EirGrid partners with YSI to help promote students climate action

EirGrid has become the climate action and energy partner for non-profit organisation Young Social Innovators (YSI). The three-year collaboration will see EirGrid will become YSI’s challenge partner under its environment pillar. In addition, a new climate action and energy award has been created for the Young Social Innovators of the Year Ireland Awards 2022.

“We are delighted with this exciting new partnership with EirGrid, focused on what is undoubtedly the biggest challenge facing us globally,” says YSI co-founder and chief executive Rachel Collier. “How we can live and consume more sustainably is a key question and one that young people can contribute to. This new award, in partnership with EirGrid, will recognise young people’s efforts to innovate around climate action and energy and will empower and engage them in being a vital part of the solutions needed.”

The partnership is a natural follow-on from EirGrid’s Shaping Our Electricity Future national consultation initiative which took place last year, according to EirGrid’s head of public engagement Sinead Dooley.

“The consultation programme looked at our energy needs out to 2030 and beyond,” she explains. “We included a number of youth assemblies in that process. EirGrid is transforming the power system for future generations, and with that in mind we believe it is incredibly important to listen to and involve young people who are the driving force behind climate action efforts. Young people have very strong feelings in relation to climate change and sustainability issues and we wanted to hear their views. The participants in those assemblies were anxious that it should not be a one-off and that we should continue engaging in future.”

‘Empowers young people’

YSI was a natural partner owing to its reach and its unique way of reaching out to young people. “Young Social Innovators empowers and supports young people to develop and implement innovative ideas to bring about positive social change for the benefit of people, communities and the environment,” says Dooley.

“Over the past 20 years, some 150,000 teenagers have taken part in YSI’s social innovation programmes in post-primary schools nationally and every year around 5,000 young people from over 250 schools participate. It has a very broad reach and is very inclusive. They get lots of Deis schools and Youthreach projects taking part. It appeals to young people who may not be comfortable with formal academic study.”

The judging process is currently under way for the 2022 awards which will be presented in a virtual ceremony on May 12th. “It’s a Dragons’ Den-style format,” says Dooley. “Students pitch their projects to a panel of judges, which includes EirGrid, and they are evaluated on various criteria.”

To be eligible for the climate action and energy award, students have to demonstrate that their projects can offer solutions that protect the planet from particular impacts.

“This year we have projects which address climate change, energy efficiency, water wastage, transport, fast fashion and so on. The young people involved are coming up with solutions that we can be put into action in their communities.”

In addition to competing for the award, project teams get support from the social impact fund to put their ideas into action. “They also get access to mentoring from EirGrid experts in areas such as energy and ecology,” Dooley adds. “We have people going into the schools and meeting with participants. There is also an opportunity for participants to access equipment if they need it.

‘Work collaboratively’

“It’s a very well-run scheme,” she adds. “It helps young people think outside the box and work collaboratively. It also gets them engaged with their local communities. There is a fun element too in terms of the regional and national competitions.”

It is not just about the students coming up with new ideas to address environmental issues. “We also want the young people involved to consider their own future careers,” says Dooley.

“What will a power system with 80 per cent renewables require. It won’t be just engineers. Lots of other roles in areas like software will be required and we hope the students will think about that.

“We also want to create awareness that no one cohort of society has responsibility addressing climate change and that everyone can do something about it,” she continues.

“It impacts everyone. Young people can take actions which, however small, can make a real difference. A little bit of innovation can have a powerful impact on a local community. You don’t have to be Greta Thunberg, everyone can play a part in reaching the goal of 80 per cent renewables on the system by 2030.”