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 9th 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 8th.
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.
