An Taisce are proud to announce that ten students have been selected as winners of the National Young Reporters of the Environment competition.
The YRE competition is a leadership programme open to students aged 11-25 who are invited to share their environmental perspectives through an article, photograph, or video.
A total of 50 Green-Schools signed up for the programme which launched in January this year. Following the alarming need for urgent action, YRE recommends that students investigate local environmental issues linked to the following three themes; Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Environmental Pollution.
Under strict criteria, the students task was to identify and research a local environmental issue in their area, propose solutions and communicate their findings to the community. The criteria also directs each student to evaluate how these local issues feed into the bigger global picture by linking in with the SDG's. Winning entries addressed climate anxiety, the threat of the New Zealand flatworm, Sika Deer and the destruction of Ireland’s flora and fauna. Invasive species and biodiversity loss were the most common theme across all entries for 2024.
You can see them all here on the official site!
The Senior Section winner was Mark Monaghan from Piper's Hill College, Naas, Co Kildare who made a video presenting climate change topics from a young person's point of view.
Mark said: "Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
The video exists to present the goal of my YouTube channel (So-Called Switch), which is to present climate change in a way that is easy-to-follow and tangible for newcomers. The video highlights a handful of pre-existing videos on the channel, like the one on dietary emissions and the channel's induction video."
In the Junior Section Micah Gastilaviciute from St Marys Holy Faith in Glasnevin too the amazing photo above of a moorhen.
Micah said: "Moorhen chicks are able to swim and dive almost immediately after hatching, they are exposed to water pollution in the first seconds of their life. We want to make their home a safer place by getting rid of the pollution. Birds and other animals can ingest plastic particles, which can lead to malnutrition, organ damage and even death. An estimated one million birds die as a result of plastic each year."
This year Ireland has it's first entry into the unique International Collaboration category where Colaiste Muire in Cobh worked with Ruaraka and Makini High schools in Nairobi, Kenya. Students make a comparison of a topic across different countries including processes, eg cause-effect, start-end, production-consumption. In this case, how textile consumption here in Ireland has a devastating environmental consequences in Kenya. Winners will be announced over the summer and we wish all our Irish entries the best of luck!
YRE project manager, Claire McDonald stated "The YRE competition empowers young people to take an informed stand on local environmental issues and gives them a platform to articulate these via written article, photography or video. The standard of entries were exceptionally high this year and our judges were overwhelmed with the positive actions and solutions put forward by the students".
Students will be awarded a certificate along with their prizes from go pro’s, tablets and vouchers up to the value of €1,500 cumulatively. The overall winners in each category has a chance of being recognized on a global scale with publication on the International YRE exposure website and entry into the International award.
