Gaisce medals for dedicated girls
DURING TY in Loreto we get the opportunity to do many amazing things. This year all of the fourth year students worked towards their Bronze Gaisce Award which is awarded by the President for ‘a self-development programme that encourages you to find your passion, get active and make a difference in your community’.
Gaisce is a direct challenge from the President of Ireland to young people aged 15 to 25 to dream big and realise their potential. There are three levels of Gaisce – Bronze, Silver and Gold. The more time and energy you give, the greater the reward. By participating in Gaisce, you take on exciting personal, physical and community challenges and develop new skills and new friendships.
The award is split into four sections: Community Involvement, Personal Skill, Physical Recreation and Adventure Journey.
To be awarded the Bronze Gaisce you need to participate in community involvement, personal skill and physical recreation for one hour, once a week for 13 weeks. You also need to choose one area to focus on and participate in that area for 26 weeks. In our school, we choose Personal Skill as our focus area. Our Adventure Journey took place in Glendalough in May.
Community Involvement: This is one of the most rewarding elements of taking part in the Gaisce programme. This part of the award is all about getting more involved and giving back to your community. It gives you a chance to make a difference, no matter how big or small.
From the beginning of the year, the TY girls were enthusiastic about volunteering in their local communities. Some volunteered in charity shops, youth clubs and Special Olympics which included coaching one of our own TY students for a competition.
Here is what some of the girls said about their experience of volunteering: ‘It was one of the most rewarding experiences of TY.’ ‘It made me more confidence in talking to people.’ ‘It gave me a new perspective on what it means to volunteer’.
Personal Skill: For the Bronze Gaisce, we had to complete 13 weeks of a personal development/skill. All of the girls chose computer skills and achieved qualification in MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist). We are now qualified in Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
Physical Recreation: Physical Recreation is about becoming physically stronger and improving fitness. Getting moving is the best way to make you feel healthier, think better, and live longer. This can be a brand new physical activity or a more advanced level of an activity you were already a part of. Some girls have taken up new sports such as kickboxing or football, and some have moved onto a more advanced level in dancing for example.
Adventure Journey: Our final step to achieving our award was to complete a 30km hike, spread out over two days and one night. We set off on May 11 with some of our teachers to Glendalough to walk side by side with friends, staying overnight in the youth hostel. Catering for ourselves and staying in a large group taught us to be self-sufficient and patient.