By Cammy Harley
BECKY Firmage is hitting the ‘big Five-O’ this month and for the 50th birthday she has created a month-long campaign for the West Cork Sudbury School, a registered charity close to her heart.
Not only is Becky one of the five founders of the school, which was formed in 2019 and opened its doors to its first students in September 2020, but she is also on the board of directors.
The West Cork Sudbury School is Cork’s first democratic school of self-directed learning, which means that the school does not follow an official curriculum and therefore receives no government funding.
‘The school has to self-finance through original initiatives and creative fundraising ideas such as the Plant a Tree – Grow a School initiative, a pop-up restaurant event which was organised by parents of the children and membership dues,’ she said.
‘The school is vital because it is child-led and self-directed and we don’t want to compromise that.’
‘For my 50th, I am asking for donations to the West Cork Sudbury School because everyone at the school is so dedicated and so passionate about what they are doing,’ she added.
‘They give so much of themselves on a voluntary basis to keep the costs low and they don’t want to turn anybody down.’
Becky explained that when the school first opened offering an alternative option to mainstream schooling, families who relocated to Bantry to be able to avail of the school and the ethos that it has to offer.
‘The school has a free age-mixing system where all the children learn from, and help, each other and support for the school in the community is crucial to be able to continue to provide the facility for those who need
it.’
The first Sudbury school in Ireland was established in Wicklow in 2016 and there are now three schools operating successfully in Ireland.
The educational model was pioneered more than 50 years ago in America and has spread to over 300 democratic schools worldwide.
Staff and students attended the second ever Democratic Education Ireland conference in November last year which was a networking event that enabled the school community to see their school in the context of a national movement.
Becky also praised all the volunteers that have given their time to the school to do soccer, learning Japanese, coding, games, and jiu jitsu with the children.
‘Three of the children got their Gaisce awards last year and they all enjoyed having their first exchange students visit from Seattle,’ said Becky.
Becky hopes that everyone will give something, no matter how small, as every little bit will help her to reach her goal. ‘People can donate publicly or privately but every little bit will be appreciated,’ she said, adding that what is ‘pocket change’ for someone might be a life-altering tuition for someone else.
The school has also started a solidarity fund for tuition for somebody who can’t afford it.
Becky recently posted a photo of her boys, when they were younger, on the campaign’s Facebook page. ‘My two boys have taught me to aim high, to aim big. I believe in the future and I believe we need to listen and learn. The children are the future,’ she said.
‘Wouldn’t it be lovely to be able to put €50,000 into their account?’ added Becky. ‘I have invited over 999 people to support the campaign and if they each give €50, or invite their friends to support it, it is perfectly do-able.’
