61 Schools and youth organisations shortlisted for Young Social Innovators of the Year 2015
PRESS RELEASE
14th April 2015: 61 schools and youth organisations have been shortlisted for the 2015 Young Social Innovator of the Year awards. The 61 projects were shortlisted from over 400 entries and the overall winner will be announced in at the Annual Awards and Showcase, which takes place on Wednesday May 6th in the Citywest Hotel, Conference and Event Centre, Dublin.
The Young Social Innovators of the Year 2015 Awards and Showcase is the biggest celebration of social innovation in Ireland and one of the largest youth events in the country with over 5,000 young people attending. The event gives young people from all over the country the opportunity to exhibit their project work through presentations, posters and exhibition stands as well as featuring lots of indoor and outdoor educational, social and interactive activities and events.
Speaking about the Young Social Innovators 2015 Awards and Showcase event, Rachel Collier, CEO, Young Social Innovators (YSI) said, “This event is a huge part of the Young Social Innovators experience. It offers a wonderful opportunity to the young people involved to showcase the innovation projects they have been engaged in over the course of the academic year. These young people have demonstrated that they can play a major part in tackling difficult and serious social issues in creative and innovative ways to bring positive change to communities in Ireland and abroad. They are an inspiration to all of us and deserve to be recognised for what they have managed to achieve and the impact they have made.”
The Young Social Innovators of the Year 2015 Awards and Showcase is supported by YSI’s official partner, the Vodafone Ireland Foundation. Speaking about the partnership, Natalie Hodgess, Manager of the Vodafone Ireland Foundation, said “We are consistently astounded by the levels of creativity and innovation that these young people bring to the social issues they choose to address through Young Social Innovators. We are extremely proud to be the Official Partner of Young Social Innovators and of this event, and to support young people in creating the type of society that they wish to see for themselves and future generations. We look forward to achieving our ambitious target of creating 100,000 social innovators in Ireland by 2015.”
This year over 6000 young people have been working hard on projects to create awareness about social issues such as health, homelessness, domestic violence, LGBT rights, disability, safety and bullying. At the Young Social Innovators 2015 Awards and Showcase shortlisted teams will get the opportunity to present their projects to judging panels and compete for an award in a number of categories.
As well as the overall Young Social Innovators of the Year 2015 title awards, awards will also be presented for the best social innovation projects within the following Challenge areas:
- Making Our Community Better
- Making Our World a Better Place for Young People
- Making Our World Fair and Just
- Making Our World Greener
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health
- Making Our Country More Inclusive & Poverty Free
- Making Our World One World
- Making Our World Safer
- Relationships & Sexual Health Challenge
- YSI Step Up Challenge
A full list of nominated projects is included below in notes to editors. For more information about Young Social Innovators or the 2015 Showcase and Awards, please visit www.youngsocialinnovators.ie
- ENDS -
Below is the complete list of the schools and youth organisations that are nominated for an award, divided by county:
Belfast
- Making Our World a Better Place for Young People, Dealing with stress in School, Bloomfield Collegiate School, Belfast
Carlow
- Making Our World a Better Place for Young People, Read All About It - Promoting Literacy in Our School, Presentation College, Carlow
- Making Our World One World, Faweza - Your Voice Your Choice, Presentation College, Carlow
- Relationships & Sexual Health Challenge, Closets are for Clothes, St. Leo's College, Carlow
Cavan
- Making Our World Safer, Farm Safety Awareness Campaign, Bailieborough Community School, Cavan
Clare
- Making Our Country More Inclusive & Poverty Free, Special needs, St. Joseph's Secondary School, Clare
- Step Up Challenge, Beware of I.T. Step Up, Coláiste Muire, Clare
Cork
- Making Our World a Better Place for Young People, Club vs Pub, Sacred Heart Secondary School, Cork
- Making Our World a Better Place for Young People, Affected by Addiction, Mount Mercy College, Cork
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health, Mental health challenge for young people, Bishopstown Community School, Cork
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health, It's ok not to be ok! , Loreto Secondary School, Cork
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health, Be Breast Aware, Presentation Secondary School, Cork
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health, Are you my type?, Beara Community School, Cork
- Making Our Country More Inclusive & Poverty Free, Disability Accessibility, Beara Community School, Cork
- Making Our World Safer, Blind Consumption, Schull Community College, Cork
- Making Our World Safer, At-taxi CAB (Cancel Abuse on Board), Mount Mercy College, Cork
- Relationships & Sexual Health Challenge, REALationships, St. Angela's College, Cork
- Step Up Challenge, Stop Trafficking Of People...Stopping This Ongoing Problem!! S.T.O.P, St. Mary's Secondary School, Cork
Donegal
- Making Our Community Better, Community Unity, Loreto Convent, Donegal
- Making Our Country More Inclusive & Poverty Free, The only true disability in life is a bad attitude, Scoil Mhuire Secondary School, Donegal
Dublin
- Making Our Community Better, We are not scumbags we are funlads, Whitehall School Completion Programme, Dublin
- Making Our Community Better, 'A Guide to IPhone Apps for Older People - Keeping older people connected.', St. Aidan's C.B.S., Dublin
- Making Our World a Better Place for Young People, The Can in Cancer, Coláiste Bríde, Dublin
- Making Our World a Better Place for Young People, Is the school around the corner still the same?, Mercy Secondary School, Dublin
- Making Our World Fair and Just, Fight for Females, Mercy College Coolock, Dublin
- Making Our World Greener, Our School Environment , St. Aidan's Community School, Dublin
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health, Life is worth finding..., Blakestown Community School, Dublin
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health, Drug Abuse - Let's stop the use, St. Mark's Community School, Dublin
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health, Team Smart Heart, The Donahies Community School, Dublin
- Making Our World One World, St. Aidan's: Developing Education for the Developed World, St. Aidan's Community School, Dublin
- Making Our World One World, Global Citizen Mapping the Future, Portmarnock Community School, Dublin
Galway
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health, The You You See is The You You'll Be, Dunmore Community School, Galway
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health, Mind your Mind ,Youthreach, Galway
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health, "Connect body and Mind" encouraging mental health facilities in GAA clubs, Glenamaddy Community School, Galway
- Making Our World One World, Operation Education, Dominican College, Galway
Kerry
- Making Our World Fair and Just, Human Right Don't Age, Killarney Community College, Kerry
- Making Our World Greener, An Timpeallacht, Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne, Kerry
- Making Our Country More Inclusive & Poverty Free, A Chat a Day keeps Elderly Isolation At Bay! , Presentation Secondary School , Kerry
Limerick
- Making Our Community Better, Déan é do Nua-Naíoch, Presentation Secondary School, Limerick
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health, #Skelfie Esteem, Coláiste Mhuire, Limerick
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health, I.C.E., Coláiste Mhuire, Limerick
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health, Park Parkinson's where it is! , John The Baptist Community School, Limerick
Louth
- Making Our World Healthier - Mental Health, MoodBoosters, fun physical activities for your mental health, Bush Post Primary School, Louth
Meath
- Making Our World Fair and Just, No Means No, Scoil Mhuire, Meath
- Making Our World Greener, Think Global Act Local, St. Peter's College, Meath
Monaghan
- Relationships & Sexual Health Challenge, LGBT - Lets Get By Together, Largy College, Monaghan
Offaly
- Making Our Community Better, Hunger for Health, Tullamore College, Offaly
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health, Blood Donation, Sacred Heart Secondary School, Offaly
Roscommon
- Making Our World Healthier - Physical Health, Halting the tide of Childhood Obesity, St. Nathy's College, Roscommon
Tipperary
- Making Our World Fair and Just, Turn on the Flood Rights, Ursuline Secondary School, Tipperary
- Making Our World Safer, 112 Where Are You?, Ursuline Secondary School, Tipperary
- Making Our World Safer, Farm Sense, C.B.S. Thurles, Tipperary
- Making Our World Safer, Belt Me Up Please, C.B.S. Thurles, Tipperary
- Step Up Challenge, W.I.S.E up, C.B.S. Thurles, Tipperary
- Step Up Challenge, Without Your Brain, You Have No Game - Step Up, Cashel Community School, Tipperary
Westmeath
- Making Our World Safer, Machinery Safety, Moate Community School, Westmeath
- Relationships & Sexual Health Challenge, Gay Pride - Don't Push It Aside, Moate Community School, Westmeath
Wexford
- Making Our World a Better Place for Young People, Lean On Me, Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School, Wexford
- Making Our World Greener, The Plastic Purge, St. Mary's Secondary School, Wexford
- Making Our World Safer, Generation Isolation, Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School, Wexford
Wicklow
- Making Our Country More Inclusive & Poverty Free, St. Kilian's tackles Homelessness, St. Kilian's Community School, Wicklow