New Taoiseach has very strong links with Rotary
“Signs were there from the start……he even came into the room talking” – Una Whelan who interviewed a young Simon Harris for the youth leadership award
Friday 12th April 2024: Rotary Ireland has extended warm congratulations to Honorary Member Simon Harris on his election as Ireland’s youngest Taoiseach. The District Governor of Rotary Ireland, Kenny Fisher said the organisation was extremely proud of Mr Harris’s commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders in Ireland as well as his long-standing connection with and support of Rotary Ireland.
Mr Harris was a winner of a Rotary Ireland Youth Leadership Development award in 2004. As such he was one of 24 young people from all over the island of Ireland to enjoy a weeklong trip to Belfast, Dublin and Strasbourg. 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.
Some of the programmes Rotary Ireland has been heavily involved in include, Just 1 Life, a driver awareness programme for teenagers, Bikes for Africa, polio eradication, disaster relief and health and education programmes at home and abroad. There are 70 clubs and 1,500 members all over the island of Ireland.
Mr Fisher said the new Taoiseach’s dedication to public service and his passion for empowering young people align perfectly with Rotary’s wider mission of encouraging people to make a difference both in their local communities and around the world.
“The youth leadership programme is about learning effective communication, coming across well in interviews, learning how to bring people with you and of course self-development. The young people go into the European Parliament and debate the important issues of the day with their peers from across Europe. As we can see, these are all experiences the young Simon took on board to great effect. The fact he has continued to support the youth leadership awards and other Rotary Ireland programmes down through the years shows his commitment to the next generation and to supporting community development at home and abroad. We wish him the very best in his new role.”
Rotary member Una Whelan who interviewed Simon for his youth leadership award twenty years ago said the signs were there from the start that this was a young man in a hurry. “He did a fantastic interview. He even came into the room talking! He was supremely confident, but he wasn’t pushy. Quite the contrary he was very modest. It was a genuine confidence. He knew his subject and he knew what he wanted to do. He was so articulate and was only 17 at the time.” she said.
Seamus Parle, who will be the next District Governor and is a former President of Wicklow Rotary has been hugely impressed with Mr Harris’s ongoing commitment and willingness to give so freely of his time to Rotary.
“He has presented Rotary awards to young people. He has helped to mentor young candidates for the leadership awards. He spoke at our annual conference in Belfast in 2015 and then spoke privately with a group of youth award winners for two hours. People were just so impressed. That year he was presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship and was made an Honorary Member of Rotary Ireland. Other recipients include John Hume and Liam Neeson. These are the highest honours which Rotary Ireland can bestow, and they were richly deserved. He has continued to support Rotary to this day – and we know he’ll continue to do so. We are all so delighted to see him elevated to high office.”
The views of current and recent Rotary youth leadership award winners
This year two Wicklow students won Rotary Ireland youth leadership awards. Both of them Juno Cherry Roberts, a fifth-year student at East Glendalough school and Lucy Curran a TY student at St Gerard’s School in Bray have been following Simon Harris’s career closely. Lucy said it came as no surprise to see Simon Harris elected Taoiseach. “I have met him in person and he’s a great communicator and natural public speaker which are both qualities that the Rotary Youth Leadership Development Programme emphasises. He’s the perfect candidate for the job.”
When asked how politicians might connect more with young people she said; “I follow Simon Harris on all social media platforms, and he does an amazing job at captivating the attention of young people as he is personable and relatable. I definitely believe that this is a good way to connect with young people, but I do think that meeting people in person creates a stronger connection and is still very important.” Lucy believes politicians need to focus more on social media if they want to connect with young people. “Less and less of my generation choose to watch television or read the news, so a greater focus on creating content on apps such as TikTok or Instagram would help increase young people’s awareness of and interest in both their campaign and politics as a whole.”
Ends.
Rotary Ireland
Rotary is one of the world’s leading membership and humanitarian service organisations, with 1.2 million members organised into circa 35,000 clubs in over 200 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1905 as a business networking group and its members engage in community service, business and social networking as well as member self-development. Members of Rotary volunteer their time to make a difference in their local communities and around the world through projects which support education, fight disease, provide clean water and much more. Rotary Ireland is an all-island body with some 70 clubs and 1,500 members. For more information go to www.rotary.ie