Virtually Connected, Socially Disconnected

HSE Healthy Ireland

The Health Service Executive provides funding to promote its strategies around physical, mental and sexual health amongst the youth population. The HSE recognise that youth participation in social innovation promotes positive wellbeing in young people. The HSE provides the Making Our World Healthier (Physical Wellbeing and Mental Health) Awards as well as the Relationships and Sexual Health Award.

HSE

The Health Service Executive provides funding to promote its strategies around physical, mental and sexual health amongst the youth population. The HSE recognise that youth participation in social innovation promotes positive wellbeing in young people. The HSE provides the Making Our World Healthier (Physical Wellbeing and Mental Health) Awards as well as the Relationships and Sexual Health Award.

Virtually Connected, Socially Disconnected

Beara Community School, Cork

The Social Issue:

This team of Transition Year students understood the issue of digital addiction.  As part of their project, Virtually Connected, Socially Disconnected, they distributed over 1500 surveys to gather information and insights before creating their solution.

The Idea:

A Digital Detox Week was held in the school, and the team drew up a Digital Wellness Charter for schools and workplaces. The team also developed a pack for parents which includes a digital information booklet, as well as information on various types of digital addictions. The young innovators were also keen to bring their project to primary school children and piloted lesson materials in primary schools. “We wanted people to realise how much time they spend on technology and how different their lives would be if they could take control of their digital use”. In this way they wanted to further UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all, at all ages”.

We realise currently there is an absence of digital health promotion in Ireland, we hope our project will help to put the topic out there and get people doing something.”

The Impact:

The Virtually Connected, Socially Disconnected team hope to continue this work by creating a children’s book dealing with the issue of digital addiction.  In recognition of their efforts, they also picked up the bronze award at the Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards, 2019.