Three Westmeath youth groups have been selected from among hundreds of youth groups for national recognition at the permanent tsb Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards to take place next month.
The awards, now in their third year, recognise and salute outstanding examples of youth citizenship in action, whereby young people, through their voluntary community work, make a difference to the lives of communities locally or internationally.
Tubberclair Foróige Club has been chosen for this prestigious honour for its tremendous work and dedication in bringing the local library to members of the local community who are house-bound.
Rosemount Foróige Club has reached this level of recognition for its organisation and hosting of an Easter extravaganza in order to bring together members of the community.
Meanwhile the CSI Foróige Club participated in fundraising to purchase defibrillators for the local community.
Some 10,000 young people participate in Foróige’s Youth Citizenship Programme each year. This out-of-school educational programme teaches young people about how their community works and encourages them to become active citizens. The awards ceremony, which takes place in Dublin next month, will be hosted by popular radio presenter, Ray D’Arcy.
Speaking at the announcement of the awards, Alanna McLynn from Tubberclair Foróige Club said, “We are absolutely delighted and very proud to have been chosen for this award. We are really looking forward to representing the community of Westmeath in Dublin. We’ve heard so much about the national awards so we know it will be a special occasion for everyone to remember and cherish. Hopefully our success will inspire other young people in the community to get involved because every contribution you make really can make a difference.”
Bernie McHugh, citizenship programme manager at Foróige said, “The Citizenship Awards is one of the highlights of the Foróige calendar and it is a celebration for young people, about young people. We look forward to welcoming this outstanding group of young people, their leaders, and supporters to Dublin. The awards capture the spirit and dynamism of Ireland’s youngest citizens and we are expecting a record number of over 1,000 young people from all over the country to attend.”
John Devins, local permanent tsb bank branch manager, congratulated the three clubs on their success. “This is a great achievement for the young people of this community and permanent tsb is very proud to be associated with Foróige and the Youth Citizenship Awards in supporting communities where we do our business.”
