In October I entered the school competition for Rotary Youth Leadership. I wasn’t sure what to expect. This involved an interview with members of Rotary Wexford which focused on personal qualities and abilities. I was successful at this level and went forward to represent the school at county level. The county competition was held in early November with students from eleven schools participating. Once again there was an interview and I was delighted to be chosen to represent the county at the next stage of the competition. I attended the regional finals in Waterford. This time the interview focused on your vision for the E.U. and promoting active citizenship within Ireland as a leader. The interview was very challenging. I was fortunate to be selected with two others from the southern region and nine other regional winners to visit Dáil Eireann, the Stormont Assembly and the E.U. parliament in Strasbourg at the end of January.
Our trip began in Belfast where all 24 participants met up (12 from Northern Ireland and 12 from the Republic). We had free time in Belfast that evening and it was a good opportunity to get to know the group. The following day we had a busy schedule. Firstly we went to the European Commission’s office in Belfast and had a talk from the Head of Operations there followed by a Q&A session. We then went on a guided tour of city hall. We met the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Nicola Mallon from the S.D.L.P. for lunch. She was interested in hearing our views on the peace process as we all came from different backgrounds. She showed us the Mayor’s parlour where there was a picture of Queen Elizabeth hanging beside the 1916 proclamation and President Michael D. Higgins. I thought that the room captured the spirit of the peace process perfectly.
After this engagement we went to Stormont. Security was very tight there. We were given a guided tour, we sat in the gallery and listened to a debate that was in session concerning Gaelscoileanna, which was very heated. We then had a Q&A session with an M.L.A from every party in Stormont. They all talked about the past, problems and divisive issues that still remain. Not one speaker focused on the future of N.I. It was clear to us that there is still a long road ahead for N.I. before there is a society that isn’t based on religious divisions.
That night we travelled to Dublin by coach and had a late night meeting in the hotel. The following day we went on a tour around Trinity College. We then did individual interviews with the Irish Independent and a promotional video in the European Parliament offices on Molesworth Street. We had a talk from their representative and were presented with our certificates from Rotary’s district Governor. Then we went across the street to Leinster House and went on a tour of The Houses of the Oireachtas. We had a Q&A session with Minister of State, Simon Harris of Fine Gael and Joe Costello of the Labour Party. Minister Harris was very interested to hear our views and shared his personal experience in politics. Interestingly he had participated in the Rotary trip in 2004 when he was 17. Then we were off to Frankfurt. The following day we got a coach and crossed the border into France. In Strasbourg we had the day to shop and go sightseeing. In the evening we worked on our speeches and debates for the following day.
Thursday the 29th of January was the highlight of the trip. It was an opportunity to be with 600 other young people from across the E.U. who were gathered together in the European parliament. We broke up into working groups to produce a report on current topics such as immigration, energy, media and terrorism. Each group was made up of different nationalities- each bringing their own unique perspective to the proceedings. This was followed by a plenary session where each topic was debated in the parliament chamber. It was a real thrill to speak in front of such a large body and to get the opportunity to vote on the presentations just like the MEPs do.
I must thank Rotary Ireland and Rotary Wexford for covering all the expenses for the trip and our Rotary Leaders Gráinne Bagnall, Garth and Judie.
But the best thing about the experience was meeting the 23 other rotary youth leaders. I can honestly say I had one of the most enjoyable and fun weeks of my life to date.