A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that a dramatic rise in the use of computers and social media is wreaking havoc on the health of young people. The report found constant use of social media is causing us to engage in low levels of exercise and bad eating habits. This behaviour is gradually having an impact on our health, the report explains, because remaining sedentary for long periods of time and bad diets is leading to weight gain and health complications. The WHO says that by simply reducing screen time, eating healthier and increasing physical activity levels; we can improve our health dramatically.
The study by the WHO, based its findings on a questionnaire sent to more than 200,000 children in 42 countries. The report found a continuous increase between 2002 and 2014 in the proportion of children and young people using technology for two hours or more each weekday for things like social media, surfing the internet and homework. While use increased for both genders, it more than tripled for girls aged 15 and over during this period, with experts blaming the increase on the rise of social media. A breakdown of the findings by age showed children as young as 11 spending a large amounts of time online. When it came to using computers, tablets or smartphones for gaming; between a third and two-thirds of children were spending two or more hours every weekday on them.
Experts say this is leading to an increasing risk of ill-health, with the vast majority of young people also failing to take the recommended level of exercise each day. While social media is leading to positive social connectedness, the authors say there are risks, like cyber bullying, impact on mental health, as well as lost sleep. Other data also reported that Ireland was among the countries with the lowest rate of 15-year-old girls watching TV for two hours or more per day, while approximately 60% of 15-year-old boys from Ireland participated in vigorous physical activity four times a week or more in 2014. Ireland was among the countries with the greatest overall decrease in adolescent daily soft-drinks consumption. It also had one of the biggest drops, 24%, in those eating sweets every day.
For more, you can read the full report here: Adolescent obesity and related behaviours: trends and inequalities in the WHO European Region, 2002–2014
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) have announced there will be a change in the identification requirements for any person applying to sit the Driver Theory Test from the 1st of June 2017.
There will also be new questions added to the test for anyone sitting the Driver Theory Test on or after the 5th of July.
Booking
From June onwards, customers will be asked to confirm that they possess a Public Services Card at the time of booking the theory test (or CPC Exam/ ADI exam).
In order to successfully book a theory test (or CPC Exam) you will need to provide the 12-digit Card Number from the rear of their Public Services Card.
Customers will need to ensure that the spelling of the name in which they book their test matches exactly the spelling of their name on the card.
Theory tests can be taken at 42 test centre locations around the country as part of the Road Safety Authority’s driver testing and licensing process.
Arriving for your test
The Public Services Card will also be the only form or ID accepted by test centres. The card will be used to verify name, PPS number and identity of the person attending for the test.
Failure to produce the card at the test centre for a booked appointment will mean you will be unable to sit the test and also lose the test fee.
Applying for your Public Services Card
If you want to apply for a Public Services Card, information can be found on the Department of Social Protection website – www.welfare.ie.
Any queries regarding the Public Service Card should be directed to the Department of Social Protection, either through the website, by calling into a local Intreo Centre (social welfare local office) or by telephone to 1890 927 999 or 01 7043281.
Theory Test question updates from July
The Official Driver Theory Test revision material (Books and CD ROM’s) has been updated to include some new and revised questions and will be available to purchase online and at major Irish bookstores from June 2017.
The updated material only applies to anyone sitting the Driver Theory Test on or after 5th July 2017. The number of questions to be answered will remain at 40.
For more information visit the Road Safety Authority website here: Road Safety Authority
Boyfriend drama, gossip and rumours, replacement friend, mixing groups, leaving school, the green eyed monster, just drifting apart – there’s so many reasons why best friends can have a falling out. So you and your best friend have gone from forever to never – how do you deal? Here’s some things that may help you through this difficult time.
It’s going to feel like a breakup
Think about it – all that time spent together, all the texting, the random meet ups, sitting together in classes, eating lunch, calling around to each other’s houses – having a best friend is a big relationship. They’re the one person you’ve always relied on, always gone places with, and the first person you tell when something exciting happens in your life, it’s great!
Only now, it’s gone. This can feel like a breakup because it sort of is. You’ll find yourself going to text them about something you used to talk about all the time, or you’ll see random things that will remind you of them. There’s no way to avoid this stage, and the time taken to get over this will depend on you, and also how close you and your bestie were. Not to mention if things ended badly, this can just make things worse. It’s sad and it really sucks going through this, but sometimes you just can’t avoid it. You’re going to miss them so much sometimes.
Stay loyal
Loyalty is a quality that I think is so important for everyone to have. Just because you and your best friend aren’t on good terms, doesn’t give you the right to go spreading all of their secrets. It doesn’t matter what they did to you, or if you feel you’ve been wronged – stay loyal. By stay loyal, I mean don’t share things about them that you have no right to share. Things they’ve confided in you, embarrassing stories you have of them, old crushes, family life, none of this is your business to share. If they resort to rumour spreading or sharing gossip, don’t lower yourself to their level. If you hear that they’ve been talking badly about you to others then by all means stand up for yourself, but don’t use old things as ammunition. In the end you’ll come out on top, and you’ll have kept your credibility and decency. Things can get catty when people so close fall apart, so be the bigger person and walk away.
This also applies to giving out about whatever it is you’re fighting about. Venting is good for the soul so tell someone you trust, and try to avoid saying things you’ll regret. Avoid ranting in groups or crowds, someone could overhear and it could lead to all sorts of problems. It can be a confusing and frustrating time, but try to remember that once you were best friends.
Forgiveness
Maybe your best friend did something that to you is unspeakable, there’s no coming back from it. What I’ve found though, is that forgiveness is a key aspect of healing. I’m not saying that you have to be okay with what your friend did, or that you have to accept someone treating you badly. What I’m saying is that it’s in your best interests to try to find it in yourself to forgive them. You don’t have to find excuses for them, you don’t have to let them know you’ve forgiven them, you don’t have to stay friends with them, you don’t have to ever speak to them again if you don’t want to. For your own sake though, forgive their actions. This way you won’t spend all of your time dwelling on it, you won’t fill with anger and bitterness over the spoiled friendship, and you won’t grow to resent them and everyone they interact with. You’ll feel a lot better about yourself by being the bigger person about it all.
Moving on
Just like after any breakup, there comes a time when you need to move on. Start making new friendships. Join clubs or societies in your school or college, join a sports team, start interacting with more people. You’re not on the hunt for a new bestie, it’s just nice to make new friends. Plus with all the time you’ve got free now, finding a new hobby and chatting with new people is the best way to spend it.
When you see them
After falling out with a best friend, seeing them again can be awkward and unavoidable. A quick smile or a friendly hello could be all that’s needed in an interaction. If you go on the attack and start calling them out, or on the defensive and completely ignore them, then you’re making the situation bigger than it needs to be, and you’re probably making people around you uncomfortable. The best thing to do is simply acknowledge they’re there, and keep going about doing whatever you were doing.
Tainted memories
You and your best friend probably had some brilliant times – concerts, events, parties, nights out, just laughs day-to-day. Don’t let this fight ruin them, they can still be good memories. You don’t have to look back at them with resentment or sadness, remember the joy you felt at the time doing them and remember that instead. Just because you’re fighting or have fallen out doesn’t mean you have to lose great memories.
Falling out with a best friend can be really hard, and it’s not a fun thing to go through. Try not to blame yourself or your friend though. People change and people are unpredictable. Just remember that you’ll find so many more friends and that things will work out for you in the end.
Boyfriend drama, gossip and rumours, replacement friend, mixing groups, leaving school, the green eyed monster, just drifting apart – there's so many reasons why best friends can have a falling out. So you and your best friend have gone from forever to never – how do you deal? Here's some key codes of etiquette for when the gang is no more.
It's going to feel like a breakup
There's no way to avoid this! Think about it – all that time spent together, all the texting, the random meet ups, sitting together in classes, eating lunch, calling around to each others houses – having a best friend is a big relationship. They're the one person you've always relied on, always gone places with and the first person you tell when something exciting happens in your life, it's great! Only now, it's gone. This can feel like a breakup, because it sort of is. You'll find yourself going to text them about something you used to talk about all the time, or you'll see random things that will remind you of them. There's no way to avoid this stage, and the time taken to get over this will depend on you, and also how close you and your bestie were. Not to mention if things ended badly, this can just make things worse! It's sad and it really sucks going through this, but sometimes you just can't avoid it. You're going to miss them like mad sometimes.
Stay loyal
Loyalty is a quality that I think is so important for everyone to have. Just because you and your best friend aren't on good terms, doesn't give you the right to go spreading all of their secrets. It doesn't matter what they did to you, or if you feel you've been wronged – stay loyal. By stay loyal, I mean don't share things about them that you have no right to share. Things they've confided in you, embarrassing stories you have of them, old crushes, family life, none of this is your business to share. If they resort to rumour spreading or sharing gossip, don't lower yourself to their level. If you hear that they've been talking badly about you to others then by all means stand up for yourself, but don't use old things as ammunition. In the end you'll come out on top, and you'll have kept your credibility and decency. Things can get catty when people so close fall apart, so be the bigger person and walk away.
This also applies to giving out about whatever it is you're fighting about. Venting is good for the soul, but make sure if you're giving out about what your old bestie did, that you're not giving out to the gossip of the year. Tell someone you trust, and try to avoid saying thing you'll regret. Don't rant in groups or crowds, someone could overhear and it could lead to all sorts of problems. It can be an angry, confusing and frustrating time, but try to remember that once you were best friends. Don't smear your own name in an attempt to smear theirs.
Forgiveness
Maybe your best friend did something that to you is unspeakable, there's no coming back from it. I'm really sorry about that, I know how devastating it can be. What I've found though, is that forgiveness is a key aspect of healing. I'm not saying that you have to be okay with what your friend did, or that you have to accept someone treating you badly. What I'm saying is that it's in your best interests to try find it in yourself to forgive them. You don't have to find excuses for them, you don't have to let them know you've forgiven them, you don't have to stay friends with them, you don't have to ever speak to them again if you don't want to. For your own sake though, forgive their actions. This way you won't spend all of your time dwelling on it, you won't fill with anger and bitterness over the spoiled friendship, and you won't grow to resent them and everyone they interact with. This will stop you spreading false gossip, acting out or losing other friends, and you'll feel a lot better about yourself by being the bigger person about it all.
Moving on
Just like after any break up, there comes a time when you need to move on. Stop dwelling on your old friend, start making new ones. Join clubs or societies in your school or college, join a sports team, start interacting with more people. You're not on the hunt for a new bestie, it's just nice to make new friends. Plus with all the time you've got free now, finding a new hobby and hanging around with new people is the best way to spend it.
When you see them
After falling out with a best friend, seeing them again can be awkward and unavoidable. Don't make a big deal out of it! A quick smile or a friendly hello could be all that's needed in an interaction, and will ease tensions of other people. If you go on the attack and start calling them out, or on the defensive and completely ignore them, then you're making the situation bigger than it needs to be, and you're probably making people around you both uncomfortable. The best thing to do is simply acknowledge they're there, and keep going about doing whatever you were doing.
Tainted memories
You and your best friend probably had some brilliant times – concerts, events, parties, nights out, just laughs day to day. Don't let this fight ruin them, they can still be good memories! You don't have to look back at them with resentment or sadness, remember the joy you felt at the time doing them and remember that instead. Just because you're fighting or fallen out doesn't mean you have to lose great memories.
Falling out with a best friend can be really hard, and it's not a fun thing to go through. Don't blame yourself or your friend though. People change and people are unpredictable. Just remember that you'll find so many more friends, and that things will work out for you in the end!
Six months ago I walked into Ireland's first Mental Health and Well-being Summit. I was at the end of my rope. My therapist and I were on a break due to my lack of progress. I had marks from self-harming that I had tried to cover with the admission wristband. I was alone and hopeless, trying to ignore the voices screaming in my head – telling me to go home, that everyone knew I'm a mess, to just hide in bed forever. That day I attended several talks and workshops, I met the mental health society from my college and loads of new people, I was given tons of information, I had my view of the world totally shifted.
I walked out of that summit as a changed person. I was empowered, no longer afraid to share my story. This story that I needlessly buried and treated with shame, that I couldn't understand and was embarrassed for people to know. Seeing so many people working to help others like me, people who are struggling, and working to break the stigma – I was inspired. I just knew that I had to get involved, my story was nothing to be ashamed of and I could work towards making sure others didn't feel trapped the way I did. Finally all of the things that I struggled through, all the dark times in my life, it suddenly all seemed to have a reason behind it. By sharing my story I could let others know that it's okay to feel like this. By refusing to be ashamed of what I was dealing with, I could encourage others to do the same and to seek help.
After the Mental Health and Well-being Summit, I threw myself into mental health activism. I volunteered for three different charities, two of which I still volunteer for. Volunteering gave me a sense of purpose, it made me feel like my life had value. Even if I could make a difference to one person's life, then that would be amazing. I was particularly interested in volunteering with young people because as a teenager I struggled a lot with my mental health. I didn't know where or how to seek help and it made my teenage years a lot darker and harder than they needed to be. I really want any teenager who is feeling in any way down to know where to seek the help that they need and to make it as easy as possible for them. I don't want anyone to feel like they're alone or uncared for.
Volunteering and sharing my experience has opened so many doors for me. I've been lucky enough to speak at schools across the province, been interviewed, speak at events, complete different training, workshops and courses, get published online, visit new places, organise mental health events, and most importantly I've met some amazing people along the way. These people have all been inspiring in their own ways, and I've never been met with such kindness and generosity in my life. Volunteering has been one of the best decisions I've made in my life, my only regret being that I didn't volunteer sooner.
What I've noticed mostly though is that honesty leads to honesty. Once I started sharing my story, it was like the floodgates opened; people started sharing their stories and experiences with me, people began to trust and understand me more, people were asking me how they could get help. It was amazing, everyone has a story to share and every life has been touched by mental illnesses in some way. There are so many people struggling with their own or a loved one's mental illness in silence because of stigma. I made myself into a signpost, I directed people towards the professional help that they needed while avoiding my own mental health being worn down (you can't pour from an empty cup!). It was really heartwarming to see so many people finally get the help that they needed.
In October I was so inspired by other people and their experiences, and so equipped with new knowledge from the Summit, that shortly after I really started my journey to recovery. I stopped self harming and binge eating almost immediately after the event and remained strong for months. After a bad relapse on both, I'm proud to say that I'm back on the path to recovery again. At one stage I was having three panic attacks a day, now they're a rare occurrence. Suicide ideation used to be a regular part of my life – all day, every day – but now I'm happy to say that it's nothing more than a random, fleeting thought. My life has improved astronomically in the last six months, so much more than I could have imagined. Almost all of this can be attributed to volunteering. I've made new friends, learned so many new things, and had so many amazing experiences and opportunities. I've tried out things that I never would have considered before and I'm becoming a better person because of it. I still have bad days, I still have a lot of healing to do – but I'm confident in saying that the last 6 months have been life changing and I'm definitely on the road to recovery.
Sixth year is a terrifying time. You're taking what feels like the biggest exams of your life, you're expected to make loads of huge decisions, and there's pressure coming at you from all angles; society, teachers, parents, other students, and even yourself. Fears about points and your future are spinning around in your head, countless what-ifs. How are you supposed to pick a career path for the rest of your life when you can't even pick what cereal to eat in the mornings? (No, a Kinder Bueno does not count as a substantial breakfast!). Luckily for you, I'm about to graduate college and have a sister who's about to sit her Leaving Cert – so you could say I know a thing or two about making course choices. I'm here to share a few gems of wisdom that I've discovered along the way.
The Leaving Cert is not the end of the world
First off – breathe. I know it feels like it now, but the Leaving Cert isn't the be – all – end – all. Doing badly in your exams won't result in social isolation, exclusion from your family and a lifetime ban on succeeding. There's so many choices on how to progress in the event something does go wrong! Firstly, there's the option to repeat. This does not mean going back to the start of sixth year and sitting through it all again with the year below you! Repeating is done externally, so it's not the regular hours stuck in school that you just sat through. You also don't have to sit the entire thing again! You might just want to sit one exam again to get a better mark, and that's fine. You'll attend classes for that one class outside of your school, and then you can sit the exam the next time around. There's also PLC's (Post Leaving Cert courses), foundation/entry level courses, apprenticeships, access programs, and a thousand other options if you're still screaming at the thought of repeating. There are so many backdoors into college that it's both brilliant and unbelievable.
"Arts" is not Art
This is something that I've seen cause a lot of confusion, especially in Fifth Years. An Arts degree is like a general degree where you study several modules and eventually refine them as you progress. This can lead to degrees in business, economics, law, anthropology, philosophy, accountancy, languages, history, and so many more. It's a route that many people take towards becoming a secondary school teacher (not the only route though!). The first year of arts can be large and very broad, but as you progress you gradually become more and more specified in what you study, and will graduate with a named degree (i.e. Law and Anthropology, or English and History). However, arts is often confused with art – an art degree, one which involves something else entirely, is often named more specifically, e.g. Art and Design, or Graphic Design. These are often only taught in specific colleges dedicated to art, such as the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), and require a portfolio to be submitted in order to attend.
What are your interests?
What do you love to do? What are your hobbies? Favourite subjects? Interests? What would you love to learn more about? Any idea of an ideal job? Writing out a list of things like this, and the opposites, will help you narrow down which general direction to go in and give you an idea of what course you might like to do. Was business your favourite subject, but you were thinking of studying law? Try out a general arts degree so you can study both. This method of thinking may not be the answer to all your questions, but it's definitely a great starting point to look at when picking a course.
Go general
So you like science but you're not sure of much past that? Try a general science degree. That way your first year will be like a taster of each science, and you can gradually specify in what you prefer. The same with an arts degree – these give you the chance to try something more general and gradually specify in your interests.
Do a PLC
Have an idea of what you'd like to do, but you're not 100% sure? Try a PLC – they're only a year long and they'll give you a better idea of what you'll be pursuing. You might think that being a criminologist would be the most exciting job in the world, but after the PLC you find out it's not for you! Plus you'll have a qualification at the end of it, and if you go on to study it in college then you'll have much more confidence and better background knowledge on the topic.
Talk to people in the area you're interested in
Attend open days and talk to the students there, they'll tell you anything you want to know about the college or the course that they're in. Find someone with a job you'd be interested in (guarantee you'll find loads if you search on LinkedIn) and start a conversation with them. Most people will be more than happy to help you, and give you guidance and insight that you won't find anywhere else. This can really help when it comes to making a decision.
Research the life out of your course
Okay, so you think you've found a course that you're interested in. Find out everything you can about it! Go on Qualifax, and look at the year-by-year breakdown. This way you'll know exactly what's expected if you go into the course, what you'll be studying, and you won't get any nasty surprises. You'll know what you're getting yourself into, and that the course won't suddenly change two years in! Find out the career options for graduates, see where people who've studied that have gone on to work. Find out what the college is like – is it good to study in, are they good at a particular type of course, what sort of societies are there. Don't just pick a course because the name sounds kind of cool, or because your friends are going to the same place!
Don't let anyone pressure you
Parents, teachers, friends – they all have opinions. Sometimes they might be well intentioned, but not what you need. Don't let these opinions pressure you into making a decision to go into something that you're not really interested in. Maybe college isn't for you, and that's okay, there's other routes to go. Maybe you want to take some time out after the stress of the Leaving Cert, maybe you want to try out an apprenticeship, maybe you want to try something completely new – it's entirely your choice. Don't let others pressure you into doing something that you don't want to.
If the course isn't for you, don't grin and bear it
So you're in college and suddenly you realise that TV has lied to you and this isn't at all what you were expecting. You're not interested in the topic, you don't like the college, it's not what you were expecting, you're not feeling the best – there's any number of reasons why you might not like it. Don't force yourself to stay. This will have awful effects on your mental and physical health, your grades and you entire life. You can transfer into a different course, you can defer the year, you can leave the college altogether and go elsewhere. Just because you started it, doesn't mean you have to finish it for the sake of having a degree. It's not worth it at all, make sure you make the best decision for yourself.
Overall, yes the Leaving Cert is important, but it's far from the most important thing in the world. Finding a course can be tricky, but it's not impossible. You don't have to have everything figured out. I'm going to let you in on a little secret – nobody has it all figured out. I'm about to graduate and I still have no clue what I'm about to do, so don't sweat it too much. Follow your gut feeling, do your research, things are going to work out.
Danika Sharek, a PHD research student in the Trinity College Dublin School of Nursing and Midwifery, is about to launch of a new online education resource for families of transgender young people in the Republic of Ireland, GenderEd.ie
Danika has developed this resource as part of her PhD, funded by the Irish Research Council and with the support of her supervisors, Dr Edward McCann and Sylvia Huntley-Moore. With participation from Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), BeLonG To Youth Services, families of transgender young people and transgender young people themselves.
This is the first evidence-based online education programme of its kind and it is hoped that it will help families by providing appropriate information to help them support their family and their transgender family member.
GenderEd.ie will be officially launched on Thursday, May 18th, 2017.
Sinn Féin spokesperson for the Arts, Youth Affairs and LGBTQI Rights, Senator Fintan Warfield has welcomed the unanimous passing of Gender Recognition (Amendment) Bill 2017 in the Seanad and has said:
“I welcome the positive support shown by all parties and independents today to the issue of gender recognition for young trans and non-binary people."
“The lack of legal recognition leaves them with substantial difficulties in everyday life regarding schools, travel, and work."
“I thank the Senators who supported the Bill passing through second stage and call on all parties to ensure the gender recognition of our young trans and non-binary people is made a reality in the near future.”
BeLonGTo, the national organisation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) young people, aged between 14 and 23 have reached out to Senator Warfield to thank him for all his work by tweeting, “The Gender Recognition Amendment Bill had past this stage in the #Seanad today huge thanks to @fintanwarfield for your excellent work on it”
The Bill amends the Gender Recognition Act 2015 in three ways:
- Removes the arduous process for young people between 16 – 17 to receive gender recognition putting them on equal (informed consent) criteria to those over 18.
- Allows for young people under 16 to receive gender recognition with parental consent.
- Allows for non-binary and intersex persons to be specifically considered in the review of the Gender Recognition Act.
The annual Pets in the City, brought to you by Dublin City Council and supported by the DSPCA, will take place on Sunday 14th May 2017 in Smithfield Square, Dublin 7 taking place from 11.30am to 4.30pm.
This free event promises to be a great day out for animal lovers living in the city with a wide range of activities, stalls and entertainment. The DSPCA King of Paws Training Team will host Dog Agility Workshops and Scruffs Dog Show, where members of the public are invited to enter their own four-legged friends.
Pet lovers can also expect a range of stalls offering great deals on all kinds of animal accessories, grooming products, toys and novelty items as well as the opportunity to avail of micro-chipping and pet health advice from the DSPCA. There will also be a reptile corner, an exotic animal area and an animal farm will give visitors the opportunity to interact with, and learn about, all kinds of animals.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Brendan Carr spoke at the launch and said, “Pets in the City is a great opportunity for families to bring their pets right into the heart of Dublin city, in Smithfield Square. There will be lots of different animals to discover on the day, as well as pet professionals on hand to teach you more about caring for your pet. ”
Brian Gillen, CEO of the DSPCA, said of the event, “We’re thrilled to be supporting Pets in the City again this year. It promises to be a fun and interactive day out suitable for the whole family. We always look forward to meeting pet owners and advising them on the very best care for their animals”.
Pets in the City is brought to you by Dublin City Council and is supported by the DSPCA and King of Paws.
Young Social Innovators (YSI) aims to creatively tackle social issues affecting young people and their communities. The Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards recognise and celebrate excellence in youth-led social innovation. At this year's Awards, almost 30 YSI teams were rewarded for their outstanding achievements in tackling social issues through social innovation. The awards took place on Thursday, May 11th at the Dublin Convention Centre. The 11 YSI teams below competed live on stage with the overall title of Young Social Innovators of the Year 2017 going to a group of students from Largy College, Co. Monaghan. Take a look at the finalists below to read more about the winners' and other finalists' projects.
Make Our World Healthier Challenge (Phyisical Health)
Institution: Eureka Secondary School, Kells, Co. Meath
Project Title: Breaking the Borders around Eating Disorders
Short summary: The team's goal is to discard the stigma surrounding eating disorders and make the topic more widely discussed. Their first action was to create a social media presence on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to kick start their awareness campaign. They also filmed a short video and shared it on Facebook, it received an incredible reaction, reaching 5,000 views in two days. Their future plan is to develop a chapter in the new Health and Wellbeing course about eating disorders.
Make Our World Healthier Challenge (Mental Health)
Institution: Largy College, Analore Road Clones Co. Monaghan
Project Title: Mend A Mind – It's a disorder not a decision
Short summary: The team's goal is to raise awareness about mental health, in their school and community and to educate their community about the mental health issues that are most pertinent to young people. They organised a community ‘Lighting up the Darkness’ walk which was attended by around 500 people. They also held a community event which included activities around physical activity, good nutrition, relaxation (de-stressing), socialising and talking to others. In the future they plan to hold a community 'High tea' event. This would promote the idea that you should talk to someone if you are feeling low.
Relationships & Sexual Health Challenge
Institution: St. Angela's College, St. Patrick's Hill Cork
Project Title: Consent Matters
Short summary: The team's goal is to raise awareness about consent and to to help start the conversation about rape and consent among parents, teachers, politicians and, most importantly, students. If people understand what it is and that it is vital in society, then they can prevent future rape cases and hopefully counteract the stigma surrounding rape. Their ultimate goal being to introduce sexual consent classes in schools. In the future they plan to hold a Parent's Information Evening to encourage parents to start the conversation about consent with their children and teach them that it's OK to say no. They are setting up a text line for the Sexual Violence Centre. They hope to contact the Minister for Education about how important sexual consent classes are and the possibility of implementing them in the future.
Make Our World Safer Challenge
Institution: Tullamore College, Riverside Tullamore Co. Offaly
Project Title: Think Safety, Farm Safely
Short summary: The goal of this project is to raise awareness about farm safety and to save lives. The team aimed to get all students, farmer or not, in their school to be able to identify all the common dangers on a farm and to know how to effectively contain these problems. They feel very passionately about how important farm safety truly is to Irish farmers today. They designed and produced a passenger seat sensor to help prevent and reduce the amount of falls from farm machinery and tractors. Going forward they hope to expand their project to not only local farmers but also to farmers nationwide They also aim to have their device sold nationally in order for it to reach its full potential and save lives.
Make Our Community Better Challenge
Institution: St. Mary's Secondary School, Convent of Mercy Ballina Co. Mayo
Project Title: Deal with the Wheels
Short summary: The goal of this project is to make the students local town, Ballina more wheelchair friendly and to educate the general public on the difficulties that wheelchair users in the local area face on a daily basis. They want to highlight the positives that the town possesses in relation to wheelchair accessibility such as wheelchair parking, ramps and wheelchair and accessible toilets in some businesses while also highlighting the negatives such as people parking in wheelchair spaces and parking on footpaths. The are organizing a ‘Wheel Chair Day’ in their town. This will involve asking business owners and the public to get into a wheelchair and try make their way around the shops, to highlight the difficulties wheelchair users go through on a daily basis.
Step Up Challenge
Institution: Portmarnock Community School, Carrickhill Road Portmarnock Co. Dublin
Project Title: Global Citizens Mapping the Future
Short summary: The team plan to bring their app ‘Mobile Emergency’ offline. This app gives people access to emergency services at the click of a button. They plan to hold further Mapathons. A Mapathon is a session of intensive mapping, these make a massive impact. They plan to begin monthly mapathons which will last 12 hours. They will also expand their Peer to Peer Education System. They go to schools to teach them how to map and become teachers themselves. They follow the motto ‘Teach 3 people how to map, they teach 3 more, then you're on your way to changing the world!’
Make Our World A Better Place For Young People Challenge
Institution: Heywood Community School, Ballinakill Portlaoise Co. Laois
Project Title: Nascadh Le Chéile
Short summary: The goal of this YSI project is to make a tangible difference in the lives of as many people as possible, through the involvement of young people volunteering for various charities. They want to develop their project ‘Nascadh Le Cheile’ and aim at expanding their program to all 9 Secondary Schools in Laois. They want to grow their initiative and competition with the final goal of developing the project nationwide. In the future Nascadh Le Cheile want to expand their Volunteer of the Year initiative beyond Laois and make it into a National Programme that is run in schools all over Ireland. They want to continue to prove that young people are capable of making a difference and recognize their contributions to society.
Make Our World One World Challenge
Institution: Our Lady's College, Greenhills Drogheda Co. Louth
Project Title: Human Trafficking
Short summary: This YSI project is based on sex trafficking within Ireland. The team’s project goal is to make themselves and others more informed about the topic and to fundraise in a way that increases awareness of the issue. In the bigger picture they hope to reduce the number of people trafficked in Ireland. They also created links with people and organisations outside of school including the Immigrant Council of Ireland, ‘Turn Off The Red Light’, Ruhama and ‘Stop the Traffic’. In the future the team want to develop their relationship with Ruhama, Stop the Traffic and other sex trafficking organisations. They plan to fundraise annually while still at school and some of the group are interested in getting involved in the education and development area.
Make Our World Greener Challenge
Institution: C.B.S. Charleville, Bakers Road Charleville Co. Cork
Project Title: Ditch Your Carbon Cup Print
Short summary: The main aim of the project is to reduce Carbon Emissions (C02) locally and nationally by encouraging people to bring their own reusable cup and ditch the disposable paper cup when getting a take out beverage in garages and coffee outlets throughout the country. To kick start the idea, the students will organize a “Ditch Your Carbon Cup Print’ (DYCCP) week in the town of Charleville. It is hoped that, during the designated week, people will get a discount on a beverage when they bring their own reusable cup. Pending the success of their local "Ditch Your Carbon Cup Print" week, the students hope that The ‘Ditch Your Carbon Cup Print’ week will provide a successful model which will be presented to the Department of the Environment and the EPA for consideration to be rolled out nationally. Such a campaign would be established as an annual designated week/fortnight held throughout the towns and villages of Ireland.
Make Our World Fair and Just Challenge
Institution: St. Joseph's College, Lucan Co. Dublin
Project Title: No Limits
Short summary: Their project has three main aims and an overall goal. The first is to show children with disabilities or special needs that nobody, including themselves, should ever put limits on their abilities and talents. The second aim is to make these children feel included in society by making them see through a specially written book that they are accepted. Their final message is to teach the young generation that people with disabilities have talents and should not be discriminated against or treated differently than everyone else. The ultimate goal is to improve the underrepresentation of people with disabilities in children’s literature. The group chose this social issue as two of the girls in the group have family members with disabilities/special needs. Their plan for the future is to continue writing more stories to educate people about different disabilities such as blindness, autism, etc. They are currently working on a story about a character with Down Syndrome. They have received an order of 500 books from South Dublin County Council and 100 books from DCU Sport. They have also been asked by South Dublin County Council to take part in their Social Inclusion Week and National Accessibility Week in October and November of this year.
Make Our Country More Inclusive and Poverty Free Challenge
Institution: St. Aidan's Community School, Brookfield Tallaght Dublin 24
Project Title: Intercultural Book Exchange
Short summary: The main goal of this project is to bring members of the community together to promote reading. This group use their school library a lot. They are all school journalists and write articles for the school website. They are very aware that a lot of students have parents and grandparents from several different countries and they want to acquire books for these students to read in their native language. The group are in the process of getting posters and flyers made also. They have acquired a lot of resources, books, bookshelves and posters and plan to develop the project more at the beginning of the year.
Goodluck and welldone to all the YSI teams both winners and the teams shorlisted for there outstanding achievements in tackling social issues through social innovation.
If you want to find out more information on the event and all the Young Social Innovators, you can here: https://www.youngsocialinnovators.ie/speak-out-awards/young-social-innovator-of-the-year-awards/
On Wednesday May 10th, Senator Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) will put forward an amendment to the Gender Recognition Bill, that will allow 16 and 17 year olds to have their gender identity legally recognised.
According to the Gender Regonition Bill, which was made law in 2015, anyone over 18 can have their gender identity legally recognised. It is currently possible for 16 and 17 year olds, however there is a different, longer process involved to do so. This includes getting a Court Order from the Circuit Family Court.
According to campaigners, this is unfair to the transgender population under the age of 18. If the new amendment is passed, 16 and 17 year olds have access to gender recognition in the same way that people over the age of 18 do.
The amendment will be presented to the Seanad at 2pm on Wednesday May 10th.
You can support the Bill on social media before and on day itself with hashtag #GRB17.
Fix Me follows a young man who attends therapy for the first time, believing that he's here for help with one specific situation, when, maybe, the real reason he's there is something very different.
The the first episode of the web series created by Tom Moran, gives a witty insight to a first experience of a therapy session and shows there is nothing to be afraid of. The episode focuses on real life problems and how people deal with them.
The release date for episode one is Wednesday the 24th of May. Watch the trailer below.