Dublin students among winners of Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards

A high-impact social innovation project by a team of young people from Holy Family School for the Deaf, Cabra, Dublin 7, was announced the overall winner of the Gold title at the Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards, which took place on 2nd May at Croke Park. The YSI awards celebrate excellence in youth-led social innovation.

The team’s Gold winning project, titled ‘Deaf Awareness — A Language For All’, involves its young members teaching their hearing peers how to sign language, and it saw them delivering classes in sign language to Transition Year students, and developing a 10-week curriculum and video resources.

Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School after receiving their Bronze Award

The overall Bronze YSI award was won by another Dublin team, from Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School, Firhouse, Dublin 24.

Their YSI project, titled ‘Women’s Safety Week’, is aimed at promoting women’s safety in the community, including through the idea for a nationwide Women’s Safety Week.

Now in their twenty-second year, this year’s national finals event was the first live, in-person Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards since 2019.

L-R_YSI teachers Sascha Cumiskey and Mary Scully with Sr Stanislaus Kennedy and event co-host Zara King

The awards ceremony was co-presented by broadcaster Zara King and former Hometown boyband member Dayl Cronin, in front of an audience of around 600 young people from secondary schools the length and breadth of the country.

Thirty-four teams of shortlisted Senior Cycle students, including teams from Dublin, competed live in a range of challenges in front of three expert judging panels.

A team from Maryfield College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 won the Make Our Country More Inclusive and Poverty-Free Challenge Award, in partnership with the Department of Social Protection, for a project titled ‘#bornthisway’, aimed at tackling the issue of homophobia, for which the team produced a children’s picture book.

Other awards were presented, too, and the Global Citizens Award, in partnership with Irish Aid’s WorldWise Global Schools, was won by Collinstown Park Community College, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, for their ‘Out with the Old, In with the New’ project.

This project promotes the upcycling of pre-loved clothing through a school swap shop initiative.

A Let Them Shine Award, which honours teachers (YSI Guides), who are central to the delivery of YSI programmes, and who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to social innovation education for a period of 10 years, was presenter to teacher Mary Scully from Mercy College Coolock, Dublin 5.

Commenting on the Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards, CEO of YSI, Roger Warnock, said: “More than 5,000 young people from all over Ireland got involved in social innovation projects with Young Social Innovators in 2023.

“Today’s event is the culmination of all of their innovative efforts to bring about inspiring change in their local communities, the length and breadth of Ireland.

“It was fantastic to be able to gather together in-person to celebrate at this year’s awards’ finals and I would like to congratulate the winning teams, including those from Dublin.

“I was blown away by these young people’s ideas, bravery and creativity.

“Their projects are proof that change is possible and that young people have the power to make a difference.

“I’d also like to thank their fantastic teachers and YSI Guides who have supported them all the way along their YSI journeys and who are central to the delivery of YSI programmes.

“They make a powerful and positive impact on the lives of the young people they work with and the wider YSI community.

“We were also delighted to welcome our partners, our judges, and our guests, who no doubt were as excited as I was by the incredible initiatives on display.”

For more information about Young Social Innovators, see www.youngsocialinnovators.ie.