Virgin Media has teamed up with Young Social Innovators to create a new award category aimed at sparking interest in the innovative application of digital technology to social issues or those related to digital safety and wellbeing.
The new Digital Connector category will be added to the lineup for the Young Social Innovators of the Year Ireland Awards, which will take place in 2021 and will feature entries from students in second-level schools around the country.
It aims to recognise young people’s positive application of digital technology for the purposes of social good and to promote digital wellbeing. This year’s awards reached 7,000 teenagers and received 420 project entries.
Vice president of legal affairs Peter McCarthy 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.
“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.”
In Association with
YSI chief executive Rachel Collier added: “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.”
Entries can come from students or student teams in both senior and junior cycles at second level and must involve innovative application of digital technology to respond to their social issue, or address issues related to digital safety and wellbeing. Schools and their teams can sign up here.
The full range of entries in 2020 and the list of winners is available here, and details for entries for the 2021 awards will be published on the same page soon.
Photo: Largy College Monaghan students Michaela Howell (left), Eoin Fitzpatrick and Brigita Gudenaite with their project Dare to Break the Silence, about domestic violence. (Pic: Jason Clarke Photography)
