‘Trip of a lifetime’ for a true leader from Swords

A student from Loreto, in Swords, has described her trip to Strasbourg after winning the Rotary Youth Leadership Competition as a “trip of a lifetime”.

Rebecca McCloskey was one of just 24 teenagers from all over the island of Ireland to be presented with a Rotary Youth Leadership Development certificate at the European Parliament’s offices in Dublin recently.

The competition, which is one of Rotary Ireland’s longest running youth projects, rewards young people with clear leadership potential based on their extra-curricular activities. It is run in conjunction with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Dublin and Euroscola in Strasbourg.

Rebecca received her certificate from Rotary Ireland District Governor Captain Sean Fitzgerald and Patrick O’Riordan, Head of Public Affairs at the European Parliament’s office in Ireland.

After being disrupted by Covid for the last two years, this year saw a welcome return to the regular itinerary which involves visits to Belfast, Dublin, and Strasbourg.

During the six-day, all expenses paid trip, the competition winners visited Belfast City Hall and Stormont where they met and chatted with politicians from various parties.

Then it was onto Europe

House in Dublin, where they were presented with their certificates before a trip to Dail Eireann where they met the Minister for Education Norma Foley and several other prominent TDs.

They then flew to Frankfurt for a two-day visit to Strasbourg.

After being formally welcomed by the President of the European Parliament, Robert Metsola the students