The West Cork Garda Youth Awards are celebrating 30 years since the inaugural youth awards were held.
The idea was the brainchild of then Garda James O’Mahony, a juvenile liaison officer based in Bandon. He recognised that young people were making valuable contributions to their local communities that were worthy of recognition. Since then, Garda Youth Awards have been held in every garda division across the country, with the first Garda National Youth Awards were held in 2019.
The West Cork Garda Youth Awards celebrate outstanding young people between the ages of 13 and 21 years. An Garda Síochána in West Cork and SuperValu recognise that a lot of good work is being done by young people in every community in West Cork. Awards will be considered for nominated young people who by their presence make their communities a better place to live in.
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This year, the process for nominations will remain the same, and gardaí will be distributing nomination forms to schools, youth groups and voluntary organisations right across West Cork. Following on from the judging in mid-April, award winners will be notified by the organising committee.
The presentation ceremony will take place on Friday April 17th at the Kinsale Hotel and Spa.
The award categories are: Individual Award, Group Award, Community Safety Award and a Special Achievement Award.
At the launch of this year’s awards, Chief Superintendent Vincent O’Sullivan from Bandon Garda Station commented: ‘The nomination process is open to everyone, so if you know of a young person who is committed to making a difference to their community, please put them forward. We wish to promote and honour the positive contribution of the youth of today, who are the leaders of tomorrow.’
Inspector Ian O’Callaghan, Clonakilty Garda Station, who is chairman of the organising committee, remarked: ‘We wish to recognise the sacrifices made by young people as they contribute to their community, both at a local level and also in wider areas.’
The closing date for enteries is Friday March 20th. Nomination forms are available from any SuperValu store in the West Cork Garda Division, and also at Garda Stations. Electronic versions of the nomination form are available from [email protected]
