Gaisce - The President's Award

Background:

Gaisce – The President’s Award is Ireland’s national youth award and is a personal development programme for young people aged 14-25. It is a direct challenge from the President of Ireland to all young people to dream big and fulfil their potential.

Gaisce provides a positive youth development programme that encourages and rewards young people to discover their passions and challenge themselves, positively impacting themselves and the world around them. The Award programme empowers participants to cultivate essential life skills and foster a sense of responsibility and resilience through a nationally and internationally recognised non-formal education framework. The programme also fosters a sense of community involvement, with all participants giving back to their community via their chosen volunteer activity.

Gaisce is delivered in secondary schools, third level institutions, second-chance and further education services, youth services, disability organisations, sporting organisations, uniformed organisations, youth justice, prison and probation services, organisations working with young refugees and asylum seekers, and more. President’s Award Leaders working in these organisations deliver, guide and support Gaisce Participants undertaking the Award.

Current Projects:

We are excited to launch "Roots and Shoots: A Higher Education Global Citizenship Initiative", a collaboration between Gaisce and Student Volunteer Ireland, funded by Irish Aid. This initiative will engage students in universities across the country in growing their awareness of interconnected global issues and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), deepening their understanding of the connections between local actions and global impacts, and encouraging their sense of shared responsibility in addressing systemic challenges. This project is designed with students in mind, as we seek to transform student volunteering and action into a powerful tool for global awareness and community engagement. It will provide students with opportunities to engage as active citizens, making meaningful contributions across their local and global environments. This will involve trainings, workshops, networking opportunities and a symposium with student volunteers from the global community.