Inspirational Laura receives Gaisce Gold Award
INSPIRATIONAL young person Laura Beston from Mayo has received her prestigious Gaisce Gold Award from President Michael D. Higgins at a special awards ceremony in Dublin Castle.
Laura was amongst 55 young people from across Ireland who received their Gold Award at yesterday's ceremony. Between them they dedicated more than 12,000 hours to receiving their awards.
Since its inception in 1985, an estimated 150,000 young Irish people have completed a Gaisce Award, including former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh and Irish rugby international and Connacht player Robbie Henshaw.
Gaisce – The President’s Award - is a direct challenge from President Michael D. Higgins to young people aged 15 to 25 to dream big and realise their potential, push their boundaries and develop skills which will stand to them throughout their lives.
This year’s Gold awardees have successfully completed five challenge areas for 52 weeks or more – volunteering with a charity or community group, developing an existing skill or learned something new, became more active through sport or exercise, took part in a four-day adventure journey discovering the great outdoors as part of a team, and broadened their horizons on a five day residential stay away from home. All awardees previously received the Gaisce Bronze and Silver awards.
Laura volunteered with Claremorris Special Olympics Club for her Community Involvement challenge. Her Personal Skill was singing in Claremorris Senior Parish, which she says was a lovely opportunity to get to sing with such lovely people.
For her Physical Activity, Laura took up running and cycled from Mizen to Malin from for her Adventure Journey. She described completing the cycle as one of the proudest and happiest moments of her life.
Laura said: “Gaisce reminded her just how good life can be.”
President Higgins told the audience during the awards ceremony: “It gives me great pleasure to be here with you to recognise the dedication, perseverance and generosity of our Gaisce Gold recipients, and to present 55 talented young people with their award.
“Today marks the conclusion of a journey – a journey in which you tested yourselves, through your thoughts and actions, first discovering and then surpassing your own limits. It was a journey in which you demonstrated not only a personal determination, but also a commitment to the service of your communities and of your fellow citizens. Today is a day on which you, your families and friends, your teachers and mentors, and all those who helped you on your path to the Gold award, can justly feel very proud of your accomplishment.”
Some 25,000 young people registered to take part in 2017 and Gaisce’s aim is that 35,000 young people will register each year by 2020, the 35th anniversary of Gaisce, so that every young person has the opportunity to participate in the programme and realise their dreams and ambitions.