Students from Kells, Co Meath, come out on top in Young Social Innovators of the Year awards

took top honours at the Young Social Innovators of the Year awards announced in Dublin yesterday. Students from Eureka secondary school, Kells, were named the winners for their project "Bring Organ Donation into Education" and received €1,500 to develop it.

The project aims to educate teenagers about the option of organ donation before they leave secondary school. Grace Quinn and Aoife Flaherty explained: "When we started this project, only one person in the class carried an organ donation card, now all 30 of us carry one. Our aim is to get as many students as possible to carry organ donation cards."

Co-founder of Young Social Innovators Sr Stanislaus Kennedy and Vodafone Ireland chief executive Anne O'Leary presented the winning students with their awards.

Runners-up were students from John the Baptist community school in Co Limerick for their road safety project "Click". Third place was awarded to students at St Mary's secondary school, New Ross, Co Wexford, for their project aimed at helping the local economy, "Be Irish, buy Irish".

The event was attended by more than 3,000 young people, as well as Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn and NI Education Minister John O’Dowd.

Sr Stanislaus congratulated all the participants and called for more young people to become involved in social innovation. “In 20 years’ time you will be the new leaders in this country who will demand that our policymakers make changes to people’s lives. It is clear your passion is to change the world for good,” said Sr Stanislaus.

She told the young people that they were sending out a clear message that young people do care about others and the world around them and stressed the importance of community. “Community is not something that just happens, it needs to be nurtured and that’s what you all have done.”

Over 5,500 young people participated in the Young Social Innovators project-based social innovation programme this year, undertaking 350 projects aimed at finding and implementing solutions to social issues. Cyber-bullying, youth literacy, farm safety and continuing education for teenage parents were among the topics addressed.

Mr Quinn commended the young people and said their energy and enthusiasm were palpable. “If it wasn’t for the Young Social Innovators, you wouldn’t be able to channel your energies into these activities,” said Mr Quinn.