to welcome the postgraduate students on site and for them to experience the magic of Lislagan Farm," she added.