Where will you excel?

So this is it: a whole year stretching before you, and the Transition Times page, in The Irish Times every Wednesday, will be with you every step of the way. It's a year with no exam stress, minimal homework and you get to pick your activities and work experience. Gráinne Faller has some ideas to get you started Are you a millionaire in waiting?

Political animals

Have you ever felt that the current crop of politicians is making a royal mess of things, both at home and abroad? Do you reckon you could do a better job? Getting involved in student politics is a great way to hone your diplomatic skills - as Angelina Jolie (pictured) has done as a United Nations goodwill ambassodor - and there are a surprising number of perks.

At a local level, you could get involved in your school's student council. If your school doesn't have one, why not set one up? It is a useful way to strengthen the voice of students within a school. You can find all the information you need about setting one up at www.studentcouncil.ie.

On a national level, there's Dáil na nÓg. Every county has a Comhairle na nÓg, which aims to give young people a say in how their community is run. Delegates from each comhairle are selected to go to the annual Dáil na nÓg conference in Dublin, during which students discuss and make recommendations to the Government about issues affecting young people. You can get more information, as well as contact details for your local comhairle, from www.dailnanog.ie.

If you are keen on international politics, you may be interested in the European Youth Parliament or the Model United Nations. The European Youth Parliament holds several weekend-long conferences a year, during which students discuss and pass resolutions on a variety of topics. Some students are selected to go to the international European Youth Parliament conference every year. You can read more at www.eypireland.com.

At the Model United Nations, a group of students represent a country, which they must research. Each student sits on a committee that must pass resolutions on human rights and other issues. There are Irish and international conferences, as the Model United Nations is a worldwide network. Find out more on www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/modelun/index.asp.

Sporting heroes

Do you have what it takes to be the next Derval O'Rourke? Many schools let transition- year students try out different sports. The choices vary from school to school, but some lucky students get to try sports as diverse as horse-riding, tennis and golf. The GAA offers the Sport through Education Programme (Step) for all levels of students; in transition year, students get a chance to complete a foundation-level coach education course, which gives them the skills to enable them to coach primary-school children. The association also offers a young referees' transition-year course, which teaches potential refs the principles of fair play and enables them to take on refereeing assignments. Next stop Croke Park. Have a look at www.gamesdevelopment.gaa.ie and follow the link through the Grassroots to National Programme tab. There are similar sporting programmes around the country; Leinster Cricket Union, for example, teamed up with schools to provide an introduction-to-cricket-coaching course last year, and it looks set to build on that this year.

Green warriors

The Environmental Protection Agency produces a pack to help transition-year students understand the environmental challenges facing our planet. Every school should already have a copy; you can also download it from www.epa.ie (follow the Education tab).

An important part of the world around us is the built environment, and students interested in architecture could participate in the Shaping Space programme, which has been put together by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. The programme helps students learn about types of buildings and towns, explore planning, design, materials, building technology, conservation and preservation in Ireland and other societies. See www.riai.ie/education/shapingspace.html.

You could also set up your own environmental programme, such as leading a school recycling scheme.

Media darlings

If you fancy yourself as the next Gráinne Seoige or Jonathan Ross, there are plenty of opportunities to gain experience in transition year. (Bear in mind that, once you leave school, this kind of experience is notoriously difficult to get.) RTÉ 2FM, for example, gives transition-year students a chance to make programmes for it. Schools apply to take part in day-long workshops with the TY Radio team. Students then submit proposals for hour-long programmes; the best are made for broadcast when the team comes back to their schools for a week. You can find out more from www.rte.ie/2fm/tyradio.

Budding Martin Scorseses also have all sorts of opportunities, including the Fresh Film Festival, which showcases the work of film-makers aged between 12 and 18. If you have a camera and a computer, you can make a film. There are plenty of resources on the internet. Find out more at www.freshfilm festival.net, and have a look at Young Irish Filmmakers (www.yifm.com).

Young Einsteins

The application of science is where it's at for the contestants in the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. Projects last year ranged from flood protection to an unbreakable hurley. (This year's winner was Aisling Judge from Kinsale Community School,  in Co Cork.) The BT-sponsored contest, which is held at the RDS, in Dublin, every year, is the culmination of a huge amount of work by students. Transition year is a great opportunity to do your best. You can get application details from www.btyoungscientist.ie.

Robocup is a new programme set up in Ireland in conjunction with the National College of Ireland. Students are trained to design, build and programme robots to complete various tasks; the robots compete at the Robocup final towards the end of the year. Winners have the chance to travel to and compete in the World Robocup Championships. See www.robocup.org for more information.

X-ploring Science is a web-based set of challenges for transition-year students. Projects include designing the perfect paper aeroplane and researching a way of evacuating the planet to Mars, in the event of a meteor strike in the future. Find out more from www.teachnet.ie/hjones/x-ploringscience.

Carers and sharers

Transition year offers plenty of opportunities to challenge yourself while making a difference to your community. Gaisce, the President's Award, consists of a number of challenges you have to complete to win a bronze, silver or gold award. These are in the areas of skill, community, physical and adventure. Anyone can take part, as long as you have the motivation to go through with it. Have a look at www.gaisce.ie.

Young Social Innovators is a simple concept. You identify a problem or issue in your community and figure out how to tackle it. Young people have been surprisingly powerful in implementing change in their communities. Following a number of workshops and forums throughout the year, there is a big showcase at the end, during which students can display the fruits of their labours. You can find out more from the Young Social Innovators' website, www.youngsocialinnovators.ie.

Are you a millionaire in waiting?

For the potential Bill Gates, transition year can be a great opportunity to make a bit of money. You may not make a bean, of course, but you will certainly learn a lot about business if you participate in one of the year's many entrepreneurial programmes.

AIB sponsors the Get Up & Go mini-company programme. Students come up with a business idea, then set up a company. They do everything from market research to advertising before showcasing their work in a variety of regional fairs.

Regional enterprise boards run similar programmes. You can find details of these  from the individual associations; their contacts are listed at www.enterpriseboards.ie.

The National Foundation for Teaching Enterprise (NFTE) runs an enterprise and mini-company programme for students  both in and out of school who might not have the opportunities that others take for granted. The winners of the NFTE programme go to New York to meet other young  entrepreneurs. To find out more go to www.nfte.ie.

Music is also business, and another mini-company programme is Coca-Cola's Blast:Beat, which is currently accepting applications.

It requires students to set up a record label. They scout talent, organise gigs and drum up publicity, among other things. You can get more information from www.blastbeat.org.