COLLEGE SENDS OUT MESSAGE OF HOPE
College sends out message of hope
LIKE other institutions and businesses in Omagh, the local college of further education is trying to come to terms with the bombing on August 15th, as well as offering people hope and a means of moving forward with their lives.
The principle, Mr. Seamus Devlin, said young people and adults now needed encouragement to "pick themselves up" and try to get back to normal.
"There is a lethargy among people. Many are thinking at the minute, 'what is the point?' but they have to take control of their lives again, and take active steps to move forward," he said.
He said the college was a vital part of the community, and not only had it set in place procedures to help its students come to terms with what had happened, but it also offered people hope and a means to redirect their lives and go forward.
"We want to try to put something back into the community," he said.
The college like many businesses, schools and institutions in the town, would face problems in the coming year, and perhaps years to come, he went on.
Mr. Devlin said many students, both teenagers and adults, felt guilty about having survived, or not being able to have done something to help.
"Services like the hospital and ambulance and medical personnel were at the coal-face of the tragedy, but we have tried to put in place structures to help support people," he said.
"We are in uncharted water, as it were. We just don't know what to expect, or how the students are going to react."
And he pointed out that, with the new term starting just after the bomb, the college was only finding out who had been affected by the tragedy.
Recovering
A member of staff was recovering in Altnagelvin, he said, and several students had been injured. Many more had been indirectly affected.
"One student hope's to complete her coursework in hospital," he said.
He went on: "We represent a cross-section of Omagh a microcosm of the town. Everyone is focusing on the impact on young people, but adults are also experiencing difficulties."
And he said the college had also provided counselling advice and support for staff in preparation for any problems and difficulties students may have.
"The Western Board had invited Elizabeth Capewell, director of the Centre for Crisis Management and Education, to come and counsel staff at schools, and we also availed of her expertise," he said.
"We want parents to know that if a student needs help, it is there for them. There are structures and a support system in place."
He explained that Mrs. Capewell had been involved in counselling following tragedies such as Dunblane, Lockerbie and Hungerford.
Mr. Devlin also pointed out that the college would welcome parents who wished to come in and discuss how their children were coping.
"If they pick up signals that something might not be quite right, we would like to hear about it," he said.
He went on to say that the college had put back its usual part time programme to the end of the month.
Control
He added that uptake on courses had been down on other years, but the college was putting together a package of courses to help people regain some kind of control in their lives, as well as focusing on their own needs.
"People are still reeling from the shock, and we wanted to give them time to 'regroup'. " We have been holding information sessions on courses, but people are free to drop in at any time to see if we have anything on offer that might help them to re-evaluate their lives and point them in some direction," he said.
"The college is a significant part of the community of Omagh, and is part of the support that the town needs as it can offer people programmes that they can be actively involved in.
"There is a sense of hopelessness with some people at the moment, but we feel we can help them to move forward."
LIKE other institutions and businesses in Omagh, the local college of further education is trying to come to terms with the bombing on August 15th, as well as offering people hope and a means of moving forward with their lives.
The principle, Mr. Seamus Devlin, said young people and adults now needed encouragement to "pick themselves up" and try to get back to normal.
"There is a lethargy among people. Many are thinking at the minute, 'what is the point?' but they have to take control of their lives again, and take active steps to move forward," he said.
He said the college was a vital part of the community, and not only had it set in place procedures to help its students come to terms with what had happened, but it also offered people hope and a means to redirect their lives and go forward.
"We want to try to put something back into the community," he said.
The college like many businesses, schools and institutions in the town, would face problems in the coming year, and perhaps years to come, he went on.
Mr. Devlin said many students, both teenagers and adults, felt guilty about having survived, or not being able to have done something to help.
"Services like the hospital and ambulance and medical personnel were at the coal-face of the tragedy, but we have tried to put in place structures to help support people," he said.
"We are in uncharted water, as it were. We just don't know what to expect, or how the students are going to react."
And he pointed out that, with the new term starting just after the bomb, the college was only finding out who had been affected by the tragedy.
Recovering
A member of staff was recovering in Altnagelvin, he said, and several students had been injured. Many more had been indirectly affected.
"One student hope's to complete her coursework in hospital," he said.
He went on: "We represent a cross-section of Omagh a microcosm of the town. Everyone is focusing on the impact on young people, but adults are also experiencing difficulties."
And he said the college had also provided counselling advice and support for staff in preparation for any problems and difficulties students may have.
"The Western Board had invited Elizabeth Capewell, director of the Centre for Crisis Management and Education, to come and counsel staff at schools, and we also availed of her expertise," he said.
"We want parents to know that if a student needs help, it is there for them. There are structures and a support system in place."
He explained that Mrs. Capewell had been involved in counselling following tragedies such as Dunblane, Lockerbie and Hungerford.
Mr. Devlin also pointed out that the college would welcome parents who wished to come in and discuss how their children were coping.
"If they pick up signals that something might not be quite right, we would like to hear about it," he said.
He went on to say that the college had put back its usual part time programme to the end of the month.
Control
He added that uptake on courses had been down on other years, but the college was putting together a package of courses to help people regain some kind of control in their lives, as well as focusing on their own needs.
"People are still reeling from the shock, and we wanted to give them time to 'regroup'. " We have been holding information sessions on courses, but people are free to drop in at any time to see if we have anything on offer that might help them to re-evaluate their lives and point them in some direction," he said.
"The college is a significant part of the community of Omagh, and is part of the support that the town needs as it can offer people programmes that they can be actively involved in.
"There is a sense of hopelessness with some people at the moment, but we feel we can help them to move forward."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1202
Published Date: 17-Sep-98
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