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YSI Teams Raise the Roof and Take Over Croke Park for YSI Awards 2023
Teams at the YSI Awards 2023 Inspired Judges Croke Park, Dublin.
We were super excited to host the YSI Awards at Croke Park this May! It had been three years since our last in-person Awards, so we couldn't wait to meet you all face-to-face again. 34 teams from all over the country competed for 17 awards, including the prestigious Gold, Silver, and Bronze Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards. The day started early with breakfast and registration at 8:30 am (not the best timing after a bank holiday, we know, but it was worth it)! Teams from places like Donegal, Longford, Wexford, and Sligo made their way to the event, a bit tired but full of excitement. At 9 am, the YSI Awards officially kicked off. There were lots of cool activities to enjoy, like an open mic session (with a fantastic Dolly Parton performance), a games room with giant Jenga and old-school video games, and a diary room where we asked about your YSI experience. Oh, and let's remember the 360 camera that captured all the fun and excitement (and maybe a bit of embarrassment for some, but hey, we're all friends here)!
At 9:30 am, the finalist pitching began. Teams divided into three rooms—green, blue, and red—where they had four minutes to pitch their ideas and two minutes for questions from the judges. It was like a more formal version of Speak Out, where you presented your amazing ideas to a diverse panel of judges. And the best part? The panel made all the decisions on the spot, which was incredibly exciting! We also invited some Elevate teams to join us. YSI Elevate is a support network that helps teams continue their social innovation projects beyond transition year.
By 1:30 pm, the judges had made their decisions, and it was time for the Awards presentation. Zara King from Virgin Media and YSI superstar Dayl Cronin were there to host the 2023 ceremony. We watched highlights from the Speak Out Tour and the Diary Room (surprise, surprise!). Dayl even got us dancing before the ceremony began. Trust us; you'll be a better dancer after YSI! All the participants at the Awards were absolutely amazing, making it tough for the judges to choose winners in each category.
The Bronze Award went to Firhouse Educate Together for their project 'Women's Safety Week,' the Silver Award went to Rosses Community School for their project 'Go with the Flow of Your Menstrual Waves.' The Gold Award went to Holy Family School for the Deaf for their brilliant project - ''Deaf Awareness - A Language for All.'' You can read about this year's winners here! These winning projects are just a taste of the incredible work young people do across Ireland to create a better and more equitable society.
Watch The Gold award Winners discussing their project on Virgin Media's Ireland AM
