The People’s Flag: Gaisce – Empowering Young People as Agents of Change

Every year, more than 25,000 young people throughout Ireland undertake Gaisce Awards at Bronze, Silver and Gold Award levels, completing skill, physical, community and adventure challenges that not only make a huge difference in their own lives but in the lives of others. Participation in Gaisce is proven to build resilience, hope, self-confidence and wellbeing, as well as increasing belonging as active young citizens.

Since Gaisce was established in 1985, an incredible 480,000 young people have registered for Gaisce, with over 265,000 young people achieving a Gaisce Award.

Integral to the success of the Gaisce Award programme are the 1,300 President’s Award Leaders, or PALs, who act as mentors for the young people undertaking the award by encouraging, supporting and guiding them every step of the way, all on a voluntary basis.

Agents of Change

As an organisation, Gaisce is committed to empowering young people in Ireland to be Agents of Change, playing an active role in their communities and working to make our world a more peaceful, sustainable and fair place. More and more young people are using their Gaisce Award to explore global citizenship issues, at a time when collective global action has never been more urgent.

When Gaisce participants mobilise annually all over Ireland by volunteering for their Gaisce Awards they not only develop personal experiences, skills and insights but also make significant contributions to society such as supporting charity shops, clean ups, promoting equality and sustainability initiatives, welcoming new members of communities, helping older people, younger people, the homeless and those who need a little extra support from all walks of life, they are collectively volunteering a minimum of 325,000 hours every year!

“I am constantly inspired by the incredible potential within young people”, says Avril Ryan, CEO of Gaisce – The President’s Award. “Through their Gaisce Award participation, they embark on a transformative journey that not only shapes their personal growth but also positions them as amazing agents of change in society. Gaisce empowers young people to discover their strengths, develop resilience, and foster a sense of responsibility towards their communities. By engaging in diverse challenges, they not only unlock their own potential but also become catalysts for positive change, proving that the energy and enthusiasm of youth can be a powerful force for a better world. Gaisce participants are not just recipients of an Award; they are leaders, innovators, and ambassadors of positive change, driving impact far beyond their individual accomplishments.”

Gaisce Gold Residential

Gaisce regularly organise themed events for participants and leaders which drive this ethos. A recent Residential project for a group of young people who are currently doing their Gaisce Gold Award took place over two consecutive weekends in January; the first hosted by the University of Galway and the second held at Gaisce’s headquarters at the Phoenix Park.

One of the highlights of the event was a Climate Justice themed workshop led by Eimear Manning from the National Youth Council of Ireland, with the group also being addressed by guest speakers including Stephen Ucembe of Tearfund, a community worker from Kenya and Chris Nolan, an Environmental Youth Worker based in Galway.

As an organisation committed to ensuring that taking part in the Gaisce Award is as accessible as possible, it was a a pleasure to welcome four amazing young people from KARE, an organisation that provides community-based support to young people with intellectual disabilities, who were able to join the Residential project in Dublin, as part of their Gaisce Gold Award requirements.

One of the participants at the Gold Residential, Jay Holland, was enthusiastic about the experience: “Going into the Gold Residential I didn’t really know what to expect. I was mainly going in to tick a box, as a requirement for the Gold Award. I ended up getting so much more out of it than I expected, I ended up making so many friends and learning so much. I just had an amazing experience altogether and I was very grateful be able to take part in the residential project run by Gaisce and meet other participants that are doing the Gold. It’s so hard to find other people who are on the same journey as you, not many people carry on and do the gold, so it was lovely to get those connections through the project.”

Think Global, Act Local

An upcoming event this April will further establish our ongoing commitment to promoting global citizenship action through the Gaisce Award.

The online event, titled Think Global, Act Local, will be attended by President’s Award Leaders from all over the country, and will offer an opportunity for our Leaders to build their knowledge and awareness around what it means to be a global citizen and how we can empower young people to act.

The event will feature a range of special guest speakers and case studies and will highlight the incredible work of organisations such as LYCS, a north inner city Dublin organisation that works to prevent young people from getting involved in anti-social behaviour and drug / alcohol use through the provision of alternative programmes that meet their needs.

Oberstown Rise Garden at Bloom

Driving diversity and inclusion is central to Gaisce’s ethos, and this commitment was brought to life in 2023 with the creation of the Rise Garden by young people detained at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus who were undertaking their Gaisce Award. The group, who worked with the artist Joe Caslin to design this transformative space, which was featured at the annual Bloom Festival in the Phoenix Park, where it was seen by over 100,000 visitors and was awarded a Silver Gilt Medal.

The garden served as a powerful symbol of the young peoples’ journey towards growth and change, representing the progress they have made in overcoming challenges and their ability to look forward to a brighter future.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Rise Garden, Sinead Flynn, Horticultural Co-ordinator at Oberstown Campus, said:” The Gaisce medal for the young people in Oberstown is a real achievement. Like other times they might get certificates or awards, but the medal represents something a lot stronger.”

Youth Diversion

Gaisce’s work with the Oberstown Children Detention Campus is part of our focus on the area of Youth Justice, with dedicated team members working with youth diversion projects and special units throughout the country, supporting young people as they undertake their Gaisce Awards.

We were delighted to announce a new partnership with the Department of Justice in November. Starting in January 2024, the Department has committed to supporting the cost of Gaisce registration for participants in Youth Diversion Projects.

The partnership, which was announced by Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne TD, represents a significant investment that will remove a barrier to participation for many, as well as opening up positive new pathways for young people.

As Gaisce CEO Avril Ryan said at the time, “There is a need now more than ever to support young people in terms of building their empathy, sense of belonging in their communities, confidence and skills through purposeful and fun personal development challenges, and the achievement of a Gaisce Award is proven to deliver on these outcomes”.

LGBTQ+ Allyship

Our commitment to the values of equality and inclusion was fundamental to a special LikeMinded LGBTQ+ event at LINC in Cork, hosted in partnership with Rethink Ireland in October last year as part of Stand Up Awareness Week.

Recognising that many LGBTQ+ students feel unsafe at school according to a recent survey by BelongTo, Gaisce is committed to encouraging young LGBTQ+ people to undertake their Gaisce Award and see themselves reflected and included within Gaisce.

In a spirit of allyship, Gaisce hosted an interactive panel discussion and conversation for President’s Award Leaders, sharing expertise and knowledge in the area of supporting inclusion of LGBTQ+ young people in schools and youth settings.

Pam O’Leary, Assistant Principal/Programme Coordinator at Cork Educate Together Secondary School, says: “Being at the LikeMinded event was such an uplifting experience for me. To collaborate and share practice with other educators and advocates on matters pertaining to LGBTQ+ inclusion for our young people was a privilege and I hope that more of these events will follow.”

Awarding Young People

One of the great pleasures for Gaisce is being able to meet some of the thousands of young people who achieve their Gaisce Awards during the year.

An annual highlight of the Gaisce calendar is the Gold Award Ceremony, hosted in Áras an Uachtaráin by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. Every year, young people are invited to celebrate achieving their Gold Award medal and pin, a truly outstanding accomplishment which marks the culmination of their Gaisce journey.

Having the opportunity to meet any of the diverse groups of young people who are receiving their Gaisce awards is another highlight for the Gaisce team.

In December 2023, we welcomed seven young people from Ukranian Action in Ireland; a charity established in response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine to foster Irish-Ukranian friendship. All seven took part in Gaisce’s Wavelength programme, aimed at ensuring that young people seeking asylum or refugee status in Ireland can participate in the Awards.

We were delighted to present Pavlo, Polina, Khristina, Damir, Oleksands and Emma with their Bronze Awards and Vlad with his Silver Award at a special ceremony held at Gaisce’s Ratra House HQ in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

More recently Ratra House played host to three impressive young people from Stewarts Care Ballyfermot Hub, a voluntary organisation providing comprehensive community-based services to people with intellectual disabilities. It was a special occasion, celebrating Beatrice, Conor and Vasyl receiving their Silver Awards.

Gaisce in Northern Ireland

The importance of giving every young person the chance to take part in Gaisce is something that extends into Northern Ireland. In 1999, prompted by the Good Friday Agreement’s commitments, young people in Northern Ireland gained access to the Gaisce Award through the Joint Award Initiative (JAI), a partnership between Gaisce, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.

This year marks an important milestone in this important relationship, as we join our counterparts in Northern Ireland in celebrating 25 years since the formation of the Joint Award Initiative, and look forward to continuing to foster and build on our collaborative relationship with the team at the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Northern Ireland.

One of our partners in the Joint Award Initative is Ulster GAA, and we were able to attend a Joint awards ceremony in Armagh in December, to present young people from across the province with their Gaisce Awards. It was fantastic to see how many young people involved in the organisation embraced taking part in the Awards, and recognising their achievements was incredibly satisfying.

Diarmaid Marsden, Head of Club and Community Development Ulster GAA, recognises the benefit of offering young GAA members the opportunity to undertake a Gaisce Award: “This Joint Award initiative allows young people to carry out all the necessary criteria associated with the award and on completion can elect to receive certification from either organisation.

"Many of our young GAA members have availed of this opportunity in the six counties and they are making direct contribution to their GAA clubs through volunteering as well as embracing the physical activity associated with our games. In Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan we encourage GAA clubs and their youth members to register directly with Gaisce, through Ulster GAA, to achieve the prestigious award, that helps develop the young people as well as benefitting their GAA club.”

As Gaisce looks towards 2025, when we will celebrate the significant milestone of our 40th anniversary, we are heartened that the young people who participate in the Gaisce Award are true Agents of Change, making a difference to their own lives and the world around them. Our goal is to ensure as many young people as possible under 26 have the wonderful opportunity and experience of achieving a Gaisce Award and we will be announcing new bursary opportunities later this year to increase those possibilities for more young people so they can reach for the stars, follow their dreams, and realise their potential.