The 2nd Wicklow Garda Youth Awards took place on Saturday the 4th of February in the Grand Hotel, Wicklow town.
The awards were sponsored by the County Wicklow Partnership and were hosted by Today FM DJ Philip Cawley.
For the next 8 days Wicklownews.net will post a picture and bio of one of the winning recipients, today we have the Arklow Sea Venture Scout Unit.
Arklow Sea Venture Scout Unit. They were nominated by one of their scout leaders, Jimmy Myler.
Jimmy nominated this group because he found them to be the most caring, giving and politically aware group that he has ever come across. This young group have completely outdone themselves in regards to their level of service to the Arklow Community.
They organise and manage the Pieta House Darkness into Light walk, they run the annual “memorial to those lost at sea”. They play a key role in the RNLI Maritime Festival by manning the stalls, setting up the marquee and organising several activities. As part of a Coillte initiative to plant forests in Ireland the Arklow Ventures travelled to Lough Dan and helped to plant several hundreds of native trees.
Ten of the ventures are on the committee for “the Be-Wellers” and they organise workshops and mindfulness based on mental health. They organised and led the Youth Christmas Shoe Box Appeal. The Ventures appealed for sleeping bags for the homeless and distributed them and clothes to the local and city homeless. They organised the “National Venture Ball” where over 320 ventures from all over the country met to celebrate youth.
These group of ventures have proved to be extremely positive role models for all the younger sections of Arklow Sea Scout group. They actively take on leadership roles with younger scouts from age 6 up to 15 years. Nothing is too much for this wonderful group and they perform all tasks with efficiency, generosity and reliability.
Full list of award winners
Special achievement category, Michael O’Brien, Martina Conyard, Rachel Casey, Lee Timmons, Timothy and Christopher Hopkins.
Individual category, Jeremy O’Donovan, Shannon Franey, Eireann O’Sullivan, Luke Power, Chloe Gilmore, Joe Dempsey, Sinead Roche and Molly Comish.
Group category, Glenealy Foroige Youth Club, Greystones Community Summer Project, Seomra Youth Centre in Bray, Newtownmountkennedy Senior Youth Group, Arklow Sea Venture Scout Unit and Marc Brady and Rachel Crimes from Colaiste Chraobh Abhainn in Kilcoole.
