Hello! My name is Sarah and I’m involved in the Fast Track Academy programme in Citywise. I’ve been attending Citywise since the start of this school year. It is such a positive place to learn and grow, and I only regret not joining sooner. Citywise provides you with a lot of support such as; a quiet environment to study, mentors to listen and give you advice, monthly talks to help you gain an understanding of life after school etc.
To top it all off, we are also provided with extra classes in the subjects of our choice. All of these helpful teachers are volunteers who are purely there to assist us in our learning and to guide us towards our achievements. Their interest and passion for helping others truly reflects the kind people they are. They will go out of their way to make sure you understand everything because they care and they know the importance of education for young people.
At the moment, I have a maths and business class. I see these classes as an extra push towards the right direction. I am learning and revising in different ways as I’m listening to new voices who take a different approach to teaching. It can get very repetitive listening to the one teacher for the whole year, but with these classes, I am exposed to new techniques and material that will certainly benefit me in the long run.
These volunteers are always focused on making you feel comfortable and confident in your work. It’s certainly a personal experience. They understand the stresses we are all under and they really want to contribute to our success. If there is something I don’t understand, they won’t move on until they are satisfied that I am confident in the material. This way, I am walking into school with not only more topics covered, but the confidence to carry out the work.
My outlook on school has completely changed now that I have these extra classes. I see such a difference in my way of thinking, which benefits me greatly when I apply it to class work and study. As well as that, they don’t put any pressure on you to complete work. They see that you have an interest in learning so they are more than happy to teach. They do all of this with a positive attitude which helps even further.
Citywise is the perfect stepping stone from secondary school to third level education, followed by unlimited possibilities. Every person you meet along the way is there to support you. I am extremely grateful for the volunteers, as well as everyone involved the Fast Track Academy Programme. Thank You! - Sarah, FTA student (you can see Sarah in our recent College Awareness Week Video)
