Over 130 young people were honoured last week after taking part in the Dermot Earley Youth Leadership Initiative

While Dermot Earley was busy on the sidelines of Croke Park last Saturday evening as he was part of the coaching staff for the Irish International Rules team, another group close to his heart were also being honoured at a ceremony in Croke Park.

Over 130 young people received awards in Croke Park for their completion of the first of three modules in the youth initiative, which is aimed at people 15-18 years of age as they explored all the elements of leadership, how to communicate correctly and how to better their decision making.

The programme honouring his father’s legacy operates as an innovative partnership between the GAA, Foróige and NUI Galway and phase two is currently being rolled out in eight counties (Kildare, Dublin,Roscommon, Galway, Cork, Tipperary, Donegal and Monaghan).

“My father was passionate about enabling young people to achieve their full potential. On behalf of the Earley family we are delighted to give our support to this initiative and look forward to the positive influence these young leaders will have on their GAA clubs, their communities and beyond,” said the former Kildare midfielder.

Module two and three will commence in the new year, which consists of 15 hours of instructional learning, 15 hours of reflection/self directed learning and 20 hours of community action projects, which can be broad and varied including personal interests, GAA coaching, fundraising or community work.