East Coast Samaritans Visit Woodbrook College, Bray Co. Wicklow

Woodbrook College Bray

Woodbrook College Bray is a co-educational secondary school that follows the Edmund Rice ethos and principles. The school is located in Woodbrook, Bray, a town in County Wicklow, Ireland. The school offers a range of academic and extracurricular programs for students from first to sixth year, as well as Transition Year and Leaving Certificate Applied courses.

The school’s mission statement is: "At Woodbrook College, they are committed to excellence in all that they do. They educate in an atmosphere that promotes responsibility, tolerance and respect.

On Thursday, 19th October , 2023, a group of volunteers from East Coast Samaritans visited Woodbrook College in Bray to talk to students about the importance of reaching out for emotional support. We also had the opportunity to give each student pens, wristbands and Samaritan mouse mats for the computer room, we also gave some information for the tutors to leave in the staff room about Samaritans and the recent Samaritans impact report 2022.

Samaritans is a voluntary service that provides a 24-hour helpline and email service for anyone who is in distress, struggling to cope or feeling suicidal.

A volunteer from East Coast Samaritans said "We are very grateful to Woodbrook College for giving us the opportunity to showcase what Samaritans do and spread the crucial message that support is available day and night."

We hope that this visit will encourage students to seek help when they need it and to support each other in times of difficulty. Being a Samaritan volunteer is a very rewarding and meaningful way to make a difference in someone's life, we are happy to be here for anyone in need of emotional support because we care."

"We are delighted to have the chance to visit Woodbrook College and raise awareness about our work and mission. We want to let people know that they are not alone, and that there is always someone who will listen to them without judgement or pressure."

The students had the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the services that Samaritans offer.

At the end of the talk, students thanked us for what we do as they walked past us to get to their next class. We are very grateful to them for their kind words.