Young Social Innovators

🥈 Silver Award - The Road Not Taken

Congratulations to St. Brendan’s College, Killarney, winners of the Silver Award at this year’s YSI Awards for their inspiring project The Road Not Taken.

This incredible team is challenging the stigma around apprenticeships and showing young people across Kerry that trades are skilled, respected, and full of opportunity. Through careers fairs, social media campaigns, and their children’s book character Voltage Vince, they are opening minds and creating new pathways for future generations.

A powerful campaign promoting choice, confidence, and opportunity.

🥇 Gold Award - The Oasis Project

Congratulations to Killorglin Community College, Kerry, winners of the Gold Award at this year’s YSI Awards for their outstanding project The Oasis Project.

This inspiring team is bringing emotional wellbeing into everyday school life through a series of corridor-based wellbeing stations designed to help students reset and recharge throughout the day. By creating accessible tools for emotional regulation, they are helping to build a more supportive and compassionate school environment.

A thoughtful and innovative approach to student wellbeing.

🥉 Bronze Award - Stop the Silent Leak

Congratulations to Largy College, Monaghan, winners of the Bronze Award at this year’s YSI Awards for their impactful project Stop the Silent Leak.

Inspired by groundbreaking research from Trinity College Dublin, this team is raising awareness about nanoplastics - the invisible particles entering our food and drinks and the potential risks they pose to brain health. Through street interviews, TikTok campaigns, and practical fridge magnet reminders, they are turning complex science into everyday action.

An innovative campaign shining a light on a hidden health issue.

A huge congratulations to all of our Advocacy Award winners at the YSI Awards 2026 ✨

During the Speak Out Tour earlier this year, you stood on stages across the country and shared your projects with such confidence and passion. It was inspiring to see the creativity and care that went into every presentation, and the powerful way you spoke about the issues that matter most to you and your communities 💛

Your voices started important conversations, challenged perspectives and encouraged others to take action. The energy you brought to the Speak Out Tour left a lasting impact on everyone who had the chance to hear your stories.

Thank you for bringing your ideas and advocacy to Young Social Innovators this year, we are so proud to celebrate you 🌟

A huge congratulations to all of our Challenge Award winners at the YSI Awards 2026 ✨

You brought such energy and heart to your projects this year, and it was incredible to see the care and thought behind everything you achieved. All of your projects created real impact in your local communities, whether that meant promoting equality, supporting wellbeing, protecting the environment, improving safety or helping people feel more connected and supported 💛 You sparked important conversations, encouraged action and showed what can happen when young people are empowered to lead change in their own communities.

Thank you for everything you brought to YSI this year your creativity and commitment inspired everyone in the room. We are so proud to celebrate you 🌍

Still thinking about these incredible young people from the YSI Awards 2026✨

Our Spotlight Prize winners brought so much heart, creativity and determination to this year’s YSI programme. Every project came from a genuine desire to make life better for others and that’s something really special.

Whether it was creating more inclusive spaces in schools, opening up conversations around mental health, using technology to break down barriers, raising vital funds for their communities, or bringing important stories from history to life, these teams reminded us what young people can do when they care deeply and take action 💛

We couldn’t be prouder. Congratulations to all of our Spotlight Prize winners 🌟

As part of our celebrations, continues to spotlight the people behind 190,000 young changemakers ✨

This week we hear from Jennifer Chudley, former participant from Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny (2021-2022), and now the youngest member of our Board and a Youth Panel member.

Through her project , Jennifer and her team tackled the , turning a local issue into a national conversation. Their work reached over a quarter of a million people online and brought youth voice directly to Leinster House ahead of a critical vote.

Jennifer continues to shape YSI from within, ensuring youth voice is central to our work.

She is now studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Queen’s University Belfast, inspired by her YSI journey and commitment to change.
“Young people can make society listen and realise that issues like mica aren't just adult problems - their cracks also create fault lines in the lives of young people - fault lines my generation and I have a responsibility to help fix.”

Read more 👉 https://ow.ly/nWSy50YVtBB