'Sexting - Get the Message' celebrating their win at Croke Park, May 8th.

A team of 28 students from Ardscoil Mhuire in Limerick has been named the Young Social Innovators of the Year 2018. All 33 shortlisted teams presented their projects to a panel of judges at Croke Park today, followed by an Awards Ceremony at which the winning teams were announced. The prestigious award was presented by Sean Kyne TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, together with Elizabeth Arnett, Head of Corporate Affairs at Ulster Bank and YSI Co-Founder, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy.

The Gold award, along with the title of Young Social Innovators of the Year 2018, went to Ardscoil Mhuire in Corbally, Co. Limerick whose project ‘Sexting - Get the Message’ posed questions about the lack of communication and education for young people around the topic of sex.

The Silver award went to Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School in New Ross, Co. Wexford, whose project ‘UV Been Warned’ explored the danger of skin cancer caused by the sun and how this issue is perceived in Ireland.

The Bronze award went to Youthreach City of Galway VEC whose project ‘It’s our teenage brain, we can’t take all the blame!’ tackled the issue of teenage behaviour in relation to brain development and hormonal activity.

10 Challenge Awards and four Spotlight Awards were also awarded to successful teams during the ceremony, as well as a High Impact Award granted to Davis College from the 2012 YSI programme for their project ‘Forget me Not’ and their lobbying efforts for the successful establishment of the National Missing Persons Day in Ireland in 2013.

The newly-crowned Young Social Innovators of the Year 2018, from Ardscoil Mhuire in Corbally, Co. Limerick said: “We are so delighted to win and to be named the Young Social Innovators of the Year for 2018. We were very impressed by the standard of all the other projects here today and we knew the competition was fierce. Our project really means a lot to us because sexting and sex education is an issue that is very relevant to ourselves, our peers and all young people in Ireland today. We really want to raise awareness about the lack of communication and education around sex for young people, and Young Social Innovators is a great opportunity for us to get our work started.”

Speaking at the event Damien Daly, Head of Customer Experience and Products at Ulster Bank, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Young Social Innovators Awards for a third year. Innovation is a core element of all the work we do at Ulster Bank and the innovation, creativity and enthusiasm displayed by all of the candidates here today is excellent. We are proud to support these brilliant young people as they disrupt the world around them and work to bring about social change, and we take inspiration from the projects that they have presented today.”

Rachel Collier, CEO and co-founder of Young Social Innovators, said: “Every year I am blown away by the work presented by the young people in the Young Social Innovators programme, and 2018 has been no different. Young people are one of our most valuable resources for fuelling social change, and at Young Social Innovators we are proud to capture their passion and to provide them with a platform on which to present their ideas and be heard.”

Check out our official photo galleries by clicking the thumbnails below:

Full list of this year’s winners below:

Gold Award: Young Social Innovators of the Year 2018

Title: Sexting, Get the message #keepitpg

School: Ardscoil Mhuire, Corbally, Limerick  

Guide: Lorraine Kerin

Silver Award

Title: UV Been Warned

School: Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School, Rosbercon, New Ross Co. Wexford 

Guide: Catherine Moran

Bronze Award

Title: It’s our teenage brain, we can’t take all the blame!

School: Youthreach, City of Galway VEC, 22A Liosbaun Business Park Tuam Road Galway

Guide: Jaki Mitchell

Make Our World Healthier – Mental Health

Title: Going Mental on Wheels

School: Newtown School, Waterford, Co. Waterford  

Guide: Karen Keogh

Make Our World Healthier – Physical Health

Title: Our Answer After Cancer

School: Mulroy College, Milford, Letterkenny Co. Donegal 

Guide: Karen Stewart

Relationship & Sexual Health

Title: Healthy Relationships and How to Recognise Them

School: St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla, Co. Clare  

Guide: Deirdre Hogan

Make Our World One World

Title: The Cycle Of Life

School: Portmarnock Community School, Carrickhill Road, Portmarnock Co. Dublin 

Guides: Colette Cronin and Niall Fitzgerald

Make Our Community Better

Title: Better Safe, Than Sorry

School: Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal  

Guide: Siobhan McKeague

Make Our World a Better Place for Young People

Title: Give a Hand to Help them Understand

School: Ursuline College, Finisklin, Sligo  

Guide: Nathalie Reilly

Make Our Country More Inclusive and Poverty Free

Title: F.R.E.E. – For Refugees Entering Éire

School: Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal  

Guide: Siobhan McKeague

Make Our World More Fair & Just

Title: The FairTraders

School: Castleisland Community College, Tonbwee, Castleisland Co. Kerry 

Guide: Elaine Murphy

Make Our Future More Sustainable

Title: Off Grid

School: St. Fintan’s High School, Dublin Road, Sutton Dublin 13 

Guide: Wissam Abdel Samad

Make Our World Safer

Title: B.O.B…..belts on buses

School: Christian Brothers Secondary School, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork  

Guide: Carmel Ryan

Social Media

Title: Proud as Punch

School: Breifne College, Cootehill Rd, Cavan Co. Cavan 

Guide: Grainne Brady

Fun-raising

Title: Going Mental on Wheels

School: Newtown School, Waterford, Co. Waterford  

Guide: Karen Keogh

Mobile for Good

Title: The Icitabo Project

School: St. Fintan’s High School, Dublin Road, Sutton Dublin 13 

Guide: Wissam Abdel Samad

Social Innovation & STEM

Title: Why So Few?

School: Beara Community School, Castletownbere, Beara Co. Cork 

Guide: Aoife Buckley