REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT AN AWARDS CEREMONY TO MARK THE 21ST ANNIVERSARY OF GAISCE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT AN AWARDS CEREMONY TO MARK THE 21ST ANNIVERSARY OF GAISCE – THE PRESIDENT’S AWARDS
Your Royal Highness, Ambassador, Distinguished Guests, Gold Award Recipients, Ladies and Gentlemen.
A hearty “céad míle fáilte”, one hundred thousand welcomes to the National Concert Hall for what is a very special Gold Awards Ceremony – indeed a unique occasion when the Duke of Edinburgh Award recipients and President’s Award recipients receive their awards in a joint ceremony in the presence of both the Duke of Edinburgh and the President. I welcome the Award winners, their leaders, families and friends and I am delighted to offer a warm welcome to His Royal Highness, Prince Philip - the Duke of Edinburgh and other representatives of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and the International Award.
Gold Award ceremonies are occasions of great pride and joy for we gather to mark and to celebrate the achievements of young men and women who have freely undertaken and transcended the most testing and revealing of challenges. We know what they are made of. We know their strengths, their resilience and their courage. These are not dormant or latent, waiting for life to test them. They have been tested and they have earned our respect, earned gold, the hard way. In addition to their individual stories of determined self-discovery, of generosity and curiosity about our world, today’s ceremony has another very significant dimension for it consolidates and showcases an important and dynamic element of the exceptional relations that now exist between Ireland and the United Kingdom. Our mutual links in the area of youth work and the empowerment of young people is epitomised by the collegial cooperation between the President’s Award and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award under the shared umbrella of the International Award.
I am happy to have this opportunity also to congratulate the Duke of Edinburgh Award on celebrating its 50th Anniversary. As the forerunner of other such awards, it continues to be recognised and respected as a world leader in facilitating and encouraging young people to take on life-enhancing and community-enhancing challenges which deepen and stretch them, rounding them into the most admirable, dependable and active citizens. Similar awards now exist in over 100 countries, among them Ireland’s President’s Award which comes of age this year with 21 remarkably successful years now to its credit. Today’s ceremony marks a new milestone in our long-standing joint co-operation in the interests of tomorrow’s young citizens and it bodes well for their future.
It is also a personal milestone in the lives of the Gold Awardees. Their undertaking of the award was a personal crusade, a journey into the self and into the world that they each had to commit to and stick to. No-one could go the journey for them but some did go the journey with them, family, Award leaders, teachers, schools, employers, sponsors, funders and the Award staff. Those who stayed the course have become role models and we hope their success, their enthusiasm for life itself and all its possibilities will be a life-changing light in the lives of other young people.
Recipients of the Duke of Edinburgh and President’s Gold Award do not need to explain to prospective employers or to the world at large that they are people of courage, persistence, dedication and determination - the Award says that for them. Their communities know they are people of sensitivity, of conscience, generosity and responsibility, for the Award bears witness to those qualities too. Every country needs young citizens like these whose creative energies are harnessed and focussed so enthusiastically on things that build up the human person and human society. It is very reassuring to see that the overall participation rate in the President’s Award continues to increase and that the cross-cultural dimension is strengthened as we continue to work closely with The Duke of Edinburgh Award in a spirit of mutual respect and co-operation in Northern Ireland.
It is important to emphasise that the young people we honour today and their leaders embarked on their challenges on a purely voluntary basis. No one said you must – no law demanded it. There were many things which could have distracted them but together they kept faith with the challenges and so today they share the glory that achieving gold brings. Their investment in the individual is also a huge investment in family, community and society. Each strong individual makes our countries strong and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to those whose work sustains and grows these awards.
I acknowledge with sincere thanks the hard work of both Award Councils, under the enthusiastic chairmanships of Dr. Laurence Crowley and Gordon Topping. Please excuse a special mention of the President’s Award Chief Executive, John Murphy. John retires this year leaving the soundest of legacies, so many lives changed, so much good invested in Ireland’s young people. I wish him well in his retirement and thank him resoundingly for all he has accomplished from the days when this Award was just a good idea to the strong organisation he masterminded, with great assistance from colleagues in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. To all the Mentors, Teachers and Award leaders donors, supporters and friends, a big thank you for your faith in these Awards and your enormous contribution to their success.
Your Royal Highness, your presence is greatly appreciated by everyone here today and it has added a unique and inspirational dimension. I am sure you join with me in offering congratulations to today’s Gold Award recipients whose hard-earned day this is. Enjoy the moment and know that we are proud of each of you, we respect you and today we honour you. Congratulations to you all.
Comhghairdeas libh inniu. Go raibh maith agaibh - Thank you.