Gaisce – The President's Award is an award in Ireland earned by young people between the ages of 15 and 25 for participating in several activities for a certain period of time. There are three awards; bronze, silver and gold.
The term "gaisce" is from the Irish language and can be translated as "achievement". The award was established by a trust deed under the patronage of the President of Ireland on 28 March 1985 – the award is part of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Association. The profile of the award was raised substantially during the term of President Mary Robinson.
Overview[edit]
Every participant has the support of a "PAL" (presidents's award learder) It is not a competition, the only person you compete with is yourself. The PAL guides you through the challenges and sets appropriate activities.
Gaisce's mission is to contribute to the development of all young people through the achievement of personal challenges. Awards can be entered directly (without a previous award) or indirectly (from a previous award).There are four challenges in each award, which all must be outside school (except ECDL);
- Community Involvement - e.g. Charity work, Help with a youth club, Green Schools, Tidy Towns, Helping with children.
- Personal Skill - e.g. ECDL, Musical instrument, Dance, Singing lessons, Web design, Learn a foreign language(No sport allowed).
- Physical Recreation - e.g. Walking, Cycling, Tennis, Badminton, Golf, Soccer, Gaelic, Rugby, Swimming, A marathon.
- Adventure Journey/Research - e.g. Adventure center, European walk/cycle, Mountain hike, Canoeing, (Those who would be unable to accomplish this due to a physical disability perform a suitable replacement activity such as research)
or
- Residential Project (Gold only) - e.g. Volunteering in a foreign/3rd world country, Attend a sports coaching, Irish language course.
Bronze Participants must be at least age 15 to enter. A mimimum of one hour a week is required. There are five sections to complete;
- Community Involvement - 13 weeks
- Personal Skill - 13 weeks
- Physical Recreation - 13 weeks
- Additional activity in any section of your choice from the three above - 13 weeks
- Adventure Journey/Research - Plan prepare and undertake a 2 day, 1 night adventure journey in a group covering a minimum total distance of : Walking;25–35 km or Cycling 100 -130 km over two consecutive days.
Silver Participants must be at least age 16 to enter. A mimimum of one hour a week is required. There are five sections to complete if entering directly to the silver award with no previous Bronze Gaisce award, four if entered from with a Bronze award already received;
- Community Involvement - 26 weeks
- Personal Skill - 26 weeks
- Physical Recreation - 26 weeks
- Additional activity in any section of your choice from the three above - 26 weeks (not required if the participant has received the Bronze award)
- Adventure Journey/Research - Plan prepare and undertake a 3 day, 2 night adventure journey in a group covering a minimum total distance of : Walking;50–79 km or Cycling 190 -220 km over 3 consecutive days.
Gold Participants must be at least age 17 to enter. A mimimum of one hour a week is required. There are five sections to complete if entering directly to the gold award with no previous Silver Gaisce award, four if enterd from with a silver award already received;
- Community Involvement - 52 weeks
- Personal Skill - 52 weeks
- Physical Recreation - 52 weeks
- Additional activity in any section of your choice from the three above - 26 weeks (not required if the participant has received the Silver award)
- Adventure Journey/Research - Plan prepare and undertake a 4 day, 3 night adventure journey in a group covering a minimum total distance of : Walking;80-110 km or Cycling 300 -350 km over 4 consecutive days.
or
- Residential Project - A shared activity with a group in a residential setting for 5 days and 4 nights.
The award is presented at a regional ceremony by either a famous person (bronze/silver) or the President of Ireland (gold).
See also[edit]
External links[edit]