The Midland Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force held a prize-giving ceremony recently in the Radisson Hotel, Athlone, Westmeath.
They invited the winning transition year student from Portlaoise College – Clodagh Fitzpatrick – to attend along with family members and Portlaoise College staff.
The event was to acknowledge and thank the student and their school for their participation in the Graduate.ie Online Citizenship Programme.
Organised and funded by the Midland Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force (MRDATF), the Graduate.ie programme is an online citizenship and democracy programme for second-level students in Ireland.
The MRDATF rolled out this initiative in partnership with 25 Secondary schools across the counties of Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly with transition year students invited to participate.
The overall prize was for one selected student from Laois who participated fully in the initiative to attend a three-day educational trip to Strasbourg.
Clodagh will travel to Strasbourg in November and spend one full day at the European Parliament where she will have the opportunity to take part in a Youth Parliament with students from other EU member states.
In attendance at the event and presenting the prizes to the winning students was Antoinette Kinsella, Co-ordinator MRDATF.
Speaking at the event Antoinette said, “I am delighted to be here today presenting the winning students with their prizes.
“This is such a worthwhile initiative allowing the participants to develop active citizenship, an understanding of the workings of democracy and intercultural understanding and awareness. ”
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