Local youth club rewarded for working with elderly

MEMBERS of Club Óige Feachtas Baile Munna have been presented with a certificate at the Aldi Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards for their inspiring voluntary work with the elderly.

The Ballymun youngsters organised a bingo and live music event for residents at a local nursing home.

They brainstormed ideas for the event, researched the rules of bingo and decided to also have the calls for the game ‘as gaeilge’ because many of the residents spoke Irish.

The young people even donated their club membership fee to purchase prizes for the event and spent time selecting and practising the music they would play.

The event was a great success, and received fantastic feedback from the nursing home residents.

The Foróige club members say that the inter-generational project helped them learn many new skills, and gave them a greater understanding of the needs of the elderly in their community.

The club was presented with a certificate for their efforts at the citizenship awards ceremony at Citywest Hotel & Conference Centre on April 29.

Over 200 groups and more than 2,000 members from Foróige clubs around Ireland took part in the awards, with projects covering topics such as equality, homelessness, mental health and culture.

CEO of Foróige, Sean Campbell, said that its Youth Citizenship Programme had gone from strength to strength with the support of Aldi.

“This programme empowers young people to make positive change in the world through examining their local community, coming up with a way to make it a better place and then working hard to make it happen,” he added.

“We are so proud of everything these young people have achieved in their communities and it’s wonderful to see all the skills they’ve gathered in the process.

“From planting a flowerbed, to renovating a community kitchen, to building a recording studio and making a memorial from a WWII aeroplane; these young people have gained essential life skills whilst making the world a better place.”

Finbar McCarthy of Aldi Ireland said the supermarket chain was proud to support the Youth Citizenship Awards for the third year running.

“Through our links with Foróige we have seen first-hand the passion and dedication of the young people, clubs and adult volunteers involved in bringing active citizenship to the fore in local communities,” he continued.

The awards were opened by Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, Helen McEntee.

DJ Jenny Greene MC’d the awards ceremony and played sets throughout the day.

A survey of 500 Foróige volunteers conducted earlier this year found 95 per cent benefited from the experience.

“Volunteers feed back to us that helping young people, getting involved in their local community and meeting other volunteers is one of the most positive forces for good in their lives,” said Foróige CEO Sean Campbell.