During the disruption of the pandemic, many people found new and valuable ways to connect in their communities, and none more so than teenagers.
The Young Social Innovators Ireland Awards recognise the activities of teenagers around the country, who have benefitted their local communities during thee disturbed times.
As part of the Awards process, over 6,000 Irish teenagers collaborate on 423 innovation projects designed to create a more equal, fair and sustainable world.
A 25-strong team of secondary school students from Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny were awarded the title of Young Social Innovators of the Year Ireland 2022 for their ground-breaking No Place Like Home project, which aims to raise awareness and campaign for redress on behalf of those affected by the mica crisis.
The team's #NoPlaceLikeHome campaign highlighted the impact of the issue on the wellbeing, relationships, work and school life of those affected and has brought the issue to international attention.
The team lobbied political representatives here in Ireland and organised a mica student stance at their own school as well as taking part in several mica protests. They also gained support from local businesses for a Christmas fundraiser. In a bid to highlight the issue outside of Ireland, the team conducted a Zoom lesson with a Pennsylvanian school and sent information resources to schools in Spain, Australia, England and France.
The second-place Silver Award went to the team of 6 from Terence MacSwiney Community College, Cork, for their The Food Fund project, which aims to reduce food waste and address food poverty through the establishment of an entrepreneurial initiative to redistribute unused meals to those in need through a local charity, aided by an app designed to track donations and sponsored by local businesses.
The third-place Bronze Award was picked up by 6 students from St. Brigid’s Secondary School, Killarney for their Operation Red project. The project aims to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma surrounding menstrual health and periods in their school and local community.
Concerned by misinformation on menstrual disorders, particularly in social media platforms such as TikTok, as well as a lack of knowledge among their peers, this team created an awareness campaign to educate young people on their reproductive health.
Now in its 21st year, YSI focuses on empowering Ireland’s young people to re-imagine the world and the communities they live in, by developing and implementing ideas that help create a fairer, more equal and sustainable world.
For more information, visit youngsocialinnovators.ie
