A case study of partnership between third level institutions and National Award Authorities.
Aidan Healy (University of Limerick)
Abstract
The International Award for Young People is a self-development programme available to all 14 to 25 year olds. Launched in the UK in 1956 as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the Programme has now spread to 126 countries and over 6 million young people worldwide have taken up the Award challenge. The participant is required to take on four key challenges in the areas of community involvement, personal skill, physical recreation and an adventure journey. Young people choose their own activities, set their own goals, and record their own progress. The only person they compete against is themselves, by setting personally challenging goals and achieving them.
Gaisce - the President’s Award is Ireland’s National Award Authority and was recently set up in the University of Limerick as a joint partnership with the Peer Mentoring service. This allowed the University of Limerick to promote, reward and encourage students to partake in Civic Engagement activities almost immediately with little investment.
Details of how this partnership was formed, arranged and currently operates are discussed, as well as looking at the strengths and weaknesses of such a collaboration in encouraging students to partake in Civic Engagement activities.
