Welcome to all young people, educators, schools, youth reach centres and youth services who are taking part in the YSI programmes this year.

This year is very exciting as we celebrate our tenth anniversary and reflect on the participation of some 35,000 young people and over 50% of second level schools in Ireland. The commitment to education for social innovation is growing stronger every year. In these challenging times there is a more urgent need than ever to use people’s creativity to develop responses which improve the well being of people and communities. This is what social innovation is about.

By taking part in YSI programmes, you are enabling young people to practice social innovation and creating an innovative learning culture. This, we believe, can be an essential part of young people’s development and growth. In the longer term, widespread education for social innovation has, no doubt, the potential to enable all of us to find ways of addressing large scale societal challenges such as climate change, social justice, poverty and exclusion, unemployment and many more issues.

We wish you the best and the YSI team look forward to meeting you throughout the year!

President, Mary McAleese, wrote the following in a letter to YSI to mark its 10th Birthday:

For ten years, your wonderful organisation has been encouraging young people to work to improve their immediate and their wider communities. The young citizens who participate in this programme are those special people who want to make a difference, to get involved and to create a better society. They are people who use their vision, their talents and their energy to make a positive contribution to the world in which they live. The generosity of spirit and the finely tuned social conscience of these young people, who are the leaders and the shapers of the future, provide an optimistic view of the Ireland of tomorrow. Mary McAleese, Uachtaran na hEireann, May 2011

YSI thanks the President for all her support throughout her time in office.

Has your second level school/ youth education centre signed up to YSI 2011/ 2012? If you have not yet signed up to the YSI programme, there's still time.

YSI in-service training is available to all participating educators signed up at the beginning of September 2011.

Dates and Locations:

• 10th September - Radisson Blu Hotel, Cork Airport
• 17th September - DCU, Dublin 9
• 24th September - Sheraton Athlone Hotel, Athlone
• 24th September - Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Letterkenny
• 24th September -University of Limerick, Castletroy

To book, download this form and return to Young Social Innovators, 3 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 or fax to us at 01 645 8031.

To ensure your school’s place on this year's programme fill in our application form in one of the following formats:

1. Using your school roll number, log in here to complete an online application.
2. Download an organisation application form here. Return this form immediately to Young Social Innovators, 3 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 or fax to us at 01 645 8031.

Anyone who wishes to find out more can visit our website at www.youngsocialinnovators.ie or come along to one of the free YSI information evenings, for details click here.

The YSI In-service workshops are designed for educators of participating organisations. Teachers and youth leaders who attend both YSI in-service workshops (September & January) and who lead a YSI project team through the social innovation programme will receive certification as a YSI Guide at the year end.

Workshop 1: Getting Started: September 2011

• Helps YSI Guides through the process of setting up and running the YSI programme over the course of the year
• Gives a range of active learning methodologies which complement the YSI programme 
• Provides new ideas and sharing of information to those who have experienced the Programme previously.
• Every YSI Guide that attends will receive the YSI Planning Workbook  

Dates and Locations:

• 10th September - Radisson Blu Hotel, Cork Airport
• 17th September - DCU, Dublin 9
• 24th September - Sheraton Athlone Hotel, Athlone
• 24th September - Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Letterkenny
• 24th September -University of Limerick, Castletroy

To book, download this form and return to Young Social Innovators, 3 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 or fax to us at 01 645 8031.

Workshop 2: YSI Creative Communications Workshop for YSI Guides: January 2012

• Guides you through the preparation and submission of a project report.
• Gives all the information you need to help participants prepare for a YSI Speak Out forum
• Introduces a range of creative communication methodologies that can be used to help young people advocate and comunicate their message.

YSI's Education Team is on hand to help or advise you with any aspect of leading the Young Social Innovators Programme within your school / centre. If you have any questions on any element of the programme, they will be happy to assist you.

Contact the YSI Education Office on 01 645 8030 or educate@youngsocialinnovators.ie.

A new initiative to fire young people’s passion to change the world for good is now recruiting up to 20 second level organisations, including schools and youthreach centres. The programme will provide more young people opportunities to get involved in volunteering, civic action, community service and social innovation and will support educators to create environments which make this possible within their own organisation.

Young Social Innovators would like to thank the organisations, principals, teachers and young people who adopted the programme in its pilot phase over the past three years. These include:

• The Rosses Community School, Dungloe, Co. Donegal
• St. Columba’s Comprehensive School, Glenties, Co. Donegal
• St. Mary’s High School, Presentation Convent, Midleton Co. Cork
• Mount Mercy College, Model Farm Road, Cork
• Loreto Secondary School, Fermoy, Co. Cork
• Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty, Co. Cork
• St. Coleman’s Community College, Midleton, Co. Cork
• Mercy Heights Secondary School, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
• Moyne Community School, Moyne, Co. Longford
• Scoil Mhuire, Longford Town, Co. Longford
• Árdscoil na Tríonóide, Rathstewart, Athy, Co. Kildare
• Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon
• Gort Community School, Gort, Co. Galway
• Coláiste Chraobh Abhann, Creowen, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
• Clara Youthreach, Church Street, Clara, Co. Offaly
• St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Rochfortbridge, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
• Collinstown Park Community College, Rowlagh, Clondalkin, D.22

Young Social Innovators now has its very own Facebook page to help keep you informed, connected and up-to-date on everything that will be happening in the coming year.

Become a fan and let us know what you plan on doing this year, what issue you hope to tackle and what you and your friends have been up to.

As well as that all of YSI's videos can also be found on our YSI TV channel - watch videos showing the action from previous YSI Showcases, hear what young social innovators were saying in the Diary Room, watch the interviews taken with YSI Guides and see footage from the YSI Speak Outs.