| Travel The
Rooney Fellows get the opportunity to travel if they want. A lot
of the Rooney fellows went to New York, Washington and Canada
as noted from their answers in appendix. This is where they get
educational trips so they have a better understanding of American
culture. The trips; travel, accommodation and food expenses are
paid for by the American Ireland fund so it is quite easy for
the Rooney Fellows to go anywhere they wish, as there is no cost
to them. Although there is a certain limit to how much money can
be spent during the year as there is only a certain amount allocated
to travel.
When surveyed 83% of Rooney Fellows said
that travel is one of the main reasons they applied for
the scholarship. It’s understandable that most young people
love to travel and in nearly all cases it helps build confidence.
The reason the Rooney Fellow gets this opportunity
is so they can have a better feel of the American dream that the
Rooney Fellowship and the American Ireland Fund was set up to
provide. They get to meet new people and have conversations with
people with different opinions and views. As well as getting to
know American history and get to visit American landmarks.
Confidence
When surveying the pervious Rooney Fellows 67%
said how the Rooney Fellowship give them so much more confidence
and determination to do what they wanted with their lives. The
Rooney Fellowship does this by showing the individual that they
are capable of looking after themselves and can stick to their
budget of six hundred dollars a month. But also by having them
in a highly motivated environment like Heinz and the Steelers,
they can become more aware of their skills and strengths and how
they can fit into an organisation.
To any person in business this is very important,
if you don’t have enough confidence in your skills then it could
mean the difference between a sale or not. Giving this experience
to student at this stage is very critical in their development;
during your work experience years you are very likely to find
something you like doing. After education you may wish to return
to the job or even the same line of work.
Cultural Experience
The cultural experience that each Rooney Fellow receives is something
that every person in Northern Ireland needs to have. People describe
America as the “melting pot of the world” and by this they mean,
that in America there is nearly in some form or other a representative
of every nation, culture or belief, all living together in coexistence.
From this a Rooney Fellow can obtain the skills and understanding
needed to coexist with other beliefs, that is currently lacking
here in Northern Ireland.
American culture is something that can be admired by everyone,
they have a strong pride in their own county, but yet still have
a great respect for others, and they are always interested in
your views.
Newry Community
The whole idea behind the American Ireland fund
and the Rooney Scholarship is to give something back to
the community. From the 100% positive responses gotten back
so far, the Rooney fellows seem keen to help worthy causes
in anyway possible. The Rooney Fellowship opens a person's
mind to something bigger and better for them to do with
their skills. It fits in very well with the new Newry slogan
“Newry think big”.
The survey also suggests that the Rooney
fellows could form an alumnus that could take the business
skills they’ve learned from America, and pass them on through
holding lectures for A level students and undergraduates
in local venues.
Source Gary Rice's Industrial Project
2005 |
