Having a purpose and building resilience by achieving goals and developing personal and societal awareness is more important than ever before. Gaisce – The President’s Award is determined to ensure young people can continue to dream big and fulfil their potential during these exceptional and challenging times.
Gaisce – The President's Award is a self-development programme for people under 26, which is proven to enhance confidence and wellbeing through participation in personal, physical, community and team challenges. The Award is a direct challenge from the President of Ireland to all young people to dream big and realise their potential and is the most prestigious youth award in Ireland. Participants are supported through their Gaisce journey by a trained adult mentor: their President's Award Leader, or PAL.
During a time of uncertainty, Gaisce is determined to ensure all young people can continue to rise to the President’s challenge, regardless of Covid-19-related restrictions that may apply or be introduced. To this end, the organisation is keen to let all President’s Award Leaders know of the additional support and advice they can expect from the Gaisce team, and the temporary measures that have been introduced to aid participants complete their Gaisce Award, whilst maintaining the integrity of the Award,
Helpful guides and further information about the temporary measures have been sent to all President's Award Leaders in the form of a PAL Pack, which will also be available online at gaisce.ie.
Gaisce celebrates the individuality of each participant and ensures that, while there are many pathways to achieving a Gaisce Award, each Gaisce journey is as unique and expansive as the individual young person determines, and that all Awards are equally recognised. Speaking about the new allowances being introduced, CEO of Gaisce – The President’s Award, Yvonne McKenna, says; "Gaisce, by its very design, is flexible and adaptable to the young person’s goals and ambitions. The year ahead has some very particular and specific challenges, and we’d like to reassure all Gaisce PALs that we are here to help, and that Gaisce will continue to be flexible for you and your participants, whatever level of Award they are pursuing: Bronze, Silver or Gold."
PAL support
President Award leaders are the backbone of the Gaisce Award, leading the delivery of the Gaisce Award across the country. To assist and support PALs during this time, Gaisce is undertaking a series of activities including: a PAL Pack delivered to all active PALs, a series of PAL Catch-Ups sessions that will be held online, and a TY Coordinators’ Webinar delivered with the support of the PDST. The PAL Pack includes useful information and practical guides for delivery of the Gaisce Award. The PAL Catch-up events will provide an opportunity for PALs to connect with each other, meet and talk with their regional development officer, and ask any questions on how they can navigate participants through their award during Covid-19. Finally, a TY Coordinators’ Webinar will run on September 30th and explore how the Gaisce programme aligns with the principles, aims, and outcomes for young people in TY.
Lá Gaisce
This year, Gaisce will celebrate its second Lá Gaisce which will take place on October 21st. Lá Gaisce is an opportunity for PALs, organisations that deliver Gaisce, awardees and participants to celebrate their achievement and will play a very particular role this year, given it will not be possible for Gaisce to organise large scale ceremonies and events. While suggestions for celebrating the day are included in the PAL Pack, Gaisce are encouraging all Gaisce Award Partners to be as creative as they would like to in celebrating the day. This year's Lá Gaisce will be particularly special as it will mark and begin Gaisce's 35th anniversary year
A letter from the President
President of Ireland, patron of Gaisce - The President’s Award, Michael D. Higgins has written a letter to all PALs and this will be circulated with the PAL Pack. In his letter, the President commends PALs who have supported young people through their Gaisce Awards to date.
"As President’s Award Leaders you already understand the value of Gaisce for developing the skills and confidence of participants. You have already shown your flexibility and resilience in helping those who are endeavouring to achieve their Gaisce awards through initiatives such as Gaisce sa Bhaile, and I commend you on all you have done to date."
The President continues by emphasising the importance of Gaisce -The President’s Award in enabling young people to achieve their goals and develop personal and societal awareness, particularly as we learn to live with Covid-19.
"Covid is likely to be with us for some time. I am confident that continuing to encourage young people to achieve the goals and develop the personal and societal awareness that forms the basis of the President’s Award will be particularly important in the time ahead, to give young people a sense of agency, independence and fulfilment when so much else seems to be outside any of our control."
Self-development and purpose
Now more than ever, it is important that young people are encouraged to find their passion, build their confidence and sense of belonging, look after their wellbeing, make lifelong memories with peers and discover new skills through the achievement of a Gaisce Award. In 2019, Oisín Butler from Sutton, Dublin achieved his Gold Award. To achieve his Gaisce Award, Oisín improved his guitar and piano skills, played basketball and volunteered with Adult Education Courses. He also volunteered in the Gaeltacht in Ros a Mhíl. Speaking about his award Oisín says: ‘I will look back at the gold Gaisce as the single best experience of my secondary school life and the best commitment I made and stuck to.”
Here to help
The Gaisce team are on hand to answer any questions or queries from President Award Leaders, or from any organisation looking to deliver the Gaisce Award. For further information about Gaisce, please visit www.gaisce.ie or follow Gaisce on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.