STUDENTS at a Northside school will bid for a national title next week in a competition that celebrates excellence in youth-led innovation for social good.
Young Social Innovators (YSI), supported by Ulster Bank, has announced the winners of its Social Challenges as part of the Young Social Innovators of the Year 2017 Awards.
Following a 2,000 mile Speak Out Tour where 7,000 young social innovators and 456 teams were invited to present their social innovations at 16 Speak Out events on March, 11 teams have been selected to compete for this year’s title. Portmarnock Community School are among the 11 teams that have been awarded for their innovative ideas to address societal issues such as human trafficking, farm safety, sexual consent, mental health, animal cruelty, eating disorders, and the protection of the environment.
The students will be invited to present their projects to a panel of judges at the YSI Awards on May 11 in the Convention Centre, Dublin.
Portmarnock Community School students were crowned Young Social Innovators of the Year 2016, and will be hoping for similar success this time round. Last year, the students received the Gold award for their project entitled ‘Global Citizens Mapping the Future’.
This year the school has entered a Step Up category (projects that are continuations or developments of a previous project) and different students are involved.
A Step Up project may focus on the same issue and aim to develop, enhance and progress the project, or implement the plans and aims of the original team.
For more information about the awards, visit www.youngsocialinnovators.ie