US teens to get a free trip to Ireland in new birthright program

kettlehead

The Minister for Diaspora Affairs, Jimmy Deenihan TD, launched two new initiatives on Saturday: the Global Irish Media Fund and a pilot summer camp program, designed to enhance connections with the Irish diaspora for high schoool students aged between 15 to 17 from the U.S. and elsewhere. Final details will be announced in December.



Speaking at the Global Irish Economic Forum, Minister Deenihan said:

"I am delighted to launch these initiatives as part of the Government’s commitment to strengthening links with the diaspora. The Global Irish Media Fund will support media professionals to bring to life stories of the diaspora experience, while our pilot summer camp programme will allow the next generation of the global Irish to connect with the country of their ancestors.’

He added: “The pilot summer camp program will provide younger members of the Irish diaspora with the opportunity to visit Ireland on a short immersive visit in the summer of 2016. The program will be primarily educational in nature and designed to encourage students to develop a deeper connection with Ireland.”

Summer camp program participants will have the opportunity to travel to visit rural and urban areas, to learn about the country’s history and to experience the modern face of Ireland. For this pilot phase the program will be available to high school students aged 15 - 17 years based in the U.S. only. The course will last two weeks "to learn about the country's history and to experience the modern face of Ireland."

If you're on a mobile device I wouldn't recommend clicking on this link. Phone goes haywire on this site - irishcentral. com/news/Minister-Deenihan-announces-2016-summer-camp-program-for-teens-.html

Copying the Israelis! That will go down well in some quarters. Judging by the demographics that will be afforded the trip, it seems to me to be more of a ploy to get Americans to choose, and pay big bucks, to study here. What do people make of this? Good idea to connect with young members of the diaspora or a waste of money?

kneemos

Marketing baby.


Marketing.

MilesMorales1

Ugh. Bad enough with the spanish students here in the summer.

c_man

kettlehead wrote: »

Copying the Israelis!

Yes, we'll also pay for them to move to some new... settlements we'll be providing for them in the North :pac:

questionmark?

Sounds like an investment for the future.

ancapailldorcha

Waste of money but it's their money going into Irish pockets so it's grand.

snubbleste

What about our diaspora in Brasil, South Africa, México, Argentina ?
Are they less important?

kylith

Free for them, but who ultimately foots the bill?

snubbleste

kylith wrote: »

Free for them, but who ultimately foots the bill?

De magic money tree

Sleepy

If it's done right, this could be a good move long-run. As teenagers they're going to be put up in hostel / Gaeltacht style accomodation pretty cheaply and should the program be run well enough to have them going home raving about Ireland, their parents / grandparents / future selves will be returning and paying for Hotels, restaurants, car hire, etc.

SEPT 23 1989

The modern face of Ireland is so Americanised they might as well be at home

biko

I for one welcome US teens to visit. Only hotties allowed.

Hammer89

ISIS won't like this one bit.

Zebra3

snubbleste wrote: »

What about our diaspora in Brasil, South Africa, México, Argentina ?
Are they less important?

Depends how much money they have.

SEPT 23 1989

biko wrote: »

I for one welcome US teens to visit. Only hotties allowed.

Afternoon Mr Savile

BattleCorp

Sleepy wrote: »

If it's done right, this could be a good move long-run. As teenagers they're going to be put up in hostel / Gaeltacht style accomodation pretty cheaply and should the program be run well enough to have them going home raving about Ireland, their parents / grandparents / future selves will be returning and paying for Hotels, restaurants, car hire, etc.

They'll be able to tell them all back home that they "got the shift" off a wan out the back of the pub.

Yakkyda

BattleCorp wrote: »

They'll be able to tell them all back home that they "got the shift" off a wan out the back of the pub.

Fcuk that, they better not be in any pub I'm in, bleeding adult septic tanks in the local can be bad enough, imagine drunk yank teens?? Fcuk no....

Buona Fortuna

snubbleste wrote: »

What about our diaspora in Brasil, South Africa, México, Argentina ?
Are they less important?

Yes cos they don't have loads of US$:D

topper75

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Afternoon Mr Savile

Dr. Jim,

Could you fix it for me to fly over the Atlantic and stay with a Bean an Tí in Laois for a fortnight.

Yeah that was the episode script the BBC never shot.

asherbassad

Sleepy wrote: »

If it's done right, this could be a good move long-run. As teenagers they're going to be put up in hostel / Gaeltacht style accomodation pretty cheaply and should the program be run well enough to have them going home raving about Ireland, their parents / grandparents / future selves will be returning and paying for Hotels, restaurants, car hire, etc.

Christ, what bullshit.

c_man

kylith wrote: »

Free for them, but who ultimately foots the bill?

Noraid still about?

Sleepy

asherbassad wrote: »

Christ, what bullshit.

What a succinct and convincing argument. I retract my point immediately. :rolleyes:

Gyalist

asherbassad wrote: »

Christ, what bullshit.

Actually, Sleepy is right. It's for the same reason that some countries actively recruit foreign students with scholarships, grants, etc. They know that in a few years those students could be in positions of power in their home countries and, most likely, would be favourably disposed toward the country where they studied. It's part of what is known as soft power.

listermint

Gyalist wrote: »

Actually, Sleepy is right. It's for the same reason that some countries actively recruit foreign students with scholarships, grants, etc. They know that in a few years those students could be in positions of power in their home countries and, most likely, would be favourably disposed toward the country where they studied. It's part of what is known as soft power.

Sending irish lads out across the world for the last 300 years to procreate was known as 'hard' power.


Its worked wonders for the nation.

suicide_circus

I think "Ireland" of their imagination is a nicer place and probably better to leave them with that. When they realise we're a nation of cynical mè feining chicken fillet roll eaters rather than kindly twinkly eyed ****ers with a pig under each arm the romanticism and yerning for the old country might take a hit.

steddyeddy

Brilliant idea IMHO. It can only be a good thing.

BlibBlab

suicide_circus wrote: »

I think "Ireland" of their imagination is a nicer place and probably better to leave them with that. When they realise we're a nation of cynical mè feining chicken fillet roll eaters rather than kindly twinkly eyed ****ers with a pig under each arm the romanticism and yerning for the old country might take a hit.

Whats wrong with chicken fillet rolls?

JohnnyChimpo

Yakkyda wrote: »

Fcuk that, they better not be in any pub I'm in, bleeding adult septic tanks in the local can be bad enough, imagine drunk yank teens?? Fcuk no....

well with that Cockney rhyming sh1te you can fvck off back to the East End and all, mate

MadsL

Yakkyda wrote: »

Fcuk that, they better not be in any pub I'm in, bleeding adult septic tanks in the local can be bad enough, imagine drunk yank teens?? Fcuk no....

I hear you're a racist now Father...

kettlehead

MadsL wrote: »

I hear you're a racist now Father...

Americans are not a race.

MadsL

kettlehead wrote: »

Americans are not a race.

*whoosh*

MilesMorales1

BlibBlab wrote: »

Whats wrong with chicken fillet rolls?

Chicken fillet rolls are the food of the Dublin peasants didnt ya know.

BattleCorp

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

Chicken fillet rolls are the food of the Dublin peasants didnt ya know.

Ah yes, the Dublin pheasant. Light blue in colour, but walks like a pigeon. Can be trained much like a parrot to say "Stoooooory Bud". :pac:

c_man

kettlehead wrote: »

Americans are not a race.

You've offended all of boards Cherokee users with that one. For shame.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Surely after four or 5 generations the link becomes so diluted that it dies. I mean for instance Irish Americans are not considered a voting demo over there anymore.

steddyeddy

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Surely after four or 5 generations the link becomes so diluted that it dies. I mean for instance Irish Americans are not considered a voting demo over there anymore.

They're definitely considered a voting demo. Maybe not officially but the Irish American vote is something that's aimed for. It's certainly not a section of politicians like to p1ss off.

questionmark?

listermint wrote: »

Sending irish lads out across the world for the last 300 years to procreate was known as 'hard' power.


Its worked wonders for the nation.

It has. Could you imagine we had a population of 12 million or so if emigration had not happended!! The moaning would be so loud the yanks would have to nuke us to stop it!

fleet_admiral

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

Ugh. Bad enough with the spanish students here in the summer.

At least American ladies havent got hairy backs unlike our Iberian friends.

Kermit.de.frog

I can't believe people are moaning about this. Ireland should always have copied the Isreali lobbying technique - look at the amount of support they have got down the years.

Irish governments have never fully utilised the resource of Irish Americans to our advantage like they could have and should. Irish governments have always look on Irish Americans with suspicion whereas the Isrealis have never been shy about embracing their own there - hence the influence.

Witchie

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Surely after four or 5 generations the link becomes so diluted that it dies. I mean for instance Irish Americans are not considered a voting demo over there anymore.

I have brought this to the attention of my cousins over there, as their dad moved there from Ireland and they are very Irish in their ways and their kids are all obsessed with coming here. In fact 2 cousins' kids are seriously considering coming to college here and one did a year here as part of his course.

So while it maybe diluted in some generations, there are still some very connected first and second generation Irish-Americans who long for their kids to get a taste of here. In fact my cousin's daughter called her new daughter Bianca Ireland such is her connection to here even though she has never been and her dad has only been a few times, the connection is strong in many of the next generations.

I think its a wicked idea and will bring money in.

kettlehead

Witchie wrote:

In fact 2 cousins' kids are seriously considering coming to college here and one did a year here as part of his course.

This is the main purpose behind all this, imho. Why else target 15-17 year olds? How much will it cost them to study here? €15k minimum per annum.