Gaisce has been operating in a small number of Irish prisons since 2004, with some very positive results. So far 75 young people have received their Bronze Awards, 12 people their Silver Award and 5 people have received their Gold Award, all while in custody. Two young men were presented their Gold Awards from President Michael D. Higgins in the Midlands prison in 2012, a first for the President and a first for Gaisce!
Following a special invitation from Michael Donnellan at the Irish Prison Service, Gaisce made a presentation to over 30 governors of prisons from all over Ireland. This marks a huge leap forward in Gaisce\’s quest to reach more young people with fewer opportunities.
We now hope to train up to 15 new President\’s Award Leaders (PALs) from within the Irish Prison Service in as many as 8 prisons. We look forward to working in partnership with the Irish Prison Service.