Gaisce - The President’s Award at UCC

Ronan Keohane (Student Contributor) and Orla Leahy (News Editor)The University College Cork Gaisce Project, recently established in UCC, has been spearheaded by a number of students, many of whom are Gaisce Awardees. The UCC Gaisce Project’s mission is to promote Gaisce - The President’s Award, and it’s values, to the student body, and to act as a support network for students interested in achieving one or more Gaisce Awards during their studies at UCC. Gaisce - The President's Award is, “the most prestigious youth award in Ireland and is a challenge to young people from the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins to dream big and realise their potential.” There are three Award levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Participants commit to engaging in the challenge areas of community involvement, physical recreation and personal skill over a set period of time dependent upon the Award they are striving to achieve. For example, the Bronze Award requires a minimum of 13 weeks of one hour of meaningful activity per week, whilst Gold requires a minimum of 52 weeks. The weeks do not need to be consecutive, nor do the activities need to be new. Students can use activities that they are engaged in prior to starting their Award.  Participants also take part in an adventure journey at all three Award levels, involving either a hike, a cycle, or an expedition. At Gold, participants are also required to undertake a residential project, and to design a portfolio (a scrapbook outlining their Gaisce journey) for submission. Gold Awardees have the honour of meeting Uachtarán na hÉireann, Mr. Michael D. Higgins, at the annual Gold Awards ceremony in Dublin Castle. At UCC, Gaisce, “promotes the development of lifelong friendships, the learning of key skills, and the development of the Graduate Attributes. Participation in Gaisce allows students to achieve both their Gaisce Award and one or more UCC EmployAgility Awards. Gaisce promotes positive mental health, and offers students an invaluable experience.” Students between the ages of 15-26 may register for a Gaisce Award, with the support of a PAL (President's Award Leader), who acts as a mentor, and guides students through their Gaisce journey. Students and staff who are interested in giving back to their community, and training as a PAL to help students achieve their Gaisce Award, may register their interest with the UCC Gaisce Project Team, uccgaisceproject@gmail.com. Similarly, students looking to sign up for a Gaisce Award may also contact the UCC Gaisce Project Team via email, or through their socials, to be paired with a PAL. Speaking on her experiences of Bronze and Silver Gaisce, current Gold participant, Andrea Spoerri has said that Gaisce, “has not only allowed me to have great and long-lasting connections but it has also allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and try something new.” James O’Neill, current Gold participant claims that, “when I encounter difficult times in life or in my degree I think back to that [adventure journey] in Doolin, putting one foot in front of the other - to keep pedalling, and I know that if I can do it for Gaisce, I can do it for life, and get through those tough times.”Joel Rajesh, Gold participant, has stated that, “overall, the Award journey gives me the chance to make a real difference to other people’s lives while also making new friends, developing new interests and skills, and then at the end of it, ultimately getting a medal from the President of Ireland to prove it!”The UCC Gaisce Project was officially launched on Monday, October 11th, as part of Community Week 2021, with formal recognition by the President of UCC, Professor John O’Halloran, who was a guest speaker at this event. The official launch also included guest speakers, CEO of Gaisce, Yvonne McKenna, and UCC alumnus and member of the Gaisce council, Dr. Ali Khan, who both delivered insightful and important speeches on the importance of Gaisce and the Award’s benefits for both participants and the community at large. The launch was recorded, and has since been developed into a podcast series with the support of UCC98.3FM. The podcasts can be found on UCC98.3FM’s Features and Docs Spotify. All updates in relation to Gaisce - The President’s Award at UCC will be publicly announced through their Instagram page @uccgaisceproject, and Twitter page, @uccgaisceproj, including regular updates on the events, the committee and student life in general. There will also be a considerable amount of activity on their socials including Instagram takeovers where current participants discuss what they’re currently undertaking as part of their Gaisce Award. Every Monday morning at 10am, there will be a new live hour-long show on UCC98.3FM, hosted by the UCC Gaisce Project. Everything Gaisce related will be the topic of conversation. If you are a current participant, PAL, or previous Awardee, and would like to come on the show, the Team would love to hear from you. Finally, the UCC Gaisce Project is working on the alignment of Gaisce into modules and programmes across the university, and is currently trialling the integration of the Gaisce Bronze Award into MX1009, the History of Medicine, with the support of Dr. Aislinn Joy. For lecturers and module/programme co-ordinators keen to learn more about Gaisce, and the possible alignment of Gaisce with academic coursework, please email uccgaisceproject@gmail.com. The UCC Gaisce Project aims to recruit as many new students as possible to start their Gaisce journey, to inspire students, and to act as a support network for participants and PALs alike. Gaisce, meaning “great achievement”, was founded over 35 years ago by former President of Ireland, Mr. Patrick J. Hillery, and has since grown significantly, with over 20,000 young people achieving a Gaisce Award annually.