On May 7th, we had the pleasure of welcoming residents of Oberstown Children Detention Campus to Ratra House for their first-ever Gaisce ceremony outside of the Oberstown campus. Across participants, Gaisce was delighted to present Bronze and Silver Awards to young people from Oberstown, with support from members of our Gaisce team, Vincent Teo, representing the Gaisce Council, and management and support workers from Oberstown.
It was a wonderful and joyous occasion, with Damien Hernon, Director of Oberstown, congratulating Award recipients for their dedication, resilience, and hard work throughout their Gaisce journey, and speaking of the strong relationship between Gaisce and Oberstown:
“The journey of the Awardees today is creating a legacy mindset which will pave the way for the next generation of young people at Oberstown. There is more in you than you think. Gaisce’s programme complements the work that we do on campus to help young people maximise their full potential.”
To add, Jennifer Gallagher, Project Officer at Gaisce, said:
“We were delighted to present three young people with their Gaisce Bronze and Silver Awards at Ratra House. To achieve a Gaisce Award takes commitment and perseverance but more importantly it takes courage to step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself to grow…..Achieving a Gaisce Award can help open doors to further education, training opportunities and employment while also giving young people valuable skills, confidence and a sense of achievement that they can carry into their future. We hope this is the case for these three young people and we wish them the best of luck as they move forward in life.”
Achieving this Award shows that, despite facing challenges and difficulties, young people can acquire and develop a diverse range of skills, build resilience and self-confidence, and reach their full potential if given the space to do so.
Gaisce has a long-standing partnership with Oberstown, which we are very proud of. Over the last 5 years through our collaboration, Gaisce has awarded 5 gold, 20 silver and 58 bronze awards to young people from Oberstown, with this number growing annually.
Earning a Gaisce Award brings a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction for young people who have committed themselves to developing Personal Skill, Community Involvement, and Physical Recreation, and completing an Adventure Journey. Some initiatives which participants from Oberstown have been involved in over the last several years include:
- Decider Programme: A programme which introduces young people to the skills that keep them afloat when an “emotional emergency” occurs.
- Wrecked.ie: Road Safety Authority (RSA) initiative demonstrating the consequences of road traffic collisions and other life-changing events that happen on Irish roads.
- Horticultural Training Programme: Information programme focusing on careers in horticulture and to further develop knowledge and skills in horticulture.
- National Elite Fitness Professionals Certificate EQF: National Elite Fitness Professional Certificate Level 3 and Level 4 courses.
- Steps+: Career guidance initiative helping young people to explore their skills, interests and strengths and link these to education, training, and employment opportunities.
- Boys in the Making: Dynamic place-based programme for boys and young men. The programme aims to explore, communicate and learn from the lived experiences and knowledge of boys and young men as they engage in a creative exploration of masculinity and its formation.
- HACCP Level 1 and 2: Certified food safety training completed.
- Barbering Course Ballymun: Upskilled in barbering techniques and gained valuable work experience.
- Wood Technology: Participation in use of tools, careful measurement and quality timber to create picture frames, jewelry boxes, tables and chairs.
A huge bualadh bos to our Gaisce recipients, your commitment and resilience throughout your journey is something you should be very proud of!
