Taking Gifted Advocacy in Ireland to the Next Level

One week on from EU Talent Day and I am finally finding my feet again! Firstly, a big THANK YOU is due to everyone who supported Gifted Education Awareness Day and EU Talent Day. All the organisations who lent official support and helped to spread the word through their networks. An Post and Katie McMillan for the wonderful artwork. Dublin Zoo, the National Museum, the National Gallery who held events and helped to promote the day. The members of our GAS group who helped in so many ways behind the scenes. Deserving of particular thanks are Elaine Mackey for her enthusiasm, advice and expertise and Natalie Butler who succeeded in getting coverage in the National newspapers and who is responsible for the wonderful quote from our Minister for Education! And Hilary Jordan of www.cakesunlimited.ie for the delicious chocolate cake.

In the days leading up to 8th April, every single one of the 4100+ school Principals in Ireland received a poster for their staffroom and a leaflet prepared with the help of ICEPE, with information on gifted education. Based on the number of teachers who have signed up to TEACHIreland, the new professional association for Teachers of Exceptionally Able Children in Ireland, and the phonecalls/emails from people looking for more information, our goal of raising awareness was certainly achieved. This would not have been possible without the very generous sponsorship of  Brian Clavin and KPMG.

Frazzled and Peter "negotiate"!

On Saturday 9th April, we officially launched Gifted and Talented Network Ireland. We hope to see this develop into a  body which can bring people together to ensure that gifted advocacy in Ireland can be carried out in a co-ordinated, cohesive and effective fashion, whilst still allowing for individual groups. In fact, we would hope that it can be used as a means of supporting each other. The "rules of engagement" have yet to be finalised and our plan is to bring together representatives from interested parties in a few months time to agree on these .

It is our firm belief that the way forward is for a network of strong local support groups to develop. In this way, individuals on the ground can feel involved, valued and included so that, over time, new voices and new ideas can come forward. While a few high-profile advocates remain to the fore, there is a danger that other very capable people feel that they are not qualified or valuable, so they remain quiet. They may also be of the impression that the big noises have it all sewn up and under control! The story of our GAS group serves as a good illustration of what can happen when individuals come together with confidence and a can-do attitude. It began in 2009 when one individual realised that there was no support group in their area simply because no one had set one up. All that it took was one friend for moral support to get the ball rolling and from that has slowly developed GAS South Dublin/Wicklow.


View GT Network Ireland in a larger map
We plan to use the gtnetwork register to get local support groups up and running. As you can see from the map above, fifteen counties are represented already and we will be contacting the individuals concerned over the coming weeks. We are quite happy to travel to meet these people and get them started. 


In summary, the EU Talent Day initiative in Ireland was a great start and has opened doors. Now we need to keep the momentum going and we need more hands on deck. Just imagine the success we might see with our next venture if we have people all round the country working together! 

A final THANK YOU to Hungary for the concept of an EU Talent Day and to Eszter Kethelyi who helped to put together the Irish page on their website. The result of the initiative on a European scale is the Budapest Declaration on Talent Support which calls on all member states to ensure that talent is actively supported in their own country, and to hold an annual Talent Day each spring. It is hoped that an international talent support network will develop and: 
"The participants agree to invite stakeholders from every country of the European Union to convene annually to discuss the developments and current questions in talent support. Upon the invitation of the Government of Poland the next conference will take place in Warsaw in 2012."


For those of you who couldn't make it to the Zoo, here are a few photos. More to follow when we get permission to add people pics.

Time for Ireland to Celebrate

EU Talent Day is on Saturday 9th April

This has been declared by Hungary which currently holds the Presidency of the European Union, but it is up to each individual country to make its mark. Despite our small size, Ireland has a rich history of talent in many fields. We absolutely must take this opportunity to show ourselves and the world what we can do! If proof were needed, below is a small sample of what we have so far:

Literature: Johnathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Bram Stoker, WB Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel, Emma Donoghue, Maeve Binchy, Claire Hennessy....and on and on we could go.

Music: Clannad, Enya, Van Morrison, Turlough O Carolan, Bernadette Greevy, Cora Venus Lunny, Sharon Shannon, Mary Black, Sinead O'Connor, U2, Phil Lynott, Rory Gallagher, Christy Moore, The Dubliners, Riverdance, John McCormack, Gerald Barry....

Art: Francis Bacon, Robert Ballagh, John Lavery, Graham Knuttel, Pauline Bewick, Poppy Melia, Eileen Gray...

Acting: Daniel Day Lewis, Richard Harris, Liam Neeson, Peter O'Toole, Cillian Murphy, Gabriel Byrne, Colm Meaney, Sinead Cusack, Colin Farrell, Pierce Brosnan, Brendan Gleeson, Brenda Fricker, Maureen O'Hara, Ivana Lynch....

Science and Maths: Robert Boyle, Francis Beaufort, George Boole, William Rowan Hamilton, Joycelyn Bell Burnell, Aoife McLysaght...

Sport: We have produced world class competitors in sports such as rugby, soccer, rowing, athletics, boxing, cycling, golf and now cricket. To name but a few: Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell, Brian O'Driscoll, Keith Woods, Ronan O'Gara, Sonia O'Sullivan, Eamonn Coghlan, John Treacy, Ron Delany, Mary Peters, George Best, Roy  Keane, Katie Nolan, Barry McGuigan, Bernard Dunne,  Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche....

Leadership: Michael Collins, Daniel O'Connell, Eamon de Valera, John Hume, Fergus Finlay, John O'Shea, Adi Roche, Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese, Mairead Corrigan, Bob Geldof, Bono, Mary Davis, Debbie Deegan... John Kennedy had Irish genes, and apparently Barack O'Bama is also one of ours!

Whether it's in the water or in the genes, the Irish have something special. EU Talent Day is an opportunity for us all to forget for one day, about the dreadful mess we are now in and remember that we are a great people. Dispersed throughout the young people of Ireland right now are the next great people of talent. We must recognise that talent and make sure that they have every possible opportunity to fulfill their potential. The first step is to recognise, encourage and celebrate talent of every type and level. 

So, on Saturday 9th April 2011, we invite everyone, regardless of ability, to celebrate talent of all forms. This can be done by small groups of friends or families, by sports clubs, scout and guide troops, dance clubs, craft classes. It need not be an elaborate or special event. If you already have something planned for the day, do it in honour of EU Talent Day and let us know either via this blog or on our facebook wall so that we can add it to our list.

National Gifted Education Awareness Day

Below is our poster for EU Talent Day and National Gifted Education Awareness Day.


This initiative has the official support of the Department of Education and Skills. The Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, has declared his own personal recognition of Gifted and Talented students:


"I very much welcome the initiative to establish the first EU Talent Day on 9 April, together with the National Gifted Education Awareness Day in Ireland on 8 April. We must nurture and support talent and giftedness, if we are to meet the challenges which face today's society. This is a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate talent in many disciplines, and to promote an inclusive education system which meets all our students' needs."

Official support has been given by the national associations of both Primary and Post Primary school Principals (NAPD, IPPN), the largest secondary school teachers’ union (ASTI), and three national parents’ representative bodies (NPCpp, PACCS, FEDCBS). This is probably the first time that all these groups have come together in support of an event such as this.


Advocates for gifted children in Ireland now have an opportunity like never before. We must seize it with both hands and find a way to work together to rise to the challenge. To that end, everyone with an interest in this area is invited to attend a meeting at Dublin ZOO at 2pm on Saturday 9th April where there will be two important events:


1. The launch of TEACHIreland, an association for teachers of Exceptionally Able Children in Ireland. All teachers are invited to register their interest by signing the register on the TEACH Ireland site.


2. The launch of Gifted and Talented Network Ireland. This meeting will explore ideas as to how this network of diverse groups or organisations around the country with an interest in giftedness or gifted education might function. We really want to hear views and suggestions so we can put shape on the network. Don't feel you are ‘joining up’ to something. The main concept is the creation of a network of interested parties with a view to progressing gifted education in Ireland. Come along and find out more next Saturday at 2.00pm in Dublin Zoo. Please sign the register on the new site to let us know you are coming.