Huntstown youth leader addresses national conference

Kim Sullivan from Huntstown was one of the guest speakers at the recent Foróige National Leaders’ Conference when 250 volunteer leaders from all over the country, including six from Dublin 15 travelled to the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick to share their experiences and engage in a series of challenging debates.

The conference also celebrated volunteerism and paid tribute to all the volunteers who give of their time, energy and expertise to enable the positive development of young people across Ireland.

According to Kim, an ex-Foróige member and current adult leader with Foróige Flames, “the leaders’ conference is a great opportunity to meet other leaders from all over the country and share experiences, novel ideas and even past pit falls. It’s a learning curve and no matter how long you’ve been involved in Foróige, you always learn something new.”

In her address to the conference Kim spoke of her experiences in the Foróige Flames Club and the manner in which she grew and developed through her life-long involvement in the organisation.

“My involvement in Foróige most definitely contributed positively to my development through my adolescent years as I learned many new skills,” she said. “I found that my acceptance by those around me in Foróige helped me to discover my strengths and also my weaknesses and I was fortunate that I learned how to accept and deal with these weaknesses within a secure group. Being in the Foróige Club has influenced my educational path and given me the confidence to stand up on front of a fresh batch of members and give them the support I received from the leaders in Foróige Flames.”

In his address to the conference, outgoing Foróige’s chairperson, Billy Freeley, said “Foróige now works with some 50,000 young people on an annual basis, that is, 10% of young people in the 10 to 18 age group and more than any other youth organisation in Ireland. While this is a fantastic achievement, it is also a position of much responsibility, a platform from which we must continue to grow, innovate and reach out to all young people.”

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