Gaisce -The President’s Award Statement on COVID-19

Update 8th May 2020

Gaisce – The President Award are following Government directions and will be working remotely as far as possible but can be contacted during regular office hours. Contact email addresses and contact numbers for the full Gaisce team are available here.

Below you will find an outline of temporary measures we are taking during restrictions. We will update this statement in line with government guidelines accordingly and extend temporary arrangements where necessary.

Information for PALs

The health and wellbeing of Gaisce participants and PALs, and staff in our Award Partners is of primary importance to us. Given that the government have now published a roadmap to ease Covid-19 restrictions, we have reviewed our programme requirements and have applied temporary modifications to minimise the impact on participants’ ability to continue and complete their Gaisce Award.

Gaisce at Home

Many you will have already seen our brand-new campaign,  Gaisce at Home/ Gaisce Sa Bhaile. As young people now find themselves at home during the Covid-19 situation, we launched \’Gaisce At Home\’ to encourage young people to stay – or get – involved in Gaisce. We’ve received such a positive response so far and appreciate your support of the campaign!

The Adventure Journey

Gaisce Award Partners and PALs who have planned Adventure Journeys during restrictions, in the first instance, should seek to postpone to a later date.

If participants are planning to complete an Adventure Journey in the coming months as restrictions ease, please ensure they consult the government’s roadmap ahead of any scheduled activity. Please note that hostels and camping grounds are currently not due to reopen until phase 4 and will do so on with a limited occupancy.

For PALs who are anxious to support their participants to complete their Gaisce Award in the immediate future, we have developed Gaisce at Home Adventure Journey (AJ) alternatives as a temporary measure. Please note that the Adventure Journey Alternatives are not applicable to Gold participants given this is a temporary measure.

Covid-19 Adventure Journey Alternatives

  1. Adventure Journey Exploration project – written/audio/visual presentation
  2. The Backyard Adventure Journey – practical project

You can read more about these options here.

For any questions, concerns or alternative ideas you have for a group project please email or call your Development Officer. We’d also like to hear your alternative ideas for each Challenge area. Contact details for all Development Officers are available here.

For Community Involvement, Physical Recreation and Personal Skill

If a participant is planning to return to activities they were previously undertaking, or hoping to take up new activities in the coming months outside the home, it is recommended that the Government’s guidelines are consulted first to ensure it is safe to do so.

Participants can continue with their alternative activities at home during restrictions. Participants should keep evidence of their activities being completed via journal, videos or photos for their PAL, as well as updating their record sheets. Participants don’t need to change activity information on the Gaisce participant on-line portal, as documenting in the record sheet will suffice.  We recommend that PALs contact their Development Officer with any ideas, questions or concerns.

Residentials for Gold

We recommend postponing residentials until the Covid-19 situation allows for normal social engagement.

Information for parents

To ensure communications are managed during this challenging period we ask parents to contact PALs directly for any questions or concerns relating to their young person’s Gaisce Award. Thank you as always for everything you to do to support young people participating in Gaisce – The President’s Award!

Upcoming Events and Training

Please note that for the foreseeable all PAL training will take place online until further notice. Upcoming dates can be found here.

Processing Completions 
Once the Adventure Journey and all other Challenge Areas are completed, you may approve your participants as usual.   Gaisce will then process your participants’ awards in preparation for delivery when your organisation reopens or can accept deliveries. 
 
Please note that leaving your approvals until September may cause delays receiving your awards in September.  It may also delay participants registering to progress to the next award. 
 
If you require more support on how to manage your participants through the online system (OLS), these helpful videos can assist.  

Garda Re-vetting

In line with our Safeguarding policy, we recently contacted active PALs last vetted by Gaisce over five years ago If you have not responded to this call to action, please review our original email and respond as required as we have extended the deadline. We appreciate your support on this. 

Updates on Covid-19

If your organisation is not already doing so, please follow the following sources on twitter and re-tweet messages relating to COVID-19:
@HSELive
@hpscireland
@roinnslainte
@CMOireland

 

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