Transition Times: Every community faces the problem of too much drinking. Now a group in Mallow hopes to tackle it in a new, hands-on way.

The students of St Mary's Secondary School in Mallow are well aware of the problems associated with heavy drinking. Like every community in Ireland, the Co Cork town has its share of underage drinking, and the students were keen to communicate some of the dangers to their peers. When the girls did a little research, however, they found there was more to the problem than teenage irresponsibility.

Twenty-one transition-year students from St Mary's undertook a project to increase fellow pupils' awareness of the health risks associated with alcohol, drugs and careless sexual activity. They also talked to students about their recreational choices and found that the absence of suitable facilities was contributing to young people's alcohol consumption and other negative behaviour.

The project, which began at the start of the year, involved visits to youth centres, a family centre and the local library, as well as discussions with various townspeople in Mallow. The students also did some Internet-based research on the recreational preferences of teenagers in Ireland and beyond.

They found that many young people had few choices when it came to socialising: Ireland's pervasive pub culture leaves little room for alternative entertainment. To address this gap the students are planning to establish a "youth café" in Mallow. They have also organised a health seminar for more than 120 of the town's transition-year students, both male and female.

"We chose to hold a community seminar because we believe it is important that we all hear the same facts with regard to health issues," says Clare O'Farrell, St Mary's Young Social Innovators co-ordinator. "We have achieved a monumental first step for positive change in the environment for young people in Mallow. We have been listened to and we know now that change is possible if there is enough support."

The students hope Mallow Town Council will include financial provision for a café within in a wider programme to develop youth facilities. "An important feature of the overall project is how we have secured recognition by the town council of our concerns and that the council has responded to young people in the town," says one of the students.

St Mary's received a third prize earlier this year in the Young Social Innovators programme, which involved 53 schools, and last week students from the school were presented with a special award by MEAS for their work in relation to alcohol awareness. Eight of the students also presented their work and findings to the annual MEAS Alcohol and Society conference. The conference, which took place at the National College of Ireland, was on alcohol and young people.