Twenty-one projects from Mayo participated in the Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards in the National Indoor Arena, Blanchardstown, earlier this month.
This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the Youth Citizenship Programme, which was first run by Foróige in 1969. This year has been the biggest year for the programme ever, with over 14,000 young people taking part.
Castlebar Foróige won a Silver Award for their beautiful tile mosaic for Mayo Roscommon Hospice; and Islandeady Foróige club won a Bronze Award for their charity bingo and community cake sale, to raise funds and awareness around Williams Syndrome.
Commenting at the Awards, Seán Campbell, CEO of Foróige, said: "There is a reason this programme has lasted fifty years; it works. It gives young people the opportunity to grow and learn, but perhaps even more importantly, to get to know their community by being a leader in it.
"Year after year, attending these awards, I’m amazed by the ingenuity; integrity and grit of Foróige young people. It’s truly phenomenal how much they can achieve when they put their minds to a cause. The young people who entered the Aldi Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards this year invested over 82,000 hours in their community action projects and that’s something that we should be really proud of as a country.
"We are deeply grateful to our sponsor Aldi, for not only making this work possible, but for believing in young people and in communities in a real and tangible way."
Projects from Mayo included: (1 ) Aghamore Foróige Club: The organisation of Santa's visit to Aghamore which also raised money for charity; (2 ) Ballyheane Foróige Club: A disco for children with disabilities; (3 ) Ballygarvan Foróige Club: A Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony; (4 ) Barnacarroll Foróige Club 2 - Bee Project: A biodiversity project to highlight the importance of bees by making bee hotels; (5 ) Barnacarroll Foróige Club 3 - Hospice Project: An awareness and fundraising project for a teenage care room in the local hospice; (6 ) Bofeenaun Foróige Club - A sponsored 24 hour wakeathon to raise money for three local charities; (7 ) Bonniconlon Foróige Club - A health, wellbeing and eco project; (8 ) Brickens Foróige Club - A project to combat loneliness and bring festive cheer to a local retirement home; (9 ) Castlebar Foróige Club - An art installation for Mayo Roscommon Hospice (10 ) Castlebar Third Year's Foróige Club - A community enhancement project and fundraising drive; (11 ) Castlebar TY Foróige Club - A Christmas appeal for Cope; (12 ) Crossmolina Foróige Club - BEE Safe, BEE Seen - a project highlighting road safety and the importance of Bees in our ecosystem; (13 ) David Tarpey - A project to create a bench for a local youth project; (14 ) Gaelforce Mayo Abbey & Ballyglass Foróige Clubs - A joint project to keep their shared community cleaner; (15 ) Islandeady Foróige Club - A charity bingo and community cake sale to raise awareness of and funds for Williams Syndrome; (16 ) Kilmovee Foróige Club - A project highlighting the environmental dangers of unsustainable palm oil; (17 ) Life Below Water, Castlebar NYP - An initiative to raise awareness of local marine life; (18 ) Tooreen Foróige Club - An intergenerational project to organise a childrens disco and a nursing home visit; (19 ) Turlough Roundtower Foróige Club - A multifaceted project to bring the community together; (20 ) Youth Bank, Ballina - A project involving young people in a grant- making committee and (21 ) Youth Bank, Ballyhaunis Youth Service - Grant giving for local youth groups to fund mental health projects.
