Cork student: ‘Look for the opportunities and step out of your comfort zone’

Gaisce, otherwise known as the President’s Award, is a self-fulfilment programme for young people in Ireland aged 14 to 25.

Established in 1985 by President Patrick Hillery, its patronage has passed from President to President in the years since, with over a quarter of a million young people in Ireland achieving a Gaisce Award to date.

One such student is 18-year-old Katie Ní Chróinín, from Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh. The Leaving Cert student at Scoil Mhuire in the town was recently appointed to the second Gaisce Youth Ambassador Panel.

The panel consists of 14 young people from all around the country and will run until December, 2026. Its purpose is to raise awareness for Gaisce and collaborate with the Gaisce team to enhance the award experience for participants.

When the opportunity to sit on this year’s panel came up, Katie jumped at the chance.

“I was just mad for it because I believe it’s a brilliant programme to help young people develop their skills and discover new things about themselves," she said.

Katie’s history with Gaisce goes back to when she was in second year.

An active Girl Guide, she was inspired to undertake her Bronze Award by her Girlguiding leader – and Irish Girl Guides President – Deirdre Henley.

“I had a lot of help with getting organised and working towards my first award,” recalls Katie.

The Gaisce programme has three progressive Award Levels – Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Participants have to complete so-called ‘challenge area’ activities to achieve each award – in community involvement, personal skill, physical recreation, and an adventure journey.

“For my volunteering aspect, the community involvement, I worked in the local youth club,” says Katie. 

“For my personal skill, I learned French on Duolinguo, and for physical recreation, I went to the gym for 13 weeks. And then I did a hike with some of my closest friends through Irish Girl Guides for the adventure journey.”

It was through her Bronze Gaisce Award that Katie first became involved in youth politics. She was a Gaisce delegate for the first Seanad na nÓg, which was established in 2022 to mark 100 years since the first sitting of the Irish Parliament’s Upper House. Katie was one of 60 young delegates from across Ireland, and it ignited her passion for youth advocacy.

Each award level requires a greater time commitment. Katie completed her Silver Award in Transition Year, during which time she volunteered at her local elderly hub, practiced aerobics, set up and worked in an award-winning mini-company, and completed the Gaisce Defence Forces Challenge at the Curragh for her adventure journey.

A diverse mixture of activities that is emblematic of Gaisce’s “informal education”, as Katie describes it.

She is currently working towards her Gold Award – although Leaving Cert commitments have had to take precedence this year.

“I am working on my personal skill for Gold,” says Katie. “I’m doing reporting for Irish Girl Guides for my local magazine. So I write reports bi-weekly”. The Gold Award is a 52-week time commitment, but, as Katie points out, “[Gaisce] are very flexible with how long you take to achieve your Award”.

The Gold Award also has a residential challenge which participants must take part in, so for this, Katie is planning a Leaving Cert holiday with a difference!

“I’m hoping to use my trip with the Irish Girl Guides to India – it’s a leadership trip, so I’m hoping to use it as my residential.”

Katie feels that the experience of completing her Gaisce awards has helped her on her journey through secondary school.

“It definitely helped me build confidence in myself and my own skills, and it was brilliant for public speaking because I interacted with a lot of different people with different ideas, different cultures, different ages and everything. I went from the youth club to the elderly club in my community and it was great to give back. And for things like the army challenge, I was really stepping outside of my comfort zone and pushing to be better and learn new things”

Joining the Youth Ambassador Panel is another way for Katie to not just step outside her comfort zone, but to continue to give back to her community and local communities like hers across Ireland.

A priority for the panel is to advocate for the benefits of Gaisce amongst marginalised populations. As the only member of the panel from a Gaeltacht area, Katie will be working hard this year to reach out to young Gaelgóirí in rural communities for whom, she believes, Gaisce can make a positive difference.

She explains: “I wanted to push it further because, especially for young people like myself living in rural areas, there’s not many programmes for us, so I think it’s a brilliant opportunity for young people to partake in.”

Katie is currently playing a key role in the preparation of a Seachtain na Gaeilge campaign.

“I’ve been helping some of the other ambassadors with discovering the Irish language, because some people wouldn’t have as much fluency as I have. I’ve been working on pronunciation and translation for the campaign. And I think it’s a great opportunity to push the Irish language, especially as Catherine Connolly as President is really trying to promote the Irish language.”

The Gaisce Youth Ambassador Panel has a busy year ahead – working on campaigns and attending events such as the National Ploughing Championships, information sessions in third level institutions across the country, and various youth summits in Ireland.

Katie is looking forward to the challenges ahead, and to opportunities to share her passion for Gaisce.

“I’m so passionate about Gaisce,” she reflects, “because I believe that it truly opened so many amazing doors for me. It definitely changed the course of my future, I believe, because through Gaisce I got involved in youth politics.”

Katie says she would recommend Gaisce to any young person in Ireland “as a way to challenge themselves, learn new things about themselves, and potentially receive amazing opportunities”.

As a young person from the rural Gaeltacht, Katie is keen to stress that the opportunities arising from Gaisce are not limited to those with easy access to big cities and towns. Gaisce, she explains, is for everyone.

“I believe there is an opportunity for everyone and a space for everyone to communicate and learn more about themselves. So just go and look for the opportunities, and step outside your comfort zone!”

As the 2026 Gaisce Youth Ambassador Panel’s only member from the Gaeltacht – and only member from Cork – Katie Ní Chróinín is undoubtedly proof that stepping outside your comfort zone can bring exciting opportunities, whatever your background.

• See: https://www.gaisce.ie/