Our guidelines
SAFETY & SUPERVISION
As parents, you will have concerns about the level of supervision. We
first recommend that you do contact parents who have through the booking
process, have sent their kids and can tell you all about what we do. We
say this with full confidence, because, to date, we have never had a
complaint from any parent about our care of the young visitors in our
care. These references are available by email
THE AIRPORT:
We are at the airport every Tuesday, 11am-5pm and meet everybody.
Delays, early arrivals, lost baggage…we are on hand to deal with it all.
We will meet every person and transfer him or her safely to Donegal. The
same applies to return flights- unless students are meeting up with
family or friends; we bring them back to the airport and put them on the
plane.
THE PROGRAMME:
Our students are supervised all the time. We do allow a little free time
for older teens, who always enjoy shopping etc. Students are accompanied
on these trips by monitors (responsible young people.) There are strict
do’s and don’ts which apply to all students, and they will be made aware
of what these rules are
SMOKING CIGARETTES
Adventure Ireland is a non-smoking program. WE DO NOT ALLOW STUDENTS TO
SMOKE AT ANY TIME. It is illegal in Ireland to smoke in any workplace.
It is illegal to buy or possess cigarettes if you are under 18 years.
If we find our students smoking, we reserve the right to confiscate
cigarettes. Smoking in this building is against Irish Law (and obviously
a serious hazard) and we will fully exercise all options if we find
students smoking in any part of the building. We will always inform
parents of any incident.
ALCOHOL
Our program is absolutely alcohol free. Students of any are not allowed
to purchase alcohol, enter licensed premises or off-license*, be present
with persons who have alcohol, drink alcohol etc. The legal drinking age
is 18 years, and any students (regardless of age) who have; bring;
witness or purchase alcohol/ illegal drugs will be sent home immediately
without refund at their own expense. Any student who is aware of others
drinking or using drugs must report immediately to the manager or they
will be considered an accomplice and sent home. There will be no
exceptions made. We will not refund fees or be responsible for any
expense of transfer or travel arrangements. We will just expel the
offender from the programme and take them to the airport immediately.
Students who are expelled from the program will no longer be, in any
way, the responsibility of this program. We will always inform parents
of any incident.
DRUGS
The above rules apply to the taking of illegal substances, or drug
abuse. Adventure Ireland will expel students immediately from the
program if there is a situation with the above. We will always inform
parents of any incident. Students who are expelled from the program will
no longer be, in any way, the responsibility of this program. Schools
will be informed of any major offences.
BEHAVIOUR
Body piercing and tattoos while on this programme will not be permitted.
We ask parents NOT to give permission for these, and students will be
clearly informed that this is not allowed.
Antisocial behaviour as decided by Adventure Ireland will not be
tolerated. This includes bad language, bullying or teasing, disrespect
to others, lack of co-operation etc. As teachers, we are well used to
handling groups of teens, and these situations don’t arise, and our
experience of Adventure Ireland students has generally been very
enthusiastic and co operative. The staff at Adventure Ireland will deal
with minor incidents as we see fit. Parents will be consulted if
necessary. As we are ‘in loco parentis’ we ask for your full
co-operation and support.
ILLNESS AND ACCIDENTS
We will take care of any ill child as we would one of our own. Medical
assistance is immediately available. Colds and flu’s etc will be treated
with standard medication. Sprains, bruises etc. likewise.
Parents will be notified immediately if more significant treatment is
required. You will have informed us of all illnesses, allergies, etc and
a full file is kept on each student for immediate reference. See
Emergency Consent Form
FAMILY SITUATIONS
We understand that sometimes there are current ‘family’ situations such
as bereavement, divorce, serious illness etc in the background. If there
is a potentially upsetting or difficult background, please make the
Director of the program aware of the basic details. All matters will be
dealt with absolutely confidentially and staff informed on a
need-to-know basis. We assume parents will communicate details with each
other and we use one parental address for emails etc. If this is NOT the
case, please explain that to the program director.
We do not discriminate against children with learning disorders, medical
conditions or special needs, but we must have all relevant information
in advance so that we know exactly what we are dealing with.
OUTSIDE VISITORS
It is not uncommon to have relatives or friends visit during the
programme. However, Adventure Ireland will not allow students to leave
the campus with anyone unless the visit has been notified to the
Director if the Programme in writing and clear instructions have been
discussed. This is to ensure safety and care at all times.
THE FINAL SAY:
Years of experience have moulded our list of do’s and don’ts. We don’t
let (even experienced) teen surfers go out on dangerous waves or surf in
bad weather. We don’t allow people get buses to visit nearby relatives.
Please respect our knowledge and experience and support us in our
decisions. Please discuss any alternative ideas with us before
suggesting it to the students. We are always happy to discuss any matter
with parents but we respectfully ask you to allow us to make the call.
