Virgin Media and Young Social Innovators join forces to transform lives

Virgin Media and Young Social Innovators have joined forces to find young Digital Innovators in a new award category of the Young Social Innovators of the Year Ireland Awards which will take place in 2021.

The move forms part of Virgin Media’s ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility programmes where Virgin Media already partners with Young Social Innovators on a range of projects  Through Young Social Innovators, young people are challenged to explore social issues impacting them and their communities and to come up and implement innovative ideas to address these. 

The Digital Innovators award aims to recognise young people’s positive application of digital technology for the purposes of social good and to promote digital wellbeing. Entrants will need to demonstrate an innovative application of digital technology in response to a social issue they identify, or can address issues related to digital safety and wellbeing.

The 2020 Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards reached 7,000 teenagers and received 420 project entries from second-level schools nationwide.

We are thrilled to welcome Virgin Media on board as a partner to this award, promoting the innovative use of digital technology by young people for social good and helping young people address issues of digital wellbeing.  As digital natives, our young people have a great knowledge and understanding of digital tools and platforms – this award challenges them to put their digital talents to use to help improve issues impacting people, communities and the environment.  We are excited to see the types of responses that young people will develop as a result of this partnership that has already brought increased digital capacity to our own small organisation

Peter McCarthy, Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs at Virgin Media Ireland said: “Young people can teach us all new ways of thinking and addressing issues in society and we must encourage them to bring forward their ideas and vision for a better future. This partnership underlines our shared vision to create and build connections for good for our communities and society in general.  We’re really happy to work with Young Social Innovators on this initiative and we’re looking forward to learning from all of the projects and presenting our awards.

“Our corporate social responsibility efforts are focused on educational initiatives and digital skills development aimed at providing individuals with future opportunities and careers to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives. Young Social Innovators is our latest charitable partnership. We welcome them on board and look forward to this new collaboration which will support positive social impacts for many communities across Ireland.”

Rachel Collier, Co-founder and CEO of Young Social Innovators said: “We are thrilled to welcome Virgin Media on board as a partner to this award, promoting the innovative use of digital technology by young people for social good and helping young people address issues of digital wellbeing.  As digital natives, our young people have a great knowledge and understanding of digital tools and platforms – this award challenges them to put their digital talents to use to help improve issues impacting people, communities and the environment.  We are excited to see the types of responses that young people will develop as a result of this partnership that has already brought increased digital capacity to our own small organisation.

The Digital Innovators Award is open to entry by all participating teams in this year's YSI Social Innovation Action Programme at Senior Cycle. The inaugral Award will be annouced at the Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards 2021 on 13th May.