Mayo students plan school-wide CPR training event
Sixth year students at Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Gortnor Abbey, who are helping to organise the Restart Your Heart Fundraiser.
More than 600 students and staff at Gortnor Abbey are set to take part in a school-wide CPR training event as part of a fundraiser for Restart Your Heart Day.
Taking place on October 15, all students will be taught basic lifesaving skills, from using a defibrillator to doing CPR, helping them build confidence to respond to an emergency.
Students organised the event as part of the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, with Rósín Kelly and her classmates choosing Restart a Heart Day as their enterprise project.
They are raising money for three charities. Heart Children Ireland, the Irish Heart Foundation and Crossmolina Community First Responders.
“Being aware of heart defects is so important because they can affect people of all ages and can have a lasting impact on families. My own Dad has a pacemaker so I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to understand heart health, recognise the signs and make sure people get the care and support they need,” Rósín said.
Her classmate Isobel Carey said the fundraiser would help raise awareness of heart defects while also supporting those affected.
“Heart defects are something that have affected my own family and many others, so this cause is incredibly important to me. When heart defects run in a family, there can always be that worry about what it might mean for you and for the ones you love. For younger people especially it can be frightening and overwhelming,” she said.
The event will run throughout the day, with six year groups taking part in training delivered by members of Crossmolina Community First Responders, the Coastguard, and first-aid-trained staff.
Teacher Suzanne Syron said the event will be a valuable opportunity to teach young people a practical lifesaving skill. She explained the school also has personal connections to the charities they are fundraising for.
“I have a daughter who has a congenital heart defect. One in a hundred babies are born in Ireland with a heart defect. Another faculty member has a child with a heart defect, and we have students who also have congenital heart defects of some nature,” she explained.
“We saw a personal link there, and we wanted to raise money for these charities that give back then to young people.” Students will watch demonstrations before being divided into groups led by trained professionals. They will rotate through practical sessions using a mannequin, learning how to check that the area is safe, call 999, identify the nearest defibrillator, check for breathing, and begin chest compressions.
“The biggest thing we want students to get out of this event is the hand placement and also the rate of compressions as well, a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute,” Suzanne said.
The event will also give students an opportunity to meet members of Crossmolina Community First Responders and learn more about the role of volunteering in emergency response.
“We hope it will promote volunteering as well. The Crossmolina Community Responders are a volunteer organisation, so in time, the students might aim to go and work with them,” she said.
