Athlone student wins Rotary Youth Leadership award

Athlone Community College student Maeve Murphy was presented with a Rotary Youth Leadership Development certificate at the new Europe House in Dublin recently.

The TY student was one of 20 teenagers from all over Ireland to be honoured at the event.

Maeve received her certificate from Rotary Ireland District Governor, Seamus Parle, and Fionnuala Croker, Acting Head of Office at the European Parliament Office in Dublin.

For Maeve, the most important issue facing young people today concerns mental health. “This really needs to be addressed by politicians worldwide as so many young people struggle with mental health issues,” she said.

And she would have no hesitation recommending the competition to others. “I would without a doubt recommend this competition to young people in my area. It was an incredible once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.”

The itinerary for the students’ trip included visits to Belfast, Dublin, and Strasbourg. In Belfast they received a private tour of City Hall and a meeting with the Lord Mayor, Councillor Micky Murray, followed by a tour of Stormont where they met several politicians and also listened in to some debates from the visitor’s gallery.

The Rotary Youth Leadership Development Competition is open to 16 and 17-year-olds who are living on the island of Ireland. For more information go to www.rotary.ie