Garda Síochána in Mayo are pleased to have launched the 2021 Mayo Garda Youth Awards, in association with SuperValu.
The now annual Mayo Garda Youth Awards celebrate outstanding young people between the ages of 13 and 21 years from Mayo, and the awards are now open for nomination for 2021.
An Garda Síochána in Mayo and SuperValu recognise that young people throughout Mayo have been involved in good and positive endeavours locally.
The Mayo Garda Youth Awards reward those young people who, by their presence, make their communities a better place to live in. The nomination process is open to everyone, and An Garda Síochána in Mayo is now inviting the public to nominate a young person they know who is committed to making a difference to their community. Every nomination will receive recognition.
This year, despite Covid-19, the process for nominations will remain the same, and Gardaí will be distributing nomination forms to schools, youth groups and voluntary organisations right across County Mayo via email from this week.
In addition the nomination forms will be available from Garda Stations and local Supervalu stores throughout the county, and on www.garda.ie
The awards will be organised in adherence with all Government Covid 19 guidelines. Following on from the judging process, award winners will be notified by the organising committee.
Chief Supt Tony Healy of the Mayo Garda Division explained that every nominee will receive a certificate, even if they do not win an award.
He said: "All nominees are recognised for their efforts, and the certificate is a very valuable item to have on a young person’s CV for the future.
"We know that due to Covid, there hasn’t been the same opportunity for young people to become involved in activities or projects compared to previous years.
"However, we have also witnessed that many young people were active on the ground throughout the Covid-19 crisis, volunteering and becoming involved in a variety of projects that supported both the vulnerable in the community, and the frontline services.
"We are very proud of our national award nominee Amiee O’Loughlin from Ballina, who was selected from our winners last year to go on to the national awards.
"17-year-old Amiee O’Loughlin is under the care of 11 consultants and faces many challenges every day. Amiee is a very resilient and tough young lady who displays great bravery, courage and charisma.
"She has a battle to fight every day but is determined to live as full a life as possible. Despite these challenges Amiee continues to brighten up the lives of everyone around her, family, schoolmates and others in the local community. We wish her the best in the upcoming national awards".
Nomination forms are now available from SuperValu stores in Mayo and are also at Garda Stations throughout the county. There are four separate awards categories for young people: (1 ) Individual Award – Making a positive contribution to their Community, making it a better place to live; (2 ) Group Award – two or more young people making a positive contribution to their community, making it a better place to live; (3 ) Special Achievement Award – Overcome difficult circumstances, defied all the odds, and whose commitment deserves recognition and (4 ) Community Safety Award - Through a crime prevention or safety initiative/innovation, have made their Community a safer place to live.
The second annual John McCallion Memorial Award will also be held. This award identifies and acknowledges an adult in the community who has engaged and dedicated significant time to young people in their locality. The inaugural award was held last year and is held in memory of Garda John McCallion.
Garda McCallion was the juvenile liaison officer for the Mayo Garda Division and was heavily involved in the inaugural Mayo Garda Youth Awards in 2019. He sadly passed away that same year.
Nomination forms can be emailed to [email protected] or be dropped into any local Garda Station for attention of Sgt Sean McHale. The closing date for receipt of nominations is January 29.
