YSI’s Early Days

The story of Young Social Innovators began some time ago when the two co-founders, Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy and Rachel Collier, worked together establishing and developing Focus Point (now Focus Ireland) in the early 1980’s.

Rachel’s idea of young people becoming social innovators came to mind through her work with young people out of home who themselves played a major part in the decisions and the responses which evolved in the new organisation, Focus Point, in the 1980’s. She realised the importance of designing social services around the needs of young people rather than replicating traditional responses to homelessness.

Sr. Stan, herself one of Ireland’s leading social innovators, recognised the potential of young people and their capacity to bring about positive change Ireland. In 2001, Sr. Stanislaus set up Social Innovations Ireland (SII), an ngo aiming to look at new and emerging social needs in Ireland and ways to respond to these. With the support of Sr. Stan and the Board of Social Innovations Ireland, Rachel’s idea became a reality with the establishment of a three year pilot programme that same summer.

In 2004 the YSI programme extended nationally to all second level schools and youth centres. Young Social Innovators became an organisation in its own right in June 2006 with a robust model for social innovation education used widely now in schools and youth organisations nationwide. This model is firmly rooted in Rachel’s own experience of social innovation throughout the years of developing Focus Ireland with Sr. Stanislaus.

Rachel was assisted early on by a very active Board and volunteers with a huge amount of energy and creativity as she took on the planning, development and management of YSI.

The on-going support, goodwill and enthusiasm of teachers, parents, staff, volunteers and of course, young people, ensures that YSI continues to go from strength to strength.