VIDEO MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF A PRESENTATION
VIDEO MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF A PRESENTATION BY THE INTERNATIONAL AWARD ASSOCIATION
I am sorry that I cannot be with you in person this morning, but I just wanted to share with you some thoughts on the challenges facing our young people and the role Award Schemes play in this.
In Ireland we have a very young population, by European standards, with over 40% of the population, under twenty five years of age. The “Celtic tiger” is a term often used nowadays to describe Ireland with our fast growing economy and increasing population and that tiger has many cubs. They have opportunities now which only a decade ago would have seemed as impossible as they were desirable. Today’s young Irish boys and girls, men and women are living though times of extraordinary cultural and economic self-assurance. Yet now more than ever we need steady not heady leadership. We need people of depth, of compassion, resilience and wisdom to ensure we do not fall into the trap of selfish conservatism, of complacency and carelessness about social responsibility and citizenship with integrity. Statements like “young people are our greatest asset” can sound hollow unless we have plans to nurture this asset. There are two different kinds of education, that is, formal and informal. In Ireland we invest heavily in formal education because it is a critical key to unleashing our God given talents. However it is not the only key. It is important that we do not lose sight of the importance of informal education as we rush to encourage our young people to even higher qualifications. Knowledge of self is as important a body of knowledge as any and it is that self-knowledge which awards like the President’s Award seek to explore, to deepen and to mould into earned self-respect.
The President’s Award for young Irish people has therefore a very vital role to play in the area of informal education. This Award is special to me. It allows me an opportunity to pay tribute to young people who have shown extraordinary perseverance, dedication and personal achievement. It is sometimes said that “you are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely”. All the participants in the President’s Awards are living proof that maturity – and the qualities of leadership, self-discipline and care for others that are associated with it – are most definitely not the preserve of the older members of society.
The different sections of the Award play an important part in developing the personality of the young person during the most formative years of their lives. Riches will not compensate us if we lose our ability and willingness in society to take time out to care for others. The ‘community involvement’ aspect of the Award is very important for this reason.
Equally important is to create opportunities for the young person to try out new skills and new sporting activities. Skills acquired at this stage in life often become lifelong interests, and it is these very interests that so often support us during difficult times in our life. They help to give us a passion for living, a reason to get up in the morning and keep trying.
Being challenged to climb that mountain or cycle that journey gives young people that sense of freedom and empowerment to say “been there, done that, surprised myself, earned respect – now give me another challenge”. Participation in the Award programme is not about competition. Rather it is about a young person, travelling a journey into themselves - preparing themselves for the unlived days ahead, full of ups and downs, full of scripts they will write in the new millennium. It is a journey which expands their understanding of and compassion for others, that makes them good friends, trusted colleagues, and equal partners. In short, the kind of balanced citizen whose leadership matters – where lives lived well do make a difference.
I am very encouraged to see Award Schemes similar to the President’s Award and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award spreading to different countries world-wide. We have a unique opportunity in Ireland, North and South, this year to promote this international dimension. In August, we will jointly host the Millennium Gold Encounter which is a leader training exercise for Gold Awardees, from all over the world. All the participants can be assured of a very warm welcome to our shores.
The benefits for young people who participate in Award Schemes are many and they apply equally to young people regardless of their birthplace.
There is a saying in the Irish language – tosach maith leath na hoibre - a good start is half the work. There is no better start than the self discipline, the insight, the wisdom, the sense of compassion and responsibility which comes from involvement in an Awards Scheme. The more young people who participate, the more reassured we can be about the future.
I hope you will have a very successful day.