The President's Award - Gaisce
You can achieve this Award with Nullamore...
A number of the personnel working in Nullamore are officially recognised PALs (President's Award Leaders), whose role is to assist young people wishing to go for one of the President's Awards.
Currently there are 13 students working towards the Gold Award under the auspices of Nullamore.
The latest Nullamore participant to receive the Gold award from the President did so in the National Concert Hall on April 26th of this year.
What is the President's Award?
The President's Award is the National Challenge Award from the President of Ireland to the young people of Ireland between 15 and 25 years of age.
The Purpose of the Award is to encourage young people to set and achieve a demanding challenge for themselves in each of four different areas of activity, as follows:
Once the challenge, under the guidance of a Leader known as the President's Award Leader (PAL), is successfully achieved, the Participant earns an Award i.e. there is no competition with other Participants. Each Participant is striving to achieve his/her personal best.
In each case the challenge agreed between the Participant and the Leader is unique to that Participant.
No one individual has an advantage over another in earning the Award; the basic requirements for each Participant is measured by hours of endeavour and effort to earn an Award. For this reason, the Award has appeal to a wide range of young people coming from different backgrounds.
There are three Awards, reflecting different levels of time commitment.
BRONZE
SILVER
GOLD
A Bronze Award takes 6 to 9 months to complete and the Participant must be at least 15 years of age on entry.
A Silver Award takes 12 to 15 months to complete and the Participant must be at least 16 years of age on entry.
The Gold Award is a more demanding challenge over approximately two years and the Participant must be 17 years of age on entry.
It is not necessary to undertake the Bronze Award before attempting Silver and similarly it is not necessary to do the Silver Award before attempting the Gold Award.
Purpose of the Award
The purpose of the Award is to encourage a young person to set a demanding challenge of himself/herself and then to persevere with achieving this challenge. The Award challenges young people to examine what they are capable of achieving during a given time period.
The personal qualities that each participant must call upon and develop in order to earn an Award are perseverance and dedication. The Award is a motivational tool that encourages a participant to make a quantum leap in his/her development for the betterment of themselves and others.
Frequently asked Questions:
Who can participate?
The Award is open to young people between 15 and 25 years of age.
Is it a competition?
No. It is not a competition and it is not about being nominated.
Then what is the Award about?
It's about agreeing a specific challenge and following it through. Once you complete your challenge you automatically earn an Award. The only person you compete with is yourself. You deliver on your challenge and you will join 5,000 young people who will earn the most prestigious Award in Ireland for young people.
How many Awards are there?
There are three Awards: Bronze, Silver, Gold
Level Minimum Age Completion time
Bronze (minimum of 15 years of age): 6 - 9 months
Silver (minimum of 16 years of age): 12 - 15 months
Gold (minimum of 17 years of age): 18 - 24 months
What exactly do I do to earn an Award?
There are four different areas of activities in the Award Programme and you must participate in each section. The four sections are:
1. Community Involvement
2. Personal Skills
3. Physical Recreation
4. Venture Activities
What is expected of me in each of the four sections?
That depends on the level of Award as follows:
Community Activity:
You select one activity e.g. helping young people. The minimum requirement is:
Bronze One hour per week for 15 weeks
Silver One hour per week for 30 weeks
Gold One hour per week for 60 weeks
Personal Skill:
You select one activity e.g. computers. The minimum requirement is:
Bronze One hour per week for 26 weeks
Silver One hour per week for 39 weeks
Gold One hour per week for 52 weeks
Physical Recreation:
You select one activity e.g. swimming. The minimum requirement is:
Bronze One hour per week for 12 weeks
Silver One hour per week for 15 weeks
Gold One hour per week for 18 weeks
Venture Section:
You select one activity e.g. foot or cycling expedition. The minimum requirement is:
Bronze 2 days - 25 to 35 km 2 days - 100 to 130 km
Silver 3 days - 50 to 79 km 3 days - 190 to 220 km
Gold 4 days - 80 to 110 km 4 days - 300 to 350 km
What do I get when I earn an Award?
You get a medal in a very nice presentation box, a certificate signed for by the President, a lapel pin and an experience of a lifetime.
Is there an Award like that in the United Kingdom and elsewhere?
Yes. There is a broadly similar type of Award in over sixty countries world-wide. In England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland it is known as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. In the United States it is called The Congressional Award.
Is there life after receiving a Gold Award?
Yes of course. Awardees join Tar Éis Óir (after Gold) which is an association run by Awardees for themselves to keep in touch and to help others who wish to realise their ambitions though the award Programme. Gold Awardees can also become President Award leaders and hence they help other Participants achieve their potential.
How to Enter
Each participant needs to agree the challenge in writing with a President's Award Leader. The challenge is agreed once the participants have explored all the activity options in each section of the Award.
The information above has been taken from official President's Award documentation.
For more information about the Awards, please visit www.gaisce.ie