Four teams of young people from Donegal schools have been awarded funding for positive change projects in their communities.
The €1,650 fund was awarded as part of their participation in the Social Innovation Den programme delivered by Young Social Innovators (YSI) in conjunction with IBM.
Young change-makers from schools in Dungloe, Donegal town and Buncrana recently successfully pitched for support for their projects before a YSI Den panel of representatives from IBM, Community Foundation Youth Panel, Education Authority NI, EirGrid and Cork City Council, to enable them to access Social Impact Fund support to advance their initiative.
The YSI teams that take part in the Social Innovation Den programme can request three types of support for their projects — money, means and mentoring.
Ross Mullis Byrne, Owen Mullis Byrne and Elliott Cowley from Rosses Community School, Dungloe pitched their project Movement Matters, which is aiming to address the negative impacts of gaming on young people by promoting physical activity through sports and other outdoor activities. The team was awarded €400 to fund a bicycle rack in their school and an outdoor games area.
Left to right: Ross Mullis Byrne, Owen Mullis Byrne and Elliott Cowley from Rosses Community School in Dungloe who were recently awarded funding to provide a bicycle rack and an outdoor games area in their school through Young Social Innovators’ Den programme
Another Rosses Community School group, consisting of Maggie McDyer, Zoe Mc Cauley and Connlaith Boyle, will receive €500 for their project to support those affected by endometriosis. Their project, titled Get to Know your Endo, hopes to get endometriosis better recognition in schools and medical sectors by addressing the limited information on the health condition. The group were afforded funding and mentoring to help them create information booklets and continue their work.
Left to right: Maggie McDyer, Zoe Mc Cauley and Connlaith Boyle from Rosses Community School in Dungloe, who were recently awarded funding and mentoring to raise awareness surrounding endometriosis through Young Social Innovators’ Den programme
Students Laila Mullen, Kelly Lindsay and Lauren McNulty from Abbey Vocational School, Donegal town received €500 for their The Bees’ Needs project. The funding will help them plant flowers, foliage and bee hotels around their school and local area, and raise awareness about bees and wildlife preservation.
Left to right: Laila Mullen, Kelly Lindsay and Lauren McNulty from Abbey Vocational School in Donegal town who were recently awarded funding to support bee preservation through Young Social Innovators’ Den programme
Students Patrick Doherty, Patric McBride and Ryan Farnan from Scoil Mhuire in Buncrana were awarded support for their Plastic Warriors project for which they are collecting and reusing plastic bottles. They received YSI Den funding of €250 to help them make bird feeders for the local park, and create jewellery and decorations from reused plastic bottles.
Left to right: Patrick Doherty, Patrick McBride and Ryan Farnan from Scoil Mhuire in Buncrana who were recently awarded funding for a project which is seeing them collecting and upcycling plastic bottles through Young Social Innovators’ Den programme
Congratulating the Co Donegal students, Roger Warnock, CEO, Young Social Innovators, said: “The students from Rosses Community School, Abbey Vocational School and Scoil Mhuire in Buncrana are exemplary young social innovators, and we are delighted to help them get their projects up and running to bring about positive change in their communities. Our Den panellists rewarded these young people for their ability to develop sustainable, high-impact projects, as well as for their passion for social innovation.
“We are delighted that in 2024, the Social Impact Fund is supported by IBM. I would like to thank IBM and all our Den partners, including our panellists.”
To date, the YSI Den has provided over €150,000 in grant funding to support youth-led ideas for social change throughout Ireland.
For more information about Young Social Innovators, see www.youngsocialinnovators.ie.
