Staying Connected and Informed

Young people across Ireland shared their ideas to help people in their communities stay connected and informed at this time.

• Macie, 16, from Donegal, wanted to tackle loneliness experienced by older people at this time by setting up a blog or social media group to keep them connected with their communities. On this page older people would get to upload any stories they have or skills they have (e.g. video on how to knit) and other people could comment and make requests.

• Recognising the increasingly digital nature of our everyday activities, Kimberley, 15, from Meath, shared her idea to make high speed broadband more accessible and available for communities across the county.

• Meabh, 16, from Donegal, shared her idea to keep people connected at this time. She suggests creating an app that is easily accessible for all ages and that would enable people to video call family members and friends.

• Looking to support children and their families at this time, Brian, 14, from Mayo, came up with the idea to create an online platform for young children which features ideas and activities that they can do during the various restrictions that are in place due to the pandemic. 

• Having experienced the difficulties lockdown created for teenagers first hand, Grace, 16, from Donegal, shared her idea to create a hub for whatever device is available to young people, where they can chat with friends by video, audio or messaging. She believes it would give teenagers a social outlet and enable kids to share their worries or ask for help if they needed to.

• Ella, 14, from Clare, came up with the idea of creating science museums as key destinations for children, families, teenagers, schools and adults, to ensure they can stay informed at this time. With a goal of tackling misinformation and ‘fake news’, Elle believes that news headlines can be sensationalist and that we can use science to explain, measure and understand what is happening and how our world works.

• Rachel, 16, from Dublin, shared her idea to ensure people and their communities can stay connected and engaged by creating a social media platform where people can share their stories if they are feeling panicked, stressed or bored due to recent circumstances. 

Do you have an idea you’d like to submit?