Clara green teens clinch top award
Green teens from Clara Youthreach took home an award at ECO-UNESCO’s 14th annual Young Environmentalist Showcase and Awards ceremony in Dublin’s Mansion House last week.
The group won the Passionate Project Award with their “Wheeling in the Years” project that saw them construct an eco-friendly sculpture for their community complete with moving lights and a water feature.
The Clara winners were among over 600 young people making up 70 groups present at the ceremony on May 22. Guest of honour at the event was President Michael D Higgins, while Dublin’s deputy Lord Mayor Clare Byrne was also in attendance.
Before the official awards ceremony the public were invited to a colourful exhibition where the young environmentalists showcased their ECO-Action project.
The ECO-UNESCO team also provided exciting green-themed activities including creative recycling workshops, a Bio-Zone in association with the Irish Environmental Network celebrating International Biodiversity Day, an interactive EU zone and a talent zone where visitors were entertained by quality youth performances from the finalists.
Commenting on Ireland’s largest youth environmental showcase National Director of ECO-UENSCO Elaine Nevin said the event was “truly inspiring”.
“The level of dedication, innovation and environmental awareness demonstrated by these young people throughout this year’s Young Environmentalist Awards was phenomenal,” she said. “I would like to congratulate not only our very deserving winners, but everybody who took part in the initiative and who through their environmental action projects made their homes, schools and communities a greener place to live, work and study.”
The annual awards programme run by ECO-UNESCO, Ireland’s environmental education and youth organisation, recognises and rewards young people that carry out local environmental action projects.
The programme has provided thousands of young people aged ten to 18 an opportunity to take action and raise awareness in their own community on issues that matter the most to them.