Coláiste student to represent Kilkenny in Youth Leadership Award regional final

ABOVE: Students and teachers from six of the Kilkenny Secondary Schools that took part in this year's Rotary Youth Leadership Awards in Kilkenny. Click NEXT for more photographs.

A student from Coláiste Abhainn Ri, in Callan, will represent Kilkenny at the regional finals of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.

Ella Cantwell took part in two rounds of competition interviews, in her school and the county final, before being named as the Kilkenny winner.

The fifth year student will now go on to represent the county at the regional finals, to be held in Wexford next month.

Held annually, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards has been running for 25 years. It rewards young people with clear leadership potential and offers them an opportunity  to enhance their personal development and improve their communication and teambuilding skills. Students learn life skills, as well as gaining confidence in public speaking and debate. Every year great friendships are formed that last for years.

The winners of the regional competition will take part in a gathering of students, from across Ireland and Europe, at the European Parliament. The prize is a five day all expenses paid trip, which includes a visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in February each year.  The trip in previous years started with a visit to Stormont in Belfast, the European Parliament Office in Dublin, Dáil Eireann and then to Strasbourg. In advance of the trip, students will be informed of the current European issues which they will debate, amend, vote and adopt in the EU Parliament.