Gaisce

  The Start of Gaisce

This year, I have decided to take on the challenge of The Gaisce Award, (or the president’s award). There are 3 awards, The Bronze, Silver and Gold, I hope at the end of the year to attain the much acclaimed Bronze award which will give a boost to my CV proving to a future employer that I can be a diligent, dedicated employee who does not fear trying  new things and interacting with new people.

As well as taking on the gaisce to boost my appeal to employers, I also decided to get involved as I felt that it would improve my personal development a lot. Rather than sitting around during Transition year, I find myself constantly busy, improving my social skills while still having a lot of fun. Looking back to the start of Term 1, I think that if I had not taken up The Gaisce Award, I would be deeply regretting it by now.

For The Gaisce Award, requires students to do 13 weeks for each of three activities. And then an extra 13 weeks of one of the three activities. These activities are physical, personal and communal.

 For my physical activity, I have chosen to go swimming every Sunday for 13 weeks. I find this very relaxing and I really like it because in third year I had to give swimming up. Gaisce has given me the opportunity to start swimming again.

For my personal activity, I have decided to do acting in school with Ms. Carney on a Thursday evening. I had previously done acting in first year but had to give it up due to my studies. Drama on a Thursday is very beneficial because I am on Grade 10 in The Leinster School of Drama grades and acting and improvising with Ms Carney and a small group of my peers helps me to prepare for my Grade 10 exam.

For my community activity, I am volunteering in a St. Vincent De Paul shop on Bray Main Street. I think this part of The Gaisce Award is my favourite. It is such an exhilarating experience to see things through other people’s eyes.

 It is a great experience to interact with the customers and the volunteers are so lovely, we have lots of laughs together. Working in SVP is like working in a normal shop, yet it is so different. The second hand clothes, jewellery, books etc. that I sort go to people who are urgently in need of say a cheap coat for the relentless winter because they can’t afford to buy it new. Then, when people buy the second hand items, the money they spend also goes to more people suffering with poverty in Ireland. SVP keeps on giving in many ways and I am so glad to be a part of such a worthwhile charity. SVP is the activity I have chosen to do an extra 13 weeks with.

Doing the Gaisce award has really opened my eyes to different experiences I may have never experienced.  I have loved every minute of it so far.