The Young Social Innovators Speak Out events are now underway. Every March, YSI project teams take part in regional “Speak Out” events across Ireland. These events give young people the chance to advocate on the social issues they are addressing and present the work they are doing in their communities to a large audience of their peers and invited guests. 


Students from Bloomfield Collegiate School, Belfast were among the first Northern Ireland students to take part in a Young Social Innovators Speak Out event on March 1st 2013.

Each team is given two minutes to present their project and communicate their message. A YSI Panel is there to listen and give feedback to the teams and special guest speakers will address the audiences at each event. Presenters from radio stations around the country will MC this year’s Speak Outs.

The Young Social Innovators' Speak Out Fora 2013 were launched in Belfast on 1st March 2013 - the first time that a YSI Speak Out was held in Northern Ireland. This marks the launch of Young Social Innovators in Northern Ireland at the invitation of the Belfast Education and Library Board.

There are 15 events happening around Ireland this March. The dates are:

Fri 1^st March: Ulster Region Speak Out: Belfast City Hall, Belfast

Tues 5^th & Wed 6^th March: Munster Region Speak Out: Cork City Hall, Cork

Fri 8^th March: Leinster Dublin City Region Speak Out: The Helix, Dublin

Tues 12^th March: Connacht Region Speak Out:  Ardilaun Hotel, Galway

Thurs 14^th March: Leinster South East Region Speak Out: Lyrath Estate, Kilkenny

Wed 20^th March: Leinster South Dublin Region Speak Out: Red Cow Inn, Dublin

Fri 22^nd March: Leinster North East Region Speak Out: TLT Concert Hall, Drogheda

Full details of all events including venue specifications for participants can be found at www.youngsocialinnovators.ie/admin.php/speakouts

This year, with the help of our Official Partner, the Vodafone Ireland Foundation, YSI is extending its Den and locating it in 3 different spots : Dublin, Cork and Limerick. If you are taking part in a social innovation project with YSI, Vodafone staff are helping to raise funds for YOUR work – so that you can have wider impact! So get your application in and be sure to be in with a chance to be selected for one of these Dens.

Who is eligible?

All YSI teams involved in the Social Innovation Programme and the Centres of Social Innovators Prorgramme can apply to make a pitch to the Den. A number of projects will be selected each year. If your team is selected and you confirm acceptance to pitch, you nominate a maximum of 3 team representatives to make the pitch to the YSI panel.

What Can Teams Ask the YSI Panel for?

You can ask for money, means or mentors… whatever you need to help your project develop.
Social innovation projects come up with many different responses and actions to social issues and local needs. If, for example, your team wants to set up a youth café, roll out a mental health awareness campaign, publish material or run a competition, you can think about using the Den as a way to progress your project a bit further.

Technology for Good

This year, our official partner Vodafone is looking for projects using technology that could be developed for social good. Do mention any technology use within your project during your application.

How to Apply

If you missed the chance to apply to be considered for the Den when submitting your YSI project report it's not too late. Download the Den Application Form and return by 12pm on Tuesday 19th March by post, email or fax. Young Social Innovators will notify successful teams who then send three team members to pitch to the Den Panel.

For more information see the Den section of our website 

Young Social Innovators begins a new adventure this month. We are inviting people to our new Social Innovation Café evenings in Dublin and Cork (to start with). 

Want to make a positive difference in the world but not sure how? We are builiding a network of people who want to get involved in social innovation or who are already involved.

Next Social Innovation Café

Dublin: 21st March 2013,
@Bewleys Theatre (top floor Bewleys Café) Grafton Street, Dublin 2
6.30pm - 8.30pm

Cork: 28th March 2013,
@venue in Cork City to be confirmed
6.30pm - 8.30pm

The cafés are free (as is the coffee!)

The Annual Showcase of Young Social Innovators will take place on 8^th May 2013 in Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre, Saggart, Co. Dublin.

This will be a celebration of the work of thousands of young people throughout the year  - the largest of its kind in Ireland and the first involving the Vodafone Ireland Foundation as our official partner.

Over 3,000 students will attend the Annual Showcase which will include events such as:

3 x Presentation Theatres
YSI Post It Zone
YSI Centres of Social Innovators Zone
Creating a Better World Exhibition
Open Mic Zone
Games Zones
Workshops
Silent Disco
…and more!

In the afternoon, the 2013 title-holders of “Young Social Innovators of the Year” will be announced at a spectacular Award Ceremony.

Sixty YSI projects will be selected to present to panels of judges throughout the morning and guests and public are welcome to come along and view the range of projects and issues tackled by the young people.

As well as the top three overall awards for Young Social Innovators of the Year (Gold, silver and bronze), there are also a number of challenge awards that will be presented to YSI teams.

The staff of Vodafone Ireland, YSI's Official Partner, will be there to volunteer making the day very special for all involved.

For further details, please keep an eye our website: www.youngsocialinnovators.org SHOWCASE 2013 SECTION COMING SOON!

Throughout January Young Social Innovators held a series of Leadership workshops  for members of the YSI Advocate Teams taking part in the Centre of Social Innovators Programme. These were held in Dublin, Carrick-on-Shannon and Cork and involved almost 200 young people responsible for driving social innovation within their school communities.

Students worked in teams to discuss future developments and set short and long term goals

The YSI Advocates are generally Fourth or Fifth Year students who work throughout the year to inspire others within their school and wider community to become involved and use their creativity to make a difference for the good of others through volunteering, civic action, community service and social innovation.

The YSI Advocates work to build an understanding of what social issues other people in their school community care about, help to initiate and develop various action projects through the year and build greater recognition of all of the hard work being done by people throughout their Centre of Social Innovators. 

Twenty schools around Ireland are participating in this programme in 2013 which seeks to maximise opportunities for young people to get involved in social innovation.

Newstalk’s Global Village talk show presented by Dil Wickremasinghe has been running a series on Young Social Innovators over the last number of weeks. Dill has been speaking to different YSI teams on a bi weekly basis sharing their inspirational stories and achievements.

St. Peter’s College, Dunboyne Co. Meath

This project aimed to raise awareness of the denial of human rights in Zimbabwe by supporting Amnesty’s Radios for Zimbabwe appeal. As well as giving presentations on the issue to CSPE classes within their school, the team created a video about freedom of expression for the ‘Voice Our Concern’ campaign.

A 24 hour sponsored silence symbolising the struggle of Zimbabweans who were denied any say in their country’s welfare afforded the purchase of 12 solar powered radios for remote villages in the African country. The radios allowed villagers to listen to foreign news channels giving them alternative and unbiased information on the upcoming election.

Listen to the interview here

Gorey Community School, Co. Wexford

The interviewees included members of the YSI team ‘Project Smile’ which won the 2012 Making Our World Healthier – Mental Health Challenge as well as a student from this year’s YSI project team ‘Even Smilier’ which is building on the work of the previous year’s group. The original project was influenced by several suicides within the school community and the high rate of suicide in Wexford. The team aimed to promote positive mental health by organising a Mental Health Week and creating a community photography exhibition entitled ‘Jump For Joy’ which included contributions from students in the school, members of the community and children from local primary schools. Mental health services for young people were also heavily promoted by the team.

Listen to the interview here

Davis College, Mallow, Co. Cork

The fourth interview aired on Saturday 9^th February and featured the Young Social Innovators of the Year 2012, from Davis College, Mallow, Co. Cork. Their award winning project ‘Forget Me Not’ focussed on the issue of missing people in Ireland. A national awareness campaign calling for a Missing Person’s Day to be introduced as well as an innovative Exit Point Strategy were the main objectives of this project. In the past few weeks, Minister Shatter announced that a Missing Persons Day would be introduced in Ireland this coming December, something which delighted the students from Davis College. They were also invited to Aras an Uachataráin in January to be congratulated on their achievements by President Michael D. Higgins

Listen to the interview here http://media.newstalk.ie/archive (Global Village Show, Part 1 from 50 minutes)

St. Joseph's Secondary School, Rochfortbrige, Co. Westmeath

This YSI team are currently organising a campaign to raise awareness of the issue prevalent in countries such as India and China and to research the wider consequences of a practice stemming from a centuries-long cultural preference for boys combined with coercive government policies. According to the United Nations, up to 200 females are missing due to gendercide – victims of a systematic, methodical extermination of a gender. The team have discovered that incredibly, India and China eliminate more girls than are born in the U.S every year. The students will focus their campaign around International Women’s Day which takes place on March 8^th.

Listen to the interview here

Global Village aims to share social justice stories by talking to those affected by the issues. In this way it aims to raise awareness and inspire listeners to act as changemakers. It airs on Saturday evenings from 7pm – 9m.

Throughout January, the YSI Training and Education Team along with the YSI Education Support Team delivered Creative Communications in-service Workshops to YSI Guides participating in this year’s Social Innovation Programme.


YSI Guides take part in the Creative Communications session during the YSI Guide In-service Workshop in January.

Workshops were held in Dublin, Carrick-on-Shannon, Limerick and Cork and offered fun, interactive mornings where educators could share ideas and experiences as well as take part in a creative communications session delivered by Jenny MacDonald of Desertfish Productions.

Young Social Innovators depends on these educators to facilitate its programmes on the ground with young people. These are inspirational teachers and youth leaders who often go beyond the call of duty to inspire, motivate and support young people as they tackle often difficult social issues and come up with and implement ideas for positive change.

YSI Guides will now take the creative learning back to their YSI teams as they prepare their Speak Out presentations for the regional March events.