26 March 2020
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Gaisce – The President’s Award has launched ‘Gaisce at Home’/ ‘Gaisce sa Bhaile’. The campaign encourages young people in Cork, precisely as the country and the world responds to the challenge of Covid-19, to stay active and engaged in their personal development and community action.
‘Gaisce at Home’ seeks to support and encourage young people in Cork already involved in the Award to continue their Gaisce journey by finding alternative activities they can undertake at and from home. Gaisce will be sharing suitable and safe ideas online using the hashtags #GaisceAtHome and #GaisceSaBhaile.
As part of the campaign, Gaisce is also welcoming young people in Cork aged 15-25 who are interested in signing up for the Award to contact home@gaisce.ie. Parents or guardians who wish to support a young person to achieve a Gaisce Award at home are also encouraged to get in touch.
Speaking about the ‘Gaisce at Home’ campaign, CEO of Gaisce – The President’s Award, Yvonne McKenna, said, “Young people are feeling the loss of social connections, group activities and the normal routine of their every day, be it school, college or work. It’s important that we encourage them where possible to keep up the things they love while at home, or to take up new more accessible activities in these challenging times. We know, too, that many young people are responding tremendously to the crisis and looking to help out where and how they can. Here’s an opportunity to have that recognised too”.
Speaking about ‘Gaisce at Home’, School Principal and Gaisce supporter Edward McEvoy says, “As a long-time supporter of the Gaisce programme, I know the positive impact the Award can have on young people and the greater community. We should all encourage our young people to play their part where possible, and to use frameworks like Gaisce to look after their own mental health and support their sense of resilience.”
Concluding, CEO of Gaisce Yvonne McKenna says, “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures – as well as an opportunity for all of us to be extraordinary in our response. ‘Gaisce at Home’ gives young people, whether currently pursuing a Gaisce Award or not, as well as those within their ‘Unit’, something positive to focus on during these challenging times. Despite the unprecedented circumstances, our message to young people is because Gaisce can be flexible and we know you are creative, it is still possible to rise to the President’s challenge and to achieve a Gaisce Award.”
Anyone who wishes to find out more about the ‘Gaisce at Home’ campaign can visit https://www.gaisce.ie/gaisce-at-home/where you can find suitable alternative activities for undertaking Gaisce. Alternatively, contact home@gaisce.ie if you are interested in signing up to Gaisce.
