Dylan Bagnall, from The Kings Hospital, Dublin, explains his studies which he exhibited at the Young Scientist Exhibition to Ard Stiúrthóir of the GAA Páraic Duffy and Brian Carroll at the 2015 Youth Forum.
Saturday 29th October will see more than 200 young players travel from the four corners of Ireland to Croke Park in order to participate in the 2016 #GAAyouth Forum. The young male and female players, aged 12 – 21, were selected on foot of an online application process, which had over 600 applicants.
The purpose of the #GAAyouth Forum is to educate and empower young people around Player Welfare issues that are important to them. The Forum promises to be both fun and informative with a mix of interactive exhibitions, workshops, high profile speakers and a Q&A session for all to take part in.
Young players will start the day by participating in the interactive demos at the Exhibition Zone where they will learn about everything from preparing healthy smoothies to hurley care and repair.
The delegates will then have the opportunity to attend a number of different workshops throughout the day where speakers including David Gough, Oisín McConville, Justin Campbell, Rory O’Connor, Alan O’Mara, Julie Davis and Joey Boland will address a range of issues from Respect & Sportsmanship to Injury Prevention & Recovery to Juggling the Demands in a young player’s life.
After an address from Aogán Ó Fearghail, Uachtarán CLG, the young players will have the chance to witness a free-taking masterclass! Cora Staunton, Kate Kelly and Conor Cooney will be pitch-side to talk about how they have honed their free-taking techniques over the years.
The Forum will conclude with a Q&A Panel session hosted by Damian Lawlor. The panel will discuss a range of different issues of interest to young players including: managing a good balance between study, work and GAA; communicating effectively with adult coaches; preventing burnout and injury prevention; making health-decisions and the highs and lows of a sporting career.
The #GAAyouth Forum is organised by the National Youth Committee in partnership with An Cumann Camógaíochta, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and the Department of Children & Youth Affairs. The Medical, Scientific & Welfare Committee and the Games Development Committee have also played a key role in ensuring that all of the activities and information provided at the Forum reflect GAA Policy and best practice. For further information on the activities of the National Youth Committee check out www.gaa.ie/youth-zone.