YSI Den supported by Ulster Bank

PRESS RELEASE

22nd February 2016, Twenty young teams of social innovators and entrepreneurs from around Ireland were shortlisted to pitch to two panels of YSI dragons in Dublin and Cork this week as part of their participation in the Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards supported by Ulster Bank. Over 6,500 students are taking part in Young Social Innovators this year working in teams to tackle social issues affecting them and their communities.

In Cork, ten project teams took part in a Dragon’s Den-style pitch to a YSI Panel for a share of the €15k social innovation fund. The fund was created to assist teams to implement their innovative ideas to bring about positive change and increase the impact of their project work. Some also requested mentorship and support from the YSI Dragons in specialised areas such as marketing and finance.

The initiative challenges young people to work within their communities to identify areas of social need and to come up with and implement solutions for positive social change. The teams pitching at this year’s YSI Den addressed a range of social issues including mental health, nutrition, homophobia, road safety and addiction.

The Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards is now in its 15th year.  450 projects from 211 schools are taking part in 2016 looking at an even more diverse range of issues including integration, equality, crime, health, safety, homelessness, intergenerational initiatives and more.

CEO of Young Social Innovators, Rachel Collier said: “YSI offers a unique opportunity to young people enabling them to grapple with difficult social issues, advocate reform and advance change. We are delighted to be able to harness the passion and creativity of these young innovators to create real change on issues that matter to them. The quality of the pitches presented at the YSI Den and the professionalism of the young people is extremely inspiring and we look forward to seeing how their ideas progress with the support granted. We are grateful to Ulster Bank for their support and look forward to increasing our reach and impact in partnership with them.”

Ulster Bank’s partnership with the programme was announced last month as part of its ongoing commitment to fostering social innovation from a young age, and to build on its strong community legacy of education evident in its MoneySense and Skills & Opportunities fund programmes.

Speaking about YSI and the Den, Pat Horgan, Head of SME Banking, Ulster Bank who was a dragon at the Cork Den said: “One of Ulster Bank’s goals as a business is to enable growth through innovation which is why we’ve focused investment on financial education, entrepreneurship and skills programmes for young people. We want to inspire a new generation of social innovators. Our partnership with YSI extends beyond financial support, to include volunteering our business skills and insights - from our experience working in communities across the country - to help raise the voices of our talented youth who hold the future of positive change in this country in their hands.”

ENDS