December 2013 NUI Galway Invites 4th, 5th & 6th Classes to Apply for its Youth Academy!

Are you in primary school? Would you like to see what NUI Galway is like?

Monday, 02 December, 2013: NUI Galway is inviting students from 4^th, 5^th and 6^th class to apply for a taste of university life. NUI Galway Youth Academy is now taking applications for its next round of courses beginning in January 2014.

Classes will run over six Saturday mornings in January and February from 10am to 12.30pm, followed by a graduation ceremony for the University’s youngest graduates in March 2014!

To date almost 400 students from primary schools across Galway city and county have participated in a range of specially designed courses ranging from IT to Italian and Engineering to Psychology.

NUI Galway established their Youth Academy in 2012 in order to give 4^th, 5^th and 6^th class primary school students with ability a stimulating introduction to University life.  The Academy gives students and their families a taste of what it is like to study at one of Ireland’s most popular universities, and perhaps, inspire them to progress to third-level education.

All courses are highly interactive and use a variety of teaching techniques to ensure students get the most out of their time at NUI Galway. The courses offered as part of the Youth Academy include:

• Idea detectives-Exploring the world with Philosophy
• Discovering Italy: Italian Language and Italian Genius
• Psychology: who we are, how we think and what we do
• Engineering our planet
• A fun introduction to computer programming, the internet and multimedia
• Weird stuff our ancestors did
• Words and books: playing with language and literature
• Introduction to Mandarin
• Bio-EXPLORERS
• Ocean Physics: Motion in the Ocean
• When Play Becomes Performance: How to Make Drama

A fee of €150 per student applies for the six week programme and the graduation celebration day. A limited number of scholarships providing free places to students are available depending on family circumstances.

To apply for the Youth Academy or for further information on all of the courses visit www.nuigalway.ie/youthacademy. Places are allocated on a first-come first-served basis and students participate in one course for the duration of the programme. The closing date for applications is Friday, 13 December and early booking is advisable.

Geraldine Marley, the Youth Academy Coordinator said: “We are delighted to announce the next round of courses for 2014 and are looking forward to welcoming children and their families to NUI Galway.”

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