In partnership with Fidelity Investments and Xilinx, a very successful Count4Success event was hosted on 10th February 2015 at Xilinx.
Count4Success is a fun, hands-on maths workshop showing students how maths is part of everyday life. All of the activities take maths out of the textbook, allowing the students to participate in practical maths and science activities, making it a fun and exciting way to learn. Working in small groups, faciliitated by trained business volunteers from Xilinx and Fidelity Investments, each student gets to experience how a selection of basic mathematical principles are applied in our everyday lives.
Along with over 180 other supporting organsiations, Xilinx and Fidelity Investments partner with Junior Achievement so that their staff can be trained to volunteer and serve as professional role models, interacting with local students. Through the carefully-designed programmes, the volunteers discuss in an appropriate setting the kind of jobs the students might enjoy when they grow up and the importance of studying maths and other subjects.
Count4Success is one of three inter-linked phases of the Make Maths Matter project, involving 130 students from two local primary schools in West Dublin: Talbot Senior National School, Bawnogue, Clondalkin and St. Ronan’s National School, Deansrath, Clondalkin. Along with the Count4Success event hosted by Xilinx, students have also enjoyed working with volunteers in their classrooms and to round things off plans are underway for them to enjoy a fun-filled, maths-themed visit to a 3rd level institution later in the term.
The Make Maths Matter project is quite an undertaking and we are grateful to the principals and teachers, and to all involved in Xilinx and Fidelity Investments for partnering with us in bringing these opportunities to these young aspiring mathematicians!
