Students cross Europe for charity – without cash

Among them will be Meabh Tarpey from Bushy Park and Róisín Dunne from Furbo, who will be aiming for success in this Jailbreak Charity Challenge, an annual student-run, travel contest.

The concept sees students compete in teams, making their way across borders to a set destination they will only discover shortly prior to setting off on their 36-hour adventure this Saturday.

They have to raise money to enter, and from there on they must depend solely the kindness of others – and their innate blagging skills to reach their target.

All proceeds raised are split between charities St. Vincent de Paul and Amnesty International.

Róisín and Meabh – both former Jes girls – are freshman students with Trinity College, Dublin. Róisín is studying for her B. Sc. in Clinical Speech and Language Studies whilst Meabh is taking her undergrad studies in B.E.S.S. (Business, Economics and Social Studies).

And they know that their quest is a test of endurance – those engaging in the trial have accepted their fate of no sleep for the forthcoming days.

“We have already accepted that we’re not going to sleep over the duration of this challenge,” Róisín confesses.

For many, lack of sleep coupled with planes, trains, buses, taxis, hitching and walking may sound like an absolute nightmare.

But not for the young and buoyant like Róisín and Meabh. “We can’t wait; it’s going to be so much fun,” says Róisín.

So far, the girls have raised over €1,000 for charity, through coffee mornings fuelled by donations of cake from local bakeries and shops. They also received support from local businesses Aró Digital Strategy and O’Leary Insurance.

And they won’t stop there. “We want to continue to fundraise as much as possible to meet this year’s goal,” says Róisín.

Overall the students have set themselves the ambitious target of raising €50,000, with €15,000 collected so far.

Jailbreak 2016 is set to be the most exciting and most challenging yet. Not only must contestants meet at ‘Location X’ as in previous years – they must also meet at ‘Location Y’ and compete in four charity challenges along the way.

The girls will join their comrades and competitors – including other Galway entrants Stephanie Coll and Sophie Kinerns – for a Friday briefing, outlining the parameters and challenges for the competition.

Last year, the competition sounded at 9am on a Saturday morning; with the final destination only being announced at midday.

The target was Lake Bled, Slovenia – a stunning glacial lake in the Alps – deliberately chosen to make it difficult for challengers, who had to make way to this off-the-beaten-track location without spending any money of their own.

The 2015 event included 88 teams, all of whom raised €300 pre-departure. This year 100 teams are reportedly taking part and each team must raise a compulsory €400 pre-departure.

Jailbreak has altered its format once again with extra locations, challenges and flight restrictions being introduced.

Four rules apply: no money is permitted – students must fundraise and blag their way; flights over two hours are disallowed, as are flights out of the same country they flew into.

And this year, participants are also saddled with a further challenge which states they must complete four charity challenges before their team finishes.

To support Róisín & Meabh visit Jailbreak HQ Corporations or businesses interested in sponsoring, email: [email protected]