Donegal delight as students win prestigious youth leadership awards

Two Donegal secondary school students were among just 20 teenagers to be presented with a Rotary Youth Leadership Development certificate at Europe House in Dublin.

Aoife McColgan from Buncrana and Naomh Curran from Stranorlar were at the competition, which Rotary Ireland has been running for over 30 years, rewarding young people with clear leadership potential based on their extra-curricular activities.

Run in conjunction with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Dublin, the winners enjoy an all-expenses paid week-long trip to Belfast, Dublin and Strasbourg.

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Naomh, who is a fifth-year student in St Columba’s College, Stranorlar and Aoife, who is a fifth-year student at Scoil Mhuire Buncrana, received their certificate from Rotary Ireland District Governor, Michael Fleming, and Fearghas Ó Béara, Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland.

The itinerary for the students’ trip included visits to Belfast, Dublin, and Strasbourg.

This year, the Rotary YL Winners’ Trip differed to other years with everybody meeting for registration, welcome and lunch at the Stormont Hotel, Belfast. An excellent session was had with parents and family joining before it was time for goodbyes. The group then moved on to Stormont Buildings, where Rotary had organised a Tour. The students met several politicians and also listened in on some debates from the visitors’ gallery.

At the ‘Europa Experience’ visitor centre in Chatham Street, Dublin, they immersed themselves in all things EU-related, including a 360-degree cinema presentation. The students heard some very interesting presentations on the EU and particularly the European Parliament’s role and powers, as well as about traineeships which are available with the EU institutions.

After being presented with their leadership certificates, the students embarked on tours of the Seanad and Dail where they met several Ministers, TDs and senators.

Early the next morning they flew out to Strasbourg where they visited the famous Notre Dame Cathedral and enjoyed a private tour of the European Court of Human Rights.

On the penultimate day of their stay, they went to the European Parliament, where they and students from all over Europe were welcomed by Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. The highlight for the students was taking part in Euroscola, a simulation of the work of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in a debate and vote on the EU’s actions to tackle disinformation.

Aoife is a member of the European Youth Parliament and a volunteer at their conferences. Earlier this year, she chaired the Connacht Ulster regional session and last month organised the Leinster regional session. In TY she participated in a ‘reading buddies’ programme which involved helping local primary school pupils to develop their reading skills while also helping students with dyslexia. She is a keen reader and debater who is very interested in current affairs.

Naomh also helps young pupils in her area by volunteering at speech and drama classes for five to six-year-olds while also mentoring first-year students in her own school. She has a keen interest in theatre and has participated in four school musicals and three local productions at the Balor Arts Centre.

Naomh said she entered the competition to develop her leadership skills, to meet new people and to learn as much as she could from the whole experience. She said she picked up a lot of valuable skills, which she will carry into the future and also learned a lot about Rotary and the important work it does.

Aoife said she gained a lot of confidence from the competition as well as leadership skills and lots of new friends. She also learned about the functions of the European Parliament through Euroscola and more about Irish and Northern Irish politics.

Aoife said: “The highlight for me, without a doubt, was the incredible new friends I made. I’ll never forget all the late-night yaps, all the laughs we had and the endless number of horrible photos. They’re friends for life, people whom I'll always be glad I was lucky enough to meet. Another highlight for me was getting to speak in the parliament on the EU's obligation to reduce pollution. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

For Naomh - “The highlight of my week was getting the chance to ask a vice-president of the European Parliament a question in the hemisphere. This really helped me develop my public speaking skills. Another highlight was getting to meet all the other winners.”

Both singled out the growing power of AI as the single most important challenge facing young people today and the one which politicians need to address. Aoife was concerned with the overall impact of automation and AI on employment opportunities for young people while Naomh highlighted its environmental impact and the amount of inappropriate content it’s used to create.

Both said they would definitely recommend the competition to young people. Naomh said she learned a lot of new skills, met lots of wonderful new people and left the trip with a lot of new friends.

Aoife said: “I've learned so much on this trip and had the opportunity to grow as a person and in confidence. It's easily one of the best things I’ve ever done, and I would absolutely encourage others in my school and area to take part.”

Michael Fleming, District Governor of Rotary Ireland, praised the students’ enthusiasm and willingness to engage with the programme.

“I have to compliment Aoife and Naomh and all of this year’s winners on three counts. Firstly, for the wide range of artistic and community-based activities they are involved in. Secondly, for the level of knowledge, they displayed on a wide range of topics, including European affairs. And thirdly, for the extremely high standard of their contributions throughout the week of this trip.”

“Naomh and Aoife and the other students are a credit to themselves, their families, their schools and their communities. It was wonderful to watch this group work and socialise together, and we hope the bonds they formed this week will endure for a long time to come.”

“I would like to thank all the teachers and Rotarians who helped us along the way to plan and organise this trip and I would urge as many young people as possible from every part of the island to take part in next year’s competition” Mr Fleming concluded.

Fearghas Ó Béara, Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland, said: "I was delighted to welcome this talented group of young leaders from across the island of Ireland to Europe House in Dublin before they set off on their journey to our Euroscola event at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. These students really made the most of their visit to our interactive 'Europa Experience' visitor centre, delving into the wealth of materials on the European Union and striking up lively discussions between themselves and with our guides about EU policies and actions.

“Their level of engagement and enthusiasm is impressive, and I really enjoyed my own exchange with them about Europe as a project of peace and reconciliation, and Ireland's place in it, especially given the many current geo-political challenges to our freedoms and democracy. I was impressed by how eloquently they expressed their views, and the relevance of their questions.”

“The European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland is delighted to continue our partnership with Rotary Ireland and offer a prize for their Young Leaders competition of a sponsored visit to Strasbourg. I feel confident that our future is in safe hands with such socially engaged and politically curious young people like these winners."