Tipperary students to represent their county at national environmental awards

Students from a Tipperary school will head to the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards, taking place in Dublin later this year. 

The group from Ursuline Secondary School in Thurles are among 102 finalists from schools across Ireland who will showcase their projects at the Convention Centre in Dublin in May.

The Thurles project called ‘No Environment No Well-being’ focuses on addressing eco-anxiety and fostering climate action awareness among Transition Year (TY) students and it is through to the ECO-Health and Well-Being Category of the awards.

The young people behind the project recruited 90 students who were provided with information on biodiversity and the climate crisis and participated in a climate education workshop.

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The project measured changes in eco-anxiety using surveys and focus groups, with the goal of fostering open discussions on climate action and eco-anxiety.

ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards is an all-island programme that recognises the work of young people who are tackling key issues in relation to climate and biodiversity loss, taking environmental action in their school or community and coming up with creative solutions to solve environmental issues.

Now in its 26th year, the YEA programme has reached people in every county of Ireland, with a total of over 65,000 young people participating and 6,000 projects entered down through the years.

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Elaine Nevin, National Director, ECO-UNESCO said: “The projects that have made it through to this year’s Young Environmentalist Awards reflect the mission of Earth Day, the theme of which this year is ‘Our Power, Our Planet’ ─ a call to action highlighting the transformative power of young people and their role in creating a more sustainable and equitable future.

"Through their projects, young people have taken the lead in raising awareness of critical environmental issues, inspiring change in their communities, and championing more sustainable lifestyles," Ms Nevin added.