Students take part in innovative event

A TOTAL of 671 students, including a large number from the Northside, took part in the Young Social Innovators Speak Out event at the Mansion House last week.

The event was held as part of the YSI Speak Out Tour which is visiting eight counties throughout March. The tour, supported by Ulster Bank, is part of the YSI of the Year Awards which challenge young people to think differently and come up with ways to tackle social issues affecting them and their communities.

Across the country, 6,800 students, making up a total of 456 teams, are participating in the YSI programme, the highest number of participants since it began in 2001. 

Of these teams, 11 will be shortlisted to compete for the national title of Young Social Innovators of the Year in May in Dublin.

Social innovations address human need such as homelessness, poverty, exclusion, racism and immigration – issues high on the social and political agenda in Ireland and across the world today. 

The Speak Out Tour gives these young people the opportunity to advocate around such issues and demonstrate how they are coming up with responses and solutions to real life issues.

The format of the event is a two-minute presentation by teams on stage to an audience of their peers, invited guests and a YSI panel. 

The teams that presented at the Speak Out in Dublin city spoke on a wide range of issues including sexual consent, mental health, nutrition, intergenerational connections, homelessness, addiction and animal abuse.

Chief executive of Young Social Innovators, Rachel Collier, said YSI empowers young people to be social innovators, recognising and harnessing their talents and ideas to address social need. 

“Giving young people opportunities to really consider the world around them and to innovate on issues that matter to them gives them skills for life and work as well as an understanding that what they do matters to society,” said Ms Collier.

“The enthusiasm we see year on year during the Speak Out Tour shows there is a huge appetite among young people in Ireland for social justice and fairness, in particular in this time of huge social upheaval across the world.” 

Mercy College, Coolock; The Donahies Community School; Fingal Community College, Swords; Ardgillan Community College, Balbriggan; Plunket College, Whitehall; St David’s CBS, Artane; St Fintan’s High School, Sutton; and Lusk Community College were among the locals schools who took part in the Dublin event.