Four to the fore

Young Social Innovators is a hugely popular initiative, with 180 schools and five Youthreach Centres taking part this year. Students are charged with finding a social issue they feel they could do something about. Some of these projects have become ongoing schemes within schools and are initiating change in local communities and farther afield.

Mercy Heights Secondary School, Skibbereen, Co Cork

In 2004 students decided to look at the issue of youth facilities - or lack of them - in Skibbereen. As part of their project they surveyed the facilities available to them locally. They lobbied the town council, and as a result, in July 2006, the council agreed on a building for a youth centre. A committee made up of adults and students from Mercy Heights and the local boys' school, St Fachtna's De La Salle College, are liaising with Skibbereen Town Council on the final details of the building. When that's completed they will turn their attention to raising funds for the new youth centre.

Cross & Passion College, Kilcullen, Co Kildare

After identifying a lack of facilities for local children, these students set out to secure a playground for Kilcullen. They got the support of the mayor and counsellors and were instrumental in the creation of a committee of interested parents. A site has been identified, and the county council has agreed to provide funding. There are some traffic issues, but work will start once these have been resolved.

St Mary's School for Deaf Girls, Cabra, Dublin

Two years ago these students looked at the issue of communication between hearing and deaf communities. Last year students continued the topic and produced a DVD on sign language for use in mainstream schools. They also looked at perceptions of deaf people in the media, in a project entitled Deaf not Dumb, which led both RTÉ and the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to meet the students. Their project for this year, Barred from College?, looks at issues facing third-level students with disabilities. Their research indicates that many students have to wait up to six months for some key supports.

Loreto Secondary School, Clonmel, Co Tipperary

Its project Teachers . . . Don't leave those kids alone!!! won the Trócaire Scoring the Millennium Development Goals award at YSI Showcase last year. The group focused on the second Millennium Development Goal: achieving universal primary education.

The group has continued the project in fifth year, and two students were been invited to the annual Loreto Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the World Seminar in Dublin, where they were asked to give a workshop to teachers and students about linking the Millennium Development Goals with projects such as Young Social Innovators.

They also contacted the Global Campaign for Education, an organisation working towards education for all, and were invited to represent Ireland at the European Parliament, where the Global Campaign for Education was lobbying MEPs involved in development issues. In Brussels they were given the chance to appear in a Comic Relief film and were interviewed for radio, television and newspapers.