MORE THAN 800 teenagers came together in Dublin yesterday to talk about issues that concern them. But there was no mention of lip gloss, PSPs or Ugg boots.
Instead, they discussed issues such as animal testing, the psychological effect of hair loss during chemotherapy, and the links between suicide and relationship break-up.
The 15 to 18 year-olds came from Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Offaly and Westmeath to attend the Young Social Innovators’ “Speak Out” forum.
More than 5,500 teenagers are taking part in the Young Social Innovators’ citizenship programme in schools and Youthreach services this year.
It involves completing projects which could then be selected for exhibition in the RDS in May when the Young Social Innovator of the Year awards are presented.
Nicole Casey and Sarah Mortell from St Joseph’s College, Lucan told how break-up was a high risk factor for suicide. They are planning to start a website highlighting issues around suicide and providing links for help.
Students from Oatlands College in Mount Merrion drew gasps when they said that three people would have taken their lives somewhere in the world in the two minutes it took to make their presentation about mental health.
The forum heard how Ballinteer Community School students were planning to write to the local council to highlight the problems posed by broken footpaths for people with mobility problems.
Students from Collinstown Park Community College in Clondalkin highlighted barriers to access for people with disabilities in schools. They talked about how changing a class to an upstairs room could present insurmountable challenges to a person in a wheelchair.
They demonstrated how an outdoor science experiment might seem feasible until the wheelchair gets stuck in the grass.
Students from Coláiste Phádraig CBS in Lucan told how 114 cans were recycled in the first week that green bins were installed in their school.
Yesterday’s event was the first of 11 forums taking place around the State in the next two months.
Homeless campaigner Sr Stanislaus Kennedy told the forum that the current economic turmoil had thrown the spotlight on the way we live our lives. “If we want a more caring and just society in the future, we must nurture the most vital ingredient: our young people, tomorrow’s leaders. Civic responsibility and a commitment to active engagement don’t emerge in a vacuum,” she said.
