Ireland’s top youth volunteers recognised in Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards Programme

Ireland’s top 20 youth volunteers have been announced as the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards, the only all-Ireland youth initiative of its kind, recognizes young people for their motivation, service and impact on their local community across the Island of Ireland.

Young volunteers, who have been working to promote mental health, raise funds for cancer charities and travel abroad to help those less fortunate than themselves are among the 20 finalists who have been recognised this year.

The programme is run in partnership with The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) and The General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) and recognises outstanding acts of volunteerism by Ireland's youth.

The post-primary students, who hail from all corners of Ireland, will be presented with €500 and an engraved silver medallion at the gala awards ceremony on 12th March in the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa with special guest Brent Pope.  At the gala, two of the 20 students will be named All-Ireland Youth Volunteers of the Year, receiving €1,000 for a charity of their choice, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their school and an all-expense paid trip to the United States in May to participate in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards ceremony.

“The caliber of entrants was exceptional this year and we’re delighted to recognise and showcase such exemplary young people,” said Andrea McBride, vice president, Pramerica. “Since we launched the programme in 2006, the awards have given us the opportunity to acknowledge the voluntary activities of hundreds of extraordinary youth ambassadors who are actively making a difference in their communities. They are the future leaders in our society and they are a benchmark for other young people to strive towards.  We are thrilled to honour their commitment to volunteerism through this awards programme.”

The 20 finalists are:

Ian Armstrong, 15, from Enniskillen Co. Fermanagh, a fifth year student from Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, volunteers with the 2nd Enniskillen Boys Brigade and in 2014 gave his time to assist with the Happy Days Beckett Festival, the Open Arts Team and the Angel Eyes charity.

As a visually impaired pupil coping well in mainstream education with the support of agencies such as Angel Eyes, Ian was motivated to return the help he received. “Due to my visual impairment and various health concerns it is not always possible for me to participate in events with peers of my own age group.  However I have received great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment by being able to work with both younger children in Boys Brigade and other blind or visually impaired children through Angel Eyes.”

Nuala Robinson, Captain of 2nd Enniskillen Boys Brigade says that one of Ian’s greatest attributes is his reliability. “You can always rely on Ian to be there each week and over the years I have had great pleasure in watching him grow into a mature and capable young man.  Ian not only accepts responsibility he actively volunteers for it. I am also always impressed by his organizational skills and his enthusiasm for the work of the Boys Brigade.”

Laura Beston, 18, from Claremorris, Co. Mayo, a sixth year student at Mount St. Michael Secondary School, Co. Mayo, is involved in a number of volunteering initiatives all focused on those with intellectual disabilities. This passion stems from her younger sister Aoife, who suffers from dyspraxia as well as having a moderate learning disability and little speech.

Due to family circumstances the level of support that Aoife required was falling short, so Laura unselfishly took up the mantle of becoming more involved in her sister’s care.  Laura began by taking her sister to a local Faith and Light group and given that Aoife participated in the Special Olympics in 2003, Laura also decided to support the organisation by taking on a number of roles within the club primarily associated with coaching and PR. Mount St. Michael also presented Laura with the opportunity to volunteer with the Irish Pilgrimage Trust during their annual pilgrimage to Lourdes for which she and eleven other girls had to raise €7,500.  Her experience on the pilgrimage incentivised Laura to fundraise further when she returned home.  On her 18th birthday in May 2014, Laura climbed Croagh Patrick for the 100th time and in July and she completed a 653km cycle, from Mizen to Malin in three days.  She has to date raised close to €3,000 for the IHCPT.

Laura’s teacher, Mary Grealis described her as being “truly inspirational,” stating “I have consistently marveled at her interest, commitment and dedication to so many voluntary aspects of life, both within and outside school.”

Tamara Bradley, 17, from Ballybofey, Co. Donegal, a sixth year student at St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar, is a volunteer with The Planet Youth Project in Ballybofey and donates her time four evenings each week to work with young people.

With a particular interest in the Young Women’s Group, Tamara organised a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and participated in a presentation on sexual health awareness. Through this campaign she also spoke on local radio ensuring the voice of young people was heard. Her enthusiasm for promoting women’s health has motivated her to pass on her experience and she says “encourage other young people to step up and have their voice heard.”

In her role as a Junior Representative for Planet Youth, Tamara has represented the county at national events including the ‘Young Voices Consultation Event’, protesting against youth work cuts in the Dail ‘Consensus Conference programme bringing the ideas of the young people in Donegal forward to be heard. 

According to Lorraine Thompson, Regional Director, Donegal Youth Service, Tamara is a great role model for other young women. “Tamara is reliable, hard-working and conscientious and is open to sharing her skills and knowledge for the benefit of others.” 

Garreth Byrne, 17, from Bray, Co. Wicklow a sixth year student at St Gerard’s Secondary School, Co. Wicklow, has been a keen volunteer with his local St. Vincent de Paul for a number of years.  Garreth’s interest in the charity was sparked in school, where each year, a junior conference is held to encourage students to work with the charity.  This passion was further influenced by the knowledge that Garreth would be helping those within his local community, as well as the fact that his father had also begun to volunteer at a similar age.

In the 2013/14 academic year, Garreth was appointed Chairperson of the school’s junior committee for St. Vincent de Paul, during which he led a number of charitable initiatives.  At Christmas, Garreth successfully oversaw the packing of hampers by 85 younger students and later liaised with older volunteers and drivers to organise their delivery.  This was cited by Garreth’s teacher, Ciara O’Connell as his “major achievement” during his time in the post. 

That said, in his time as chairperson, Garreth also coordinated the Annual Nappy Appeal, collecting over 150 packets of nappies to donate to low-income families, as well as establishing an entirely new annual campaign, the ‘Stationery Appeal.’  This involved collecting back to school supplies from local junior schools enabling the charity to help parents with the added cost of their children returning to school after holidays.

Megan Daly, 18 from Newry Co. Down, a sixth year student at Our Lady’s Grammar School, Newry, is keen to take part in any volunteering situation which comes along and has travelled to Poland with Habitat for Humanity to renovate homes for families in crisis. Closer to home Megan gives her time to bag pack for a number of cancer charities and encourages other students to donate to charities like the Romanian Shoe Box Appeal. She is also heavily involved in working with young girls in her local community through the Catholic Guides of Ireland (CGI) group.

Over the past few years Megan has had an exceptionally difficult time after losing her mother to breast cancer and her grandfather to Motor Neurone disease.  While the pressures have been immense, as her teacher highlights, “Megan has demonstrated that she is a leader among young women and throughout all her difficulties has continued in her dedication to helping others.”

Balancing her time between volunteering activities, school work and other hobbies, Megan is committed to contributing to the wider society and narrowing division gaps. In her local community she is eager to offer herself as a person for young girls to come to with problems. “Through the CGI I hope that I can continue the work that my Mum did before she got ill and help young girls become more confident and speak up about their issues at a young age as lessons and developing traits like that cannot come early enough in life.”

Colm Devine, 17, from Portglenone in Co. Antrim, a sixth year student at St Louis Grammar School Ballymena, has been volunteering at the Down’s Syndrome Association of Northern Ireland for almost two years. Colm sees volunteering as a positive way to use his talents to give back to his community by helping those who may not have the same opportunities as him.

Working with the charity on a fortnightly basis for two hours, Colm also attends outings during which he has the responsibility of looking after some members of the organisation.  In his time with the Down’s Syndrome Association Colm has participated in a number of activities such as arts and crafts and dancing as well as organising an indoor football event.  Colm also assisted a coach from the Irish Football Association who spent an evening teaching the members football skills.

Colm  struggled with a speech impediment and as a result suffered from a lack of confidence and a hesitancy to get involved in activities with people he did not know.  However since working with the Down’s Syndrome Association Colm’s confidence has grown significantly.  Colm’s teacher Jacqueline O’Neill describes him as being “a shining example to his peers, with great courage and integrity,” mentioning that he prioritises volunteering over other commitments someone of his age may have.

Roisin Dick, 18, from Co. Monaghan, a sixth year student from St Louis Secondary School, Monaghan volunteers with Irish Water Safety, the local Arch Club and the youth committee of her local Credit Union. Her interest in helping others has extended to Tanzania where she faced many challenges working on a renovation project in a local school and orphanage.

Volunteering her time throughout the week with people with special needs and teaching life saving and basic life support skills to children and teachers.  This keeps Roisin busy but as she explains helping those less fortunate than herself and seeing the look on the children’s faces makes it all worthwhile. “The work that I do locally has a real positive effect on the community. My trip to Tanzania as a volunteer was a personal challenge. I wanted to visit a country with a different culture and the entire experience was amazing.”

Teacher Marie McDonnell says Roisin is a responsible and highly motivated young lady who is always sensitive to the needs of others.  “Roisin has excellent leadership qualities and her commitment to everything she does is superb. I admire her perseverance and diligence and she is also very thorough and decisive in everything she undertakes.”

Noreen Donaghy, 16, from Letterkenny, Co.Donegal, and a fourth year student from Loreto Convent Secondary School fundraised for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin after being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in 2013.

Using a tractor donated by her Dad, Noreen with the support of her family got a permit to sell tickets to the public for chance to win the tractor and sold tickets around the local area raising €14,000 for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital. “I was more than grateful for absolutely everything that all the staff in the hospital did for both me and my family,” said Noreen. “I want to continue to raise more money for Our Lady’s because it is an amazing cause and will always be close to my heart,” said Noreen.

“Noreen’s selfless attitude to helping others is an inspiration to all of us. Her ‘tractor project’ was a huge success and in keeping with her ‘can-do’ approach to life, said Nora Friel, Deputy Principal. “She is a wonderful role model for young people. She displays a genuine passion for her project and is a shining example of positivity.” 

Sophie Donnelly, 18, from Gorey, Co. Wexford, a sixth year student at Presentation Secondary School, Co. Wexford, has a keen interest in volunteering and is involved in many mental health initiatives. Since the loss of her sister to suicide, Sophie has become passionate about raising awareness of how common mental illness can be, and promoting the message “it’s ok not to feel ok”.   Sophie wants to combat the stigma of mental illness and suicide and has gone about doing so in a number of ways. In 2013, Sophie undertook a training week at St Patrick’s mental health hospital.  Since then, she has held a ‘Walk in my Shoes’ day at her own school as well as introducing it to other schools throughout Wexford.  The event encourages students and teachers alike to wear mismatched shoes in order to appreciate how those suffering from mental illness feel when being judged by others and the event raised a total of €1,300.

Further to this, Sophie is a keen participant in Cycle against Suicide (CAS), having cycled both in this event and their monthly spin off programmes.  Sophie also founded her school ‘Mental Health Awareness Team,’ and through this has organised a number of activities promoting positivity throughout the school. 

Speaking about Sophie, her teacher, Mary Dooley says “with a personal vision, outstanding dedication, and a never wavering self-belief – all formidable in one so young – has allowed Sophie to touch the hearts of many.”

Nathan Goodhall, 16, from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford a third year student from Enniscorthy Vocational College, Wexford produced a school magazine with all proceeds donated to the Irish Wheelchair Association.

As a wheelchair user himself, Nathan has first hand experience of the life changes that such an organisation can make to people’s lives. “My aim was to give something back to the organisation that had helped me so I formed a group of students to produce, publish and sell a school magazine to raise money for the Wexford branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association,” said Nathan. “We were overcome by the positive response from our local community and handed over a cheque for €1,100 to provide training to wheelchair users in the South West.”

“Nathan is an inspirational young man who faces difficulties and challenges in his everyday life with enthusiasm and positivity that must be witnessed to be believed,” said Mary Farrell from the Irish Wheelchair Association. “My admiration for such a wonderful young man cannot be underestimated and at no time did he allow his disability to deter him from his goal.”

Stephen Loftus, 18, from Ballina, Co. Mayo, a sixth year student at St. Muredach’s College, Mayo has been involved in the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps for eight years providing essential first aid services in the local community.

Playing an integral part in the cadet training team, Stephen has been a youth leader for two years as well as helping to run the local Care and Respect for the Elderly (CARE) initiatives in the community. As a voluntary organisation relying completely on public donations, he also spends his time fundraising to keep the unit up and running and has been to Lourdes twice assisting those who require 24hr care.

With a strong desire to help those in need of medical attention, Stephen gets an immense sense of satisfaction from his work. “Whether I am helping someone in an emergency situation or improving the quality of life of an elderly person or teaching first aid to teenagers, the feeling you get when you know you have made a positive difference in someone’s life is indescribable.”

Eilish O’Neill from the Order of Malta, describes Stephen as “an exceptional member of our unit. He has a very caring nature and has shown an excellent ability to deal with the public.” 

Michael Keohane, 17, from Baltimore, Co Cork a sixth year student from St. Fachtna’s De La Salle, Skibbereen, Cork promotes youth mental health by helping to found and establish the ‘Youth in Action’ project ‘Skibb Scenes’ in January 2013 offering cinema facilities and a social outlet to young people in the local community.

Having suffered a number of setbacks with his own mental health, Michael set up supportive workshops around the theme of ‘Skibb Smiles’ and through the C.O.P.E Foundation  in Skibbereen, worked closely with clients suffering intellectual disabilities. In August 2014 Michael took on his biggest challenge with the Aurelia Trust and travelled to Romania to work with young disabled adults who had been institutionalised from birth.

“Through fundraising and awareness raising activities I was approached by my local newspaper to become a youth reporter and have written several articles about the tasks that face young people in our local community”, said Michael. “My own past experiences have inspired me to work hard for the charities that I am involved in and I want to continue to promote positive mental health awareness for the young people of Skibbereen.”

Speaking about his work Principal David Barry said “Michael has always shown great maturity in everything that he does and I highly commend him for all his fundraising and charitable activities.”

Hollie Martin, 18, from Douglas, Co. Cork a sixth year student at St Angela’s in Cork City Centre volunteers in her school to help new first years find their way as they enter into secondary school. She also took part in an English immersion course through Diverbo spending two summers in Madrid as a volunteer teaching English.

In 2013 she set herself her biggest challenge to fundraise and travel to India with the Hope Foundation which provides housing, education, food and access to doctors and hospitals to the street children of Kolkata. By taking part in a marathon and organizing a ball for her school friends Hollie balanced fundraising with school work, sports and her other volunteering projects and as she says ‘it was the most rewarding experience to date and worth every minute.’ Madeline Cummins, schools Co-ordinator at The Hope Foundation says “Hollie exceeded her fundraising target and showed great enthusiasm and aptitude for her work. She is a very kind and helpful girl and it was a privilege to supervise her in her fundraising for Hope.”

Another charity close to Hollies’ heart is The Mercy Foundation, Children’s Ward where she did a walk from Killarney to Kerry and organised a cake sale to raise funds for the ward.

Graham Nelligan, 18 from Tralee, Co. Kerry, a sixth year student at Mercy Mounthawk, Tralee has been volunteering with Jigsaw Kerry for the past year and a half enabling young people to talk about issues related to mental health. Living in an area with huge unemployment and socio – economic problems Graham raises awareness amongst young people that ‘it’s ok not to feel ok’.

Through his work with Jigsaw Graham has organised two 10km runs and has spoken at many events including the Rose of Tralee Festival, the Cycle Against Suicide and during the ring of Kerry cycle. He says ‘I feel it is important that young people know there is help available and there are people to talk to when they are feeling low.’ 

Currently Graham is involved in a Health Promotion campaign called ‘Speak your Mind’ which has had an immense impact on the local community. Through social media Graham is communicating the importance of mental health in the daily lives of young people and while a ‘huge amount of personal commitment is needed I am very proud of how far we have come.’

Graham’s teacher, Pat Fleming, says that Graham is much admired not only for his ceaseless work with Jigsaw Kerry but also for the activities he runs for young people in his area, “he is truly remarkable for the way in which he has taken on responsibility and showed leadership.”

Eleanor O’Brien, 16 from Clarina, Co. Limerick, a sixth year student at Salesian College, Co. Limerick was inspired to become a Community Games volunteer, through participating in the initiative herself at a younger age.  The benefits she felt from being a participant and her admiration for the youth volunteers meant she wanted to join the youth committee as soon as she was old enough. 

For nine months of the year, Eleanor is involved in supervising a number of activities, including cross-country, athletics and art, as well as organising fundraising events.  Local and provincial competitions are also held during weekends throughout the year, culminating in national Community Games finals which take place over two weekends in August.  Eleanor has attended all of these, taking on various roles. According to her school principal, Paddy O’Neill, Eleanor’s involvement in the initiative is such that it regularly achieves local media coverage.

Eleanor Fitzsimons, the Limerick Community Games County Secretary affirmed, “It has been stated that Eleanor’s ambition in life is to be a full time community games activist.  How lucky that community will be.”

At school, Eleanor has also volunteered as a member of the Ceangail Mentoring Team, which has helped younger students transition from primary to secondary school.  She is also a member of the Student Council and Green Schools Committee, as well as working in the school’s Tuck Shop.

Sarah O’Neill, 14, from Bansha, Co. Tipperary, a third year student at St. Anne’s Secondary, Co. Tipperary, has been involved in volunteering throughout primary and secondary school.  She was a founding member of her primary school’s Green Schools Committee, and has continued to be a part of this initiative in secondary school, currently in the role of Junior Secretary.   Sarah was also a member of her local Tidy Towns Committee when in primary school.

However, Sarah’s most notable voluntary achievement was when, in 2011 at the age of 11, she became the youngest girl to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.  With her group, Sarah raised €16,000 for the mental health charity ‘Aware’, one which is close to her heart. 

Sarah has not been without hardship, however.  Mountaineer, Ian Cheever, who was part of the team to climb Kilimanjaro, and Sarah’s inspiration to participate in the expedition, tragically passed away after the venture was completed. Sarah used Ian’s death as an incentive to further her fundraising, and in June 2014, together with other members of the Kilimanjaro team, raised €900 to build an orphanage in Tanzania in his memory.

Helen Ryan, one of Sarah’s teachers says, “Sarah’s meeting with mountaineer Ian McKeever and her subsequent climbing of Kilimanjaro has been such a true inspiration for her that I truly believe that her commitment to volunteering will be strong throughout her life.” This is supported by Sarah herself who contends, “After seeing the poverty first hand I now realise how essential it is for voluntary groups to keep raising funds for projects.”

Caoimhín Osborne, 17, from Belfast, Co. Antrim, a sixth year student at St. Louise’s Comprehensive College in Belfast is a keen volunteer at his local youth club, John Paul II.  Caoimhín chose to volunteer at the youth club, where he was previously a member as part of a Business Studies placement and he has become more and more involved as time has progressed. 

Caoimhín began volunteering one day a week but impressed staff so much that he was recruited as peer leader when his student placement ended.  Currently he works with the youth club three evenings a week undertaking a number of activities such as shadowing staff members, and being involved in various educational and developmental activities.  Caoimhín also succeeded in obtaining funding from the Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB) enabling 10 young people to spend four nights on a cultural awareness trip in Portugal. 

During the summer months Caoimhín was involved with the youth club’s summer scheme meaning that he spent five days a week volunteering at the centre.  Such is his passion for youth work he has now decided to pursue a career in the field.  Caoimhín’s teacher, Judith Mateer also mentions that further to work at John Paul II Youth Club, he is also managing to juggle rehearsals for the school’s annual play.  She states, “Caoimhín has demonstrated his enthusiasm and dedication to service and has a true desire to help others.”

Rebecca Scott, 19, from Belfast, Co. Antrim, an upper sixth student from Mercy College, Belfast made several trips to Ethiopia with Habitat for Humanity to build houses for the local community out there.

Participating in team meetings and fundraising before each trip and during the three week stay in Ethiopia the team managed to build houses, create friendships and most importantly build hope. Handing over a house that they had completed one homeowner said “receiving the key to my new home is like walking through the gates of heaven.”

Speaking about the trips Rebecca said, “Volunteering for Habitat of Humanity was the most rewarding and enriching experience of my life, one which I will never forget. I will always remember the smiles I created on each family’s face and the joy I brought to them by offering them all the help I could give.”

Rebecca is also a Senior Prefect where she volunteers to assist in the running of lunch time and extracurricular sporting activities for the Junior School. According to teacher Fiona McDaid, Rebecca meets every request with enthusiasm. “There was many challenges facing Rebecca in carrying out this volunteering such as financial constraints and time away from home, however, she has clearly demonstrated her strength of character by taking part in this programme two years running.”

Denis O’ Sullivan, 15, from Whitechurch, Co. Cork, a third year student from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Blarney, is an active member in his local church where he has been assisting the sacristan from a young age. He is Chairman of Whitechurch Foroige Club and having been touched by suicide became involved with Kinsale Youth Support Services which provides support and counselling to the youth of West Cork.

As an active member of the Foroige Club, Denis and the team have set an ambitious programme to fundraise for local projects including the local children’s playground, the local ladies football/camogie club and funds toward the newly developed amenity walk called ‘Sli Geal’.

Positive mental health and suicide awareness is an area that Denis feels very strongly about and as a volunteer with Kinsale Youth Support Services has helped to bring down the rate of suicide in his local area.

Kathrina McCarthy, Guidance Counsellor at his school says, “While Denis is dyslexic and has to work harder than other students, this does not deter him. We are privileged to have him as part of our school and he has been chosen by staff for an Endeavour Awards for his contribution to the community.”

Aileen Toner, 17, from Belfast Co. Antrim, a sixth year student at Our Lady and St. Patrick’s College in Belfast has volunteered with ChildLine, Barnardo’s and the Fostering Network since early 2013.  Aileen has an interest in pursuing a career working with children and is aware that there is a deficit in volunteers in this sector, making these charities the perfect choices.  This was further supported by the fact that Aileen’s mother herself works for a children’s charity.

Aileen primarily volunteers for ChildLine where she operates the switchboard speaking to distressed children ensuring they stay on the phone until a counsellor is available.  She has undergone extensive training, learning how to know when a child is in danger and how to react with each situation.   Aileen has subsequently decided to undertake extensive training which will enable her to take on the role of a counsellor. 

According to Heather Cardosi of ChildLine Belfast, “Aileen has been a committed, reliable and enthusiastic volunteer, engaging positively with children and young people”.  This is supported by Aileen’s affirmation that she has taken on further shifts over Christmas when other volunteers have been unable to attend while also maintaining her other volunteering posts and keeping on top of school work.  Aileen’s passion for volunteering has also encouraged five of her friends to help out at ChildLine with several others involved in the application process.ENDSFor Further Information please contact Shane Finnegan or Caroline Murphy at Aiken PR on 02890663000 or caroline@aikenpr.com