Trust the Firestarters: Why Investing in Young People’s Bold Ideas Is the Smartest Move We Can Make

In a world facing unprecedented disruption: from climate breakdown to inequality to AI, the most powerful, untapped force for good isn’t a new technology or policy.

It’s young people.

At Young Social Innovators (YSI), we’ve spent over two decades witnessing the spark of youth-led ideas grow into wildfire, transforming communities, challenging norms, and rebuilding systems from the ground up. But for all their boldness and creativity, too many young people still struggle to be seen, heard, and supported.

If we want sustainable, community-driven innovation, we must do more than celebrate youth voice. We must trust it and invest in it.

Young People Know What Matters

When asked what matters most, young people are clear: climate action is their top concern. It’s not just about today. 71% say it will be even more important for future generations. (Source: YSI Gen Z Index 2025)

At YSI’s recent Elevate Awards, we saw this thinking in action. The 2025 Gold Award went to Grass Sheets, a student-led initiative in Offaly turning discarded grass clippings into sustainable paper alternatives, tackling deforestation, carbon emissions, and waste in one elegant, youth-powered solution.

This wasn’t just a school project. It was system-level innovation with environmental and economic impact. And it started with one question: what if we did things differently?

Young People Are Ready to Lead -  But Differently

Young people aren’t waiting to be told what to care about. A third want to become civic activists or social innovators. Half have already taken part in protests.

But don’t call them influencers. Most identify instead as Supporters, Organisers, or Innovators - roles rooted in collective leadership, not personal branding. They’re not chasing attention. They’re building ecosystems of change.

That’s exactly what we saw in The Food Fund, a project born in a DEIS school in Cork. Students noticed surplus food from school meals going to waste, and built a social enterprise to redistribute it to the Cork-based charity Penny Dinners. The project now spans multiple schools, and the team has developed an app prototype to manage logistics.

Their motivation? As one team member put it: “We wanted to have a lasting impact on the community.”

This is leadership: humble, strategic and sustainable.

Young People Don’t Feel Heard

Despite their action and ideas, 75% of young people say they don’t feel involved in decisions about their communities. 73% see affordable housing as out of reach. Only 38% say they felt heard during protests.

And yet, they persist. And when given real platforms, like YSI’s Elevate programme or The Den social impact fund, they don’t just speak up. They build.

Take SAOR – Free the Flow, one of the winning teams at the 2025 YSI Awards. This group addressed period poverty with empathy and practicality,  creating reusable sanitary pads, educational resources, and starter packs in both Ireland and Lesotho. Their work is changing lives. And yet, without trust and investment, their idea might have remained just that - an idea.

Their Stress Is Real - and Rising

63% of young people describe their generation’s mood as anxious or stressed, which is a 17% increase over five years. Non-binary youth are particularly affected, reporting both higher stress and lower confidence in managing it.

That context matters. We cannot build tomorrow’s innovators while ignoring today’s mental health realities. Programmes that support youth leadership must also support youth wellbeing. Empowerment and care must go hand in hand.

Young People Are Not Waiting

More than half of young people have posted their views on social issues. 81% have re-shared others’ content. TikTok and Instagram are now their political arenas. Digital activism is their mother tongue, and they’re already fluent.

But they also show up offline.

This year, over 3,000 young people across 13 events took to the stage for the YSI Speak Out Tour, presenting their social innovation projects to their peers and panels of experts. These events weren’t rehearsed performances. They were declarations of intent, creativity, and a sense of urgency.

And they worked. In Ramsgrange Community School, students noticed a lack of access for wheelchair users and built the ramp. Their project, Ramp It Up, is now being used as a scalable solution across other schools and community buildings.

No one told them to do it. No one gave them permission. But once we gave them tools and trust, they changed the game.

What Now? Trust the Firestarters

Young people are already showing us what's possible. They are the ones who turn a spark of concern into an engine of action. And they’re everywhere.

In Tullamore, turning grass into paper.

In Cork, turning waste into food.

In Kildare, raising €20,000 to buy a sensory pod for students' mental health.

In Donegal, building campaigns around domestic violence and cultural identity.

➡️ They don’t need saving. They need support.

➡️ They don’t need convincing. They need investment.

➡️ They don’t need a seat at the table. They’re already building new ones.

Let’s meet them there.

The Bottom Line

If we’re serious about tackling the wicked problems of our time: climate change, inequality, loneliness, burnout, we cannot afford to overlook the people most determined to solve them. This isn’t a pat on the back to young people. This is a call to action for everyone else.

Fund them. Mentor them. Trust them.

Because when we do:

✅ Innovation becomes inclusive.

✅ Progress becomes sustainable.

✅ Hope becomes action.

Trust the firestarters. Then hand them the match.

Want to fuel the next wave of youth-led social innovation?

Get in touch to partner with us, support our programmes, or connect with the young changemakers already shaping the future.

Together, let’s turn bold ideas into lasting impact.