MY TY WEEK:'We won! Earlier this year, our TY class put together a project for the Young Social Innovators competition. We all knew that there was a lack of youth facilities in Blarney, so decided that setting up a youth cafe would be a really good YSI project and make a big difference to our community.
“We looked around for sites and did a lot of fundraising. So far, we have raised €12,500. We’ve also had donations from local businesses, and the Blarney Community Association have given us the building.
“The week before the finals, we went to the YSI Dragon’s Den and pitched our idea to a panel of business people and social entrepreneurs. They awarded us €1,500, which was a real boost going into the final.
“We’re working with Foróige at the moment and they’re currently training up volunteers to run the cafe. Teenagers get stereotyped and it’s not really fair. The youth cafe will be a safe place for us to go, with XBoxes, Playstations, vending machines, teas and coffees. It will be a place for us to go and chill out.
“The ceremony was held on May 5, and it was really nerve-wracking to see if we would win. When they called out that the Gold Award has gone to The Mill Youth Cafe, we just ran to the stage! The whole day in Croke Park was fantastic. We met lots of other students and even put on a three-minute play to promote our project.
“The prize is great: the title, a beautiful trophy, a visit to the Áras, and €1,500. The ultimate prize, however, will come when we open our youth cafe in September.”
Ciara Murphy (16), Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Blarney, Co Cork
