Top SDLP Youth role for Derry student
Derry student Ruaidhr� O'Donnell pictured at a youth conference in Denmark recently. (0102MM27)
Derry student Ruaidhrí O’Donnell has been appointed as the international secretary of the SDLP Youth.
The 19 year-old from the Prehen area of the city is currently studying at Queen’s University, Belfast.
He was appointed to the position this week and has said he is looking forward to the challenge of the role. As international secretary, Ruaidhrí will join the executive of the SDLP Youth.
The politics, philosophy and economics student already has plenty of experience of youth politics, having previously served as a UK Youth Ambassador for the North.
“I was selected on Tuesday night and I am really looking forward to taking on the position,” he said.
“My focus will be on Europe and cooperating with youth organisations both in Europe and across the world. I will also be working closely with the main party on international policy, particularly in relation to European policy coming from the party of European Socialists and making that relevant across the North,” he explained. Ruaidhrí has also been involved in the campaign to have the voting age lowered and said he will continue that lobby in his new role. “As a UK Youth Ambassador I was involved in that campaign in terms of bringing it from European Commission level to the national and regional level. It is something that the SDLP have been pushing and I was pleased that it received cross party support when it was brought to the Assembly,” he said.
He also said he is looking forward to working with his SDLP Youth executive colleagues. “I am joining an Executive that is already established so I will have support from my colleagues as well as the main party,” he said.
Foyle SDLP MLA Colum Eastwood congratulated Ruaidhrí on his appointment as international secretary. “I have full confidence that Ruaidhrí will build upon this tradition and these values. He is immensely capable and will do an excellent job in representing the party.
“Ruaidhrí is a credit to himself and is a great asset to the party. I look forward to working with him in the months ahead,” he said.
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Weather for Derry
Saturday 25 May 2013
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