Muckross Park College TY student Naomi Ní Dhuibhir was among 20 other students to be presented with a Rotary Youth Leadership Development certificate at the new Europe House in Dublin recently. The competition, which Rotary Ireland has been running for over 30 years, rewards young people with clear leadership potential based on their extra-curricular activities. It is run in conjunction with the European Parliament Office in Dublin with the winners enjoying an all-expenses paid week-long trip to Belfast, Dublin and Strasbourg.
In Strasbourg they visited the famous Notre Dame cathedral, enjoyed a private tour of the European Court of Human Rights and paid a visit to Petit France, which was once home to the city’s tanners, millers and fishermen and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
This was followed by a trip to the European Parliament where they were welcomed by Roberta Mestola, President of the Parliament. The highlight for the students was taking part in Euroscola, a simulation of the work of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in a debate and vote on the EU’s actions to tackle disinformation.
During TY Naomi organised a Neurodiversity Celebration and Awareness Week in her school to educate others on what it’s like to be neurodivergent. She said the highlight of the week was taking part in a debate at the European Parliament.
“Being able to ask a question to Vice President Sabine Verheyen in the EU parliament building in Strasbourg was such an incredible opportunity. I’m so glad that I got to ask her about women’s rights as it is an issue that I am passionate about.”
Naomi believes the lack of housing and climate change are two huge issues, and the one she feels politicians need to address above all else is hearing the voice of young people.
“It is so easy as a young person today to feel as though they have no say in the world around them and that their voice isn’t of value. After this trip I have had the realisation that my opinion matters, and that young people are the voice of today and tomorrow. Politicians need to work together on a wider scale so that more young people can feel empowered to make change.”
Well done to Naomi and the other 19 students on receiving their Rotary Youth Leadership Development certificates.
