Local innovators secure funding for community projects
Students from both Loreto Secondary School in Fermoy and Coláiste an Chroí Naofa in Carrignavar, have secured funding to advance their ideas aimed at tackling social issues in their communities.
The Cork Den, part of a series of Den events hosted by Young Social Innovators, saw the Cork students pitch to panellists from Cork City and County Councils as well as Virgin Media and ReThink Ireland.
The ‘Outdoor Covid
Friendly Classroom’, pitched by Coláiste an Chroí Naofa students, was awarded €600 by The Den panel.
Funding for this project will be used to purchase supplies for the classroom space such as whiteboards and seating to create a Covid-friendly outdoor classroom.
A second team of students from Carrignavar secondary school were awarded €300 and mentorship advice towards their project ‘Road Safety in Carrignavar’.
This funding will go towards helping to address safety concerns about the entrance to
their school as well as securing a new pedestrian crossing for an area of particular concern in the local community.
In Fermoy, €320 in funding was awarded to Loreto students’ project ‘The Power of Okay’.
Keen to promote the benefits of exercise for mental wellbeing, this team hope to host and promote virtual exercise classes for students in their school, with funding going towards their project to promote mental health in the secondary school.
Another team of Loreto students were awarded €200 in funding and mentorship
towards their project ‘The Future of Fashion’, which raises awareness of the environmental damage caused by fast fashion.
A swap ship in their school will be established with the help of the funding awarded and will promote a culture of sustainable fashion among students.
PAST SUCCESS
Jacqui Walsh, Social Impact Analyst at ReThink Ireland and former YSI Den participant was a Panellist at the Cork Den. Jacqui was part of the 2012 YSI team from Davis College, Mallow whose ‘Forget Me Not ‘project led to the establishment of Ireland’s Missing Persons Day.
“Taking part in YSI was such an empowering experience, it equipped me with the skills to change the world for good. Almost 10 years on, as a panellist on The Den, gave me the opportunity to empower the next generation of change-makers. It was amazing being part of The Den, listening to the students pitch their innovative ideas was so uplifting and inspiring,” she said.
Rachel Collier, co-founder and CEO of Young Social Innovators said the effort and commitment that these students have put into to their projects is ‘truly remarkable’.
“All the more so as schools have been closed since Christmas. The passion and professionalism with which they presented their ideas is reflected in the funding provided by the Den panel.
“Our young people have an important role to play rebuilding Ireland post-Covid-19 and, based on what we have witnessed from this year’s Den events, they will fulfil that role remarkably – they just need to be invited to do so. Young Social Innovators provides a way in which young people can contribute to their communities and to shaping the type of world they want to live in,” Ms Collier stressed.
Young Social Innovators hosts the Den events every year, making available a Social Innovation Fund to support teenagers’ ideas to tackle social issues in an effort to create a fairer, more equal and sustainable world. Over 7,000 students throughout Ireland are currently involved in similar projects with Young Social Innovators in 2021.