No one ever really talks about charity. Events are duly attended and gestures made in times of crisis but as a whole, we don’t tend to bring up Oxfam or Amnesty unless it’s a gripe at the gauntlet of chuggers on College Green. There is no crushing social pressure to show a good face, as religions weaken and experiences broaden, the moral obligation that once marked us out as givers has disappeared. There’s simply no obligation when giving is this much fun.
The Save Children Out Of Poverty Foundation we know as SCOOP plays an important role in local fundraising. This Friday 19 March sees the Academy host the launch of www.thescoopfoundation.com, a step up for the brave little charity that could.
Our website will be the centre of the SCOOP universe. Not only will it be the place to get in touch to get involved, to express an idea or opinion or to challenge us in any way you see fit, not only will it have all our latest news on events, fundraisers and other such developments and news, but it will also be where you, our patron, can see exactly where the funds we raise go, and how they are spent. We will have constant updates, photos and videos showing the progression of all our projects.
Great DJs and a vivacious billing of brilliant local musicians including Adrian Crowley, Valerie Francis, The Ambience Affair, Le Galaxie and Robotnik all bring sonority to the tremendous goodwill buzz. You will find no better reason to be out dancing this weekend.
Ireland rates consistently highly in the world’s quality of life rankings and recognising this, Andy Sweeney realised that combining the love of leisure with a good cause was a way to make a difference on both sides of the world. Using art, fun, music and sports, he built up a charity with a personality that would account for itself. There are no paid members of the organisation and every penny raised is allocated to a deserving source. Over the last couple of years now we’ve come to know the SCOOP name means authentic tenderhearted efforts to expand the horizons of hope for young people left behind by their societies.
It was the story of a Cambodian farmer and his wife that first inspired Andy to do more and reading the same tale on MySpace urged my own conscientious curiosity. I got in touch to ask about his work and the latest fundraising bonanza organised by SCOOP. Read on for more and remember, if you’d like to get involved, SCOOP would love to hear from you.
How did you get into charity work?
I had been travelling through Asia, in a place in my own life where I had no direction nor drive. I came across the orphanage in Cambodia we support now and the power of the place had a profound effect on me and would dictate the life I would lead. When I returned home to Ireland, I vowed that I would try and have the same impact on their lives as they did mine.
What’s unique about the Scoop Foundation in Ireland?
I guess what makes us different is that we offer as much inclusion as possible, after finding that other charities in this country were rather exclusive. We want to encourage as many different people from as many different walks of life to get involved with the schools, orphanages and workshops we work with and to play an active role in changing the lives of these children for the better. We have also found that the experience can be life changing for those who get involved.
What made you choose to work with this mix of music and charity?
We see the strength in the arts and music to change lives and the way people think. We are all passionate about music and the arts so it came quite natural to host gigs or art auctions as fundraisers. We basically organise fundraisers that we ourselves would respond to. Most of us are musicians, DJs or promoters to begin with, or at least we’re all fans of the acts, so we basically have a great reason to try and host our ideal gig!
What’s the general atmosphere around this kind of event in Ireland? We pride ourselves on being a nation of givers, is there a strong support for Scoop?
We’ve had a great response from bands, gig goers, artists, art buyers etc and then we have found that people who have gone to our previous events will come along to see us throw our hands at something new, and have faith that they will at least have a laugh. The fact of the matter is that money is tight these days, yet we all still want to have a good time if only to forget how miserable things can get! At the SCOOP shows we try to fuse the two and it seems to be working.
How do you distribute the money raised? Which areas are most in need?
We take on grass-root projects that are dear to our own hearts and have four at the moment. The first is the orphanage I visited in Cambodia, the second is a school for street children that two of our good friends here in Dublin worked in for six months, the third is a football academy in Uganda which Calvin visited and the forth is a DJ studio and workshop for under-privileged teenagers here in Dublin. Each project has education in some capacity at its core or they help children try and fulfill their potential.
What do you think are the biggest problems in the developing world?
In my opinion, the biggest problem in the developing world is also the biggest problem here in Ireland: there is no cohesion between the NGOs and charities. They all seem to be competing with each other instead of working together, since they all seem to preach the same cause and goals. Don’t get me wrong, there are serious political, financial, environmental and literacy problems in the developing world but a lot of funds, ideas and manpower seem to get lost along the way due to the inability to work together.
Do you work with other charity organisations?
We have worked with AZ Children’s Charity in Uganda and wholly support the amazing and necessary work they do over there but in general we have found that most charities in Ireland have closed their doors to us. One of our main goals in the SCOOP is to create an inclusive charity where funds aren’t lost or wasted on manipulative advertising or excessive wages. A charity that people can really trust and become involved with.
How would you like to see SCOOP develop in the future?
We’d like to take on more schools and encourage people from walks of life that don’t usually get the chance to volunteer and pass on a skill. We’d love to have mechanics, carpenters, artists, seamstresses etc. come to us and go to one of the schools we support to teach the children a skill they can use to make a living. Events-wise, the sky’s the limit!
Tickets for this Friday’s SCOOP Foundation gig are priced €20 and available from Tickets.ie now.
thescoopfoundation.com
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