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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD/DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD LUNCH

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD/DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD LUNCH ST. JAMES’ PALACE TUESDAY, 20TH APRIL, 1999

I have great pleasure in joining you here today and, in particular, in meeting HRH Prince Edward, who is doing so much on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. As Patron of the President’s Award – Gaisce – its counterpart in Ireland – I greatly welcome this opportunity to strengthen the already vibrant links between our two Awards.

These Awards are, at their core, about placing faith in young people and giving them a real opportunity to vindicate that faith and, in doing so, to grow in self-respect, self-confidence, self-insight. These Awards are about rooting out the ‘doers’ among those to whom the future belongs, nurturing their talent, stretching their capabilities, helping them to believe in themselves and in their responsibility for others.

It is said that we live in an era of growing cynicism and materialism, where the youth aren’t what they used to be. If there is cynicism – and there is – no child comes into the world carrying it. Rather it is the bitter legacy of a jaundiced adult eye and cynicism is the enemy of effort. It drains away energy, it mocks hope. It does little to build up the human person and we desperately need builders, doers not cynics. Certainly the enormous enthusiasm with which our young people have responded to these two Award schemes is sound evidence that they are energetic doers, generous self-givers, the essential antidote to cynicism and selfishness. They demonstrate that young people respond with relish to a challenge, that they need only our encouragement and help in order to blossom as rounded young adults we can be proud of, and who can be justifiably proud of themselves.

That encouragement is what these Awards so successfully provide. They enable young people to embark on a journey of self-discovery, to find out just how much they are capable of, sometimes to the surprise of others, more often to their own surprise. On that journey, they learn new skills, make new friends and broaden their understanding of themselves and of the world around them. That journey teaches them perseverance, dedication and commitment. Most importantly, they learn the joy and satisfaction of achieving their goal, of having a measurement of their work and a day when a medal is presented which confirms it – a day when they know they have the earned respect of others.

The lessons they will have learned are ones which will serve them well in later life, as people who can and do take responsibility, who offer leadership, help turn a random collection of houses and people into communities. It is often said our future lies in the hands of the young. It is our responsibility to ensure that we teach them well – that we give these hands sureness and lightness of touch, that we give them strength and skill, for what is learned in childhood is engraved on stone. Engrave well and you have a secure and happy adult; engrave badly and you have dysfunction, a life trapped inside a skin that does not fit. These years of childhood and young adulthood are so precious. They must be used well, not wasted.

Nowhere is that more important than on the island of Ireland, as we seek to build together a better future for all our peoples. I am delighted to see that the initiatives and co-operation between youth groups and organisations North and South, are growing apace. Such contact is crucial in dismantling the barriers of fear and distrust that are at the root of the problems that have festered for so long in Northern Ireland. Awards such as these bring a new openness, an opportunity for young people to learn about different cultures at first hand, to respect the differences that exist, to be joyfully curious about them, but also to learn how much they have in common. They learn the extraordinary energy that can be released by coming together in friendship, the goals which partnership and team effort alone can accomplish.

That is why I am particularly pleased that the Millennium Gold Encounter will be held in Ireland later this year. We very much look forward to welcoming the hundred or so participants from more than sixty different countries who will be taking part in the Conference. They will have a unique opportunity to make new friends, to compare notes, share knowledge and experience, discuss ways of further improving the various Awards and go home with a store of shared memories. Out of those memories will come friendships which will endure, and exciting networks on which to build for the future.

Also a matter of great pride is the plan to build on the existing co-operation between the President’s Award and the Duke of Edinburgh Award - under the auspices of the International Awards - to offer even greater scope for participation to young people in Northern Ireland. I look forward to the launch of that initiative soon and to the benefit it will bring to a new generation of young people in my home place.

The success of these Awards owes much to the dedication and commitment of the many staff members and volunteers who have worked so hard over the years. I would like to say a warm, heartfelt, thank you to all of you. A special thanks also to the many organisations and individuals who have sponsored and supported the Awards. Your help is invaluable and does make a real difference.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh. – Thank you.