Extraordinary Times Call For Extraordinary Measures
Young people can answer Ireland’s call too!Â
Updated 15th April 2020
As many young people now find themselves at home during the Covid-19 situation, we at Gaisce have been thinking about how you can continue with – or even start – your Gaisce Award. That’s why we’re launching ‘Gaisce At Home’ or ‘Gaisce Sa Bhaile’.
Doing Gaisce is a great way to stay active, improve a skill and help in your community (whilst following current restrictions of course). Young people can answer Ireland’s call too! It’s not going to be too difficult to think up a skill or physical activity you can undertake whilst at home, and your community action can be at home or ‘from home’ too, so find out what you can volunteer to help with.
Everyone can play their part in getting through this challenging time and promoting active citizenship. Ask family members for ideas on what you can do for an hour a week in the various challenges at home. If you’re already registered, you may need to change the activities you’ve been doing towards your Gaisce, to ones that are possible to do in or from home – but don’t worry: we’re here to help!
Do you wish to take up Gaisce?
If you wish to start a Gaisce Award and don’t have a President’s Award Leader, please email home@gaisce.ie for assistance. Alternatively, if you are an adult interested in supporting a young person to complete Gaisce at home, please get in touch via this email.
Already doing Gaisce and need to change activities?
If activities already chosen in Community Involvement, Physical Recreation or Personal skill are not possible to be undertaken during the social distancing period you may choose an alternative activity that they can do from home!
Seeking Approval from PALs
Where possible you should seek approval from your PAL for any activity changes to ensure consistent guidance during this challenging time. However, if that is not possible, please keep a journal, video or audio recording as evidence of the new activity for your PAL and write it into your Record Sheet! If you’re not sure about an activity and cannot connect with you PAL email home@gaisce.ie to check if the new activity is ok. All your previous work still counts towards your award.
Current Covid_19 Restrictions and Parental Consent
For all your Gaisce activities – be mindful of keeping in line with current government guidelines on Covid_19, and if you are under 18, ensure you have parental consent. Above all, make sure activities are safe and have supervision where you need it. If you are under 18, you should inform your parents of all your activities. Keep activities to in and around the 2km radius of your own home. Please visit this page for updates on this is an ever-changing situation.
Recording Activities
There is no need to change information on the Gaisce participant on-line portal, as documenting in the record sheet will be enough.  Ask your PAL to contact a Development Officer with any ideas, questions or concerns or ask any questions yourself on our social media channels by searching the handle @GaisceAward.
Gold Residential Project
For those of you doing Gold, we recommend postponing the Residential. We will issue an update on this as soon as possible.
Adventure Journey
The Adventure Journey is an integral part of the Award for participants and is often a highlight of many Gaisce experiences. Current restrictions mean that many participants who were planning their Adventure Journey in the coming months may not be able to do so. If it is not possible to postpone an Adventure Journey, we want to ensure that alternative options are available for participants.
Please note that the Adventure Journey Alternatives are not applicable to Gold participants as this is a temporary measure. Â However, we will monitor our approach based on how the Covid-19 situation progresses.Â
Covid-19 Adventure Journey Alternatives  Â
1. Adventure Journey Exploration Project
Bronze and Silver participants can plan and complete an exploration project – ideally, as a group, where possible. Participants can document their project in written, audio or visual form – encourage lots of creativity and have fun! The idea is to create a project together, but separately.Â
2. The Backyard Adventure Journey – practical team project
Bronze and Silver participants can plan and do a 1 night /2 Day (Bronze) or 2 night/3 Day (Silver) ‘camping style’ experience – be it in their garden, balcony, or inside their home. Similarly, this is about groups creating a project together, but separately.
You can see full details of Adventure Journey activities for both options here.
Spread the Word – Competition Time!
Don’t forget to let us know what you’re doing for your Award at home by using #GaisceAtHome or #GaisceSaBhaile, or by commenting and liking and sharing our ‘Gaisce at Home’ Posts! We’ll post some of your best ideas online here. Those who like and share our ‘Gaisce at Home’ posts will be entered in a competition to win a brand new Gaisce Hoodie.
Some Ideas for #GaisceAtHome/ #GaisceSaBhaile
As a starting point, we’ve put together some suggestions for activities that you can do from home. We invite you to be imaginative about what you can do, so long as you’ve cleared any new activity with your PAL or the Gaisce Team. Why not ask family members or friends for suggestions?
Community Involvement:
- If there is a project or an organisation you are already involved with offering social distancing alternatives, please reach out to them and see how you can safely maintain your involvement.
- Phoning an elderly neighbour, that you know.
- Shopping for an elderly neighbour as part of your family shop – bearing in mind current government restrictions (this could be done once a week)
- Raising Awareness online for a campaign or local charity
- Cooking dinner for your family unit
- Online volunteering –Irish Rural Link/ local Volunteer Centres will have ideas.
- Project on Sustainable Development Goals that would improve your community
- Project on Covid-19
- Shopping for an elderly neighbour as part of your family shop (this could be done once a week)
- Raising Awareness online for a campaign or local charity
- Making a music video for your family or neighbours
- Project on the history of your community.
- Project on managing mental and physical health.
Physical Recreation:
- YouTube Yoga Class
- Practise drills of your usual sport at home
- Follow online general fitness videos – dance, cardio, strength and conditioning
- Skipping
- Going for a walk/run (within 2KM radius) (why not try mapmyrun/Strava/Fitbit)
- Set up a circuit in your back yard or garden
Personal Skill:
- Baking
- Learning a language through an app or online classes
- Learning sign-language through an app or online classes
- Art/Drawing
- Crafts
- Playing an instrument
- Calligraphy
- Writing -poetry, short stories, drama, etc.
- Knitting
- Online Mindfulness Courses
- Chess
- Cards
- Light DIY
- Painting
- Knitting
- Sewing
- Meditation
- Gardening/Horticulture
- Coding
- Video Editing
- Photography
- Language (using Duolingo or other language apps/courses)
- Alison.com (for free computer class)
- Reading/Create a Booklist (write short book reviews)
- On-line book club with Gaisce group
- Genealogy
- Web design
Portfolio (Gold Only):
For those doing Gold, now may be a good time to work on your Gold Portfolio outlining what you have achieved so far on your Gaisce journey.
Ideas:
- Introduce yourself Include details and memories of you challenge areas
- Map your adventure journey
- Include photographs
- Other materials from your Gaisce experience!