This week transition year students from Tullow Community School, Presentation College Carlow, St. Leo’s College, CBS, Presentation De La Salle College and Knockbeg College spent four days on campus taking part in the Foróige Leadership for Life programme. The Leadership for Life programme sets out to empower young people to make a positive difference to their community through practical actions and projects.

Over the course of the four days, students learned the core concepts of leadership and gained skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, self-awareness etc. The programme sets about developing the leadership capabilities and potential of young people and gives them an opportunity to harness their skills and attributes to contribute to their society in a fun and encouraging environment.

The cohort of over 100 students from across the six participating schools were divided into 5 groups which were facilitated by Carlow College students. Participants completed 1 module which explores what leadership is and the type of leaders they would like to be. The module focuses on core leadership skills such as communication, problem solving, self-awareness, values and action planning. All students received a Foróige Certificate of Achievement on the final day.

Speaking about the programme Carlow College VP for Academic Affairs and Registrar Dr Thomas McGrath noted “The Leadership for Life Programme is a tremendous opportunity for transition year students to acquire leadership skills. This is the fourth year Carlow College has run the programme and each year it is great to see how the students really come into their own over the course of the four days. I would like to congratulate all of the students who dedicated themselves to understanding what it takes to become effective leaders and how to use these skills for the betterment of society.”