Students from across the country are having their say on important issues and unveiling their vision for change this week as part of the Young Social Innovators Speak Out Virtual Tour.
From issues such as racism, homelessness, mental health and sustainability, groups of teenagers are trying to raise awareness and enact change in communities through their projects.
More than 7,000 secondary school students are registered with YSI and this week projects have been submitted from 200 schools.
One group from Mercy Secondary School in Tralee, Co Kerry, focused on the issue of toxic relationships.
"It needs to be talked about more because so many young people find themselves in a toxic relationship whether its romantic of friendship," Róise O'Donnell from the 'Red Flags' project said.
"Relationships are so important to a person’s social development and well-being and down the line, even this year with Covid-19, the domestic abuse figures were shocking.
"If young people are educated as teenagers or younger about what is the appropriate treatment of others, how you should be treated, it could change things in the future."
Meanwhile, the ‘Voices Left on the Street’ project from St Leo's College in Carlow aims to "raise awareness and reduce stigma associated with homelessness".
Putting together dignity packs for homeless women and children in Carlow was a big effort by the group as it noted that "there is only a homeless shelter for men in Carlow and women need to travel to Kilkenny or further afield for refuge".
If you enjoyed hearing the inspirational stories from the Speak Out Virtual Tour Roadshow, be sure to visit our digital platform to see what the YSI teams around Ireland have been up to! #SpeakOut https://t.co/HjFBuuHDnT pic.twitter.com/Ngfpv2Tszz
— Young Social Innovators (@YSInow) April 14, 2021
Largy College in Clones, Co Monaghan, tackled the issue of racism with their project ‘RACE - Right Attitude Creates Equality’.
"We did this project to show racism happens here as well and not just in other countries like the US, it happens in our own communities as well," group member Daniel McKernan said.
YSI would usually host large in-person events every year, but due to the pandemic they have taken things online.
Students have submitted videos about their projects, outlining the work they have done during the year, largely remotely, and the public are invited to check in and see what they have been up to.
"The virtual platform is open for everyone to see this week and it is a great way of communicating what young people are doing and what they are contributing to what is a really difficult time in Ireland," Rachel Collier, co-founder and CEO of YSI said.
"The span of topics is really immense, young people go from environmental issues to equality, looking at poverty, well-being, how we use technology, sustainability. Every year new topics come forward because they can see things that are happening that a lot of us perhaps don’t," she said.
"There is a lot this year around well-being and mental health and that’s the nature of the year that is in it, young people have been suffering from isolation and disconnection from friends and people they know and from education itself."
