Student Social Events with the Trinity Student Managed Fund
by Sadbh Feehan
The Trinity Student Managed Fund are a student society here in Trinity College Dublin. They have been supporters of the TCPID for a number of years and donate money from their investment fund to the TCPID every year.
In addition to their generous financial support, the Trinity SMF committee also work with our colleague Sadbh Feehan to run a series of events and joint activities with our students every year. Events over the past few years have included pizza parties, scavenger hunts, pancake making, cupcake decorating and many more.
A huge thank you to all the amazing Trinity SMF management committee members who have worked with us over the past few years, including Aishling Bourke, Jack D'Arcy, Nathan Whitehead, Cillian O'Neill and the incoming team, Senan Delargy, Joshua Griffin , Alex Fitzgerald, Martha McCutcheon, Ben Power, Nazar Batkiv and Alex Wylde.
We are so looking forward to continuing to build our partnership with the Trinity SMF over the coming years. Having this support come from fellow students within Trinity College is so impactful and means so much to all of us.
Here is an article written by Sadbh Feehan, outlining why connecting with fellow students in a social setting is so important and why it helps to create a real sense of belonging.
As a previous student in the TCPID, I have experience of joining societies in Trinity College Dublin. During my time as a student I was able to get the chance to go to some interesting events and meet new people. It was a great way for me to engage with other students and to feel confident enough to talk to people who I don’t know.
I also understand that when you go to these events it might be nice just to have a familiar face to meet you there because it can be quite intimating when you go on your own. I found it a little intimating not knowing anyone, but I did it anyway and I was very proud of myself.
The positive side to it is that when you meet new people, who knows, you might just find your new best friend.
My advice to all our students is to just go for it and get involved because you are only in college for a short amount of time. Even if you are a little nervous, just remember that everyone feels a bit nervous sometimes about meeting new people.
Now that I am working in TCPID, I completely understand that it can be quite difficult for the students to get involved in societies. There are lots of reasons for this, It could be because of the time that the society events are on. A lot of the events are on quite late in the day or in the evenings. That means that some of our TCPID students wouldn’t be able to get to these events, activities or talks. It also could clash with the times of their buses and or trains home or just might not have anyone to collect them after the event.
Our TCPID students usually say that they would like to join societies but often the events are on too late in the evenings.
I have been working with the Trinity SMF team on a way to help our students to be able to particpate more with events on campus.
Something we did to make sure the social events are more accessible for the students was that we made sure to have the events during their lunch break, so it would easier for them to attend.
Why are these social events important?
The reason why the events that I organise with the Trinity SMF are so important is because it gets our students more involved in college life while meeting other students who may have similar interests as them. It also helps them to build their confidence and independence but also makes them feel comfortable.
How were the events planned?
Each year I speak with our TCPID students and ask them what type of social events they would like. Marie and I then meet two of the students from the Trinity SMF and have a conversation about that kind of events that the students would be interested in. We then work together to plan some fun events. I also made sure that the events are at a suitable time for the students and that they are accessible for everyone.
Who are the people who were involved in organising the events?
From the 2025 – 2026 academic year I will be working with Senan Delargy, Alex Fitzgerald, Martha McCutcheon, Ben Power, Nazar Batkiv and Alex Wylde.
From 2024 until 2025 Jack D’Arcy and Ashling Bourke from the Trinity SMF committee organised the events with me.
For the academic year 2023- 2024 the events were organised by Trinity SMF committee members Cillian O’Neil and Nathan Whitehead.
A lot of other Trinity SMF students helped with organising and came to the events.
We are so lucky to have formed such a great relationship with the Trinity Student Management Fund, The Trinity SMF has done amazing work for TCPID over the years.
It is so important that our TCPID students get involved in clubs and societies because it gives the students the opportunity to meet new people that share similar interests as them and to get more integrated into college life.
I am really looking forward to working with the new group this year.