REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE MILLENNIUM GOLD ENCOUNTER DUBLIN CASTLE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE MILLENNIUM GOLD ENCOUNTER DUBLIN CASTLE, FRIDAY, 27TH AUGUST 1999
Is mór an pléisiúir dom céad míle fáilte a chur romhaibh anseo inniu, agus go háirithe roimh na daoine atá i ndiaidh leath an domhain a thaisteal le bheith inár dteannta. Is ócáid speisialta í seo domsa agus tá súil agam go mbainfaidh sibh go léir taitneamh agus tairbhe as an lá agus as bhur gcuairt iomlán go hÉireann.
It is a great joy to welcome you all to Dublin Castle and to Ireland for this very important occasion: the launch of the Millennium Gold Encounter. I know that many of you have travelled great distances to be with us, and I hope that your visit here over the next few weeks will be both enjoyable and enriching for all of you.
This event is all the more special because we have the pleasure of hosting it jointly with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Northern Ireland. I am delighted to extend a very warm welcome to His Royal Highness, the Earl of Wessex, who is doing so much to support these Awards world-wide in his capacity as Chairman of the International Council.
Let me first of all congratulate each of you for having earned a Gold Award in your respective countries. It truly was earned, because as Patron of the President’s Award - Gaisce, here in Ireland, I have seen the exceptional level of dedication, hard work and commitment that is required to achieve the gold standard. There can be no short cuts in that process because the journey itself is as important as the final destination. It is a journey of surprises and self-discovery, a journey on which you will have grown in maturity and self-confidence, on which you will have learnt about other people and about yourself – your own capabilities and talents. Most importantly, you will have discovered the importance of participation, of taking responsibility for your own development, of being one of life’s ‘doers’ – one of those people that make a difference in this world.
These are the characteristics that make good leaders. I am therefore delighted that all of you have decided to take that next step by becoming involved in a leadership capacity in your own national award schemes. We need young leaders like you – especially now when so many young people around the world are struggling to find meaning and hope in life. None of us is born with cynicism or despair. But it is all too easy for a child to become infected by the scepticism of older generations, by the weary attitudes of hopelessness and helplessness that are the enemies of hope.
We need to counter those attitudes, to restore hope among our young people - and you, as their peers, are the ones who can do it. Your participation in this Millennium Gold Encounter is the best possible response to those who say that ‘nothing will ever change’. Unless people are willing to become involved, it never will. But the enthusiasm and energy with which you are taking part in this initiative shows that you do want to get involved, to take responsibility, to give something back to your community. And as we approach the new millennium, we have never had a better opportunity to wipe the slate clean of the mistakes and baggage of the past, and start afresh.
Nowhere is this more important than here on the island of Ireland, where the legacy of fear and distrust between communities has so often threatened to stifle hope and optimism. Yet even in the darkest times, hope has survived, nurtured by the efforts of people who refused to give in to despair. Their hope has been vindicated by the increasing level of co-operation and contact between youth groups within Northern Ireland and between North and South. As we look to the future, our greatest guarantee of dismantling the barriers of hatred and suspicion, lies in bringing our young people together. It enables them to see for themselves how false and destructive are the myths and fears they inherited - how much, in fact, they have in common – and crucially, to explore, to respect and to celebrate the differences that exist and which enrich our world.
That spirit of co-operation and joyful curiosity is what this Millennium Gold Encounter is all about. It is appropriate that it should take place here in Ireland, and even more appropriate that it is being hosted as a joint initiative between North and South. Over the next few weeks, you will have an opportunity to visit different parts of Ireland, and to learn about each other and from each other. I hope it will be a wonderful experience, that you will return home from Ireland with lots of fresh energy and wonderful new ideas. I hope, too, that you will go home with warm memories of your time here and many new friendships which will be a source of energy and support in the years ahead.
I would like to express my warm thanks to the joint committee, chaired by Colin Henderson from Lisburn – for their tremendous work in organising this event. A special word of thanks also to the many sponsors whose support has been invaluable. Finally, I would like to commend the countless volunteers who have given so generously of their time and energy in supporting and encouraging our young participants. Your work is vital in fostering new leaders and new hope for the future.
Is mór an chúis mhisnigh dom an obair atá ar siúl agaibh go léir. Go gcúití Dia bhur saothar daoibh.