Two Offaly schools take part in Our World Awards
Two Offaly primary schools have made their mark in the 2025 Our World Awards as Irish Aid proudly celebrates 20 years of the national awards programme.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s flagship programme with primary schools which, over its lifetime, has seen thousands of young people become inspired to engage with global issues and take action for a fairer, more sustainable world.
This year, Offaly primary schools were encouraged to learn about the lives of children and their families in Mozambique, Somalia, and The Lao People’s Democratic Republic, also known as Laos, focusing on how Ireland and 192 other countries are working together to create a better future for all through support for the 17 UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond expressed his delight at the number of schools taking part in this year’s awards.
“This year saw an impressive rise in the number of entries for the Our World Awards. This response highlights the growing emphasis on Global Citizenship Education in our primary schools, which is very encouraging.
“The Our World Awards challenges children, as global citizens, to put the spotlight on world issues. It encourages pupils to learn about Ireland’s international development programme, Irish Aid which aims to fight world hunger and poverty on behalf of all the people of Ireland.
“International development has a positive impact on the lives of people who are trying to survive hunger, poverty, inequality, climate crises, natural disasters, political instability and conflict. This is why the Our World Awards are so important, to increase awareness of global issues in schools and highlight how we all have a part to play in helping to make the world a better place, by sparking creativity and critical thinking and building empathy, awareness, and a sense of global responsibility.”
Two primary schools from Offaly took part in this year’s Our World Awards from Irish Aid, each submitting thoughtful and creative projects inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The participating schools were: Daingean NS and Killeen NS, Birr;
Meanwhile, Daingean NS designed and created their own giant Snakes and Ladders game, cleverly linking each square to key messages and learning from Irish Aid’s work. The result was a thought-provoking and interactive way to share their understanding of global issues.
Killeen NS contributed with beautiful artwork inspired by elephants, like those found in Mozambique, using their creativity to reflect both empathy and environmental awareness through art.
Open to primary school pupils from 3rd to 6th class across the country, the Our World Awards encourages children to explore important global themes such as climate action, equality and international development, while reflecting on Ireland’s role in creating positive change.
Schools were provided with a suite of specially created cross-curriculum teaching and learning materials to make participating as easy and as enjoyable as possible for both teachers and their pupils. These materials included a colourful pupil magazine packed with information, quizzes and questions; lesson plans, activity sheets and online games, all of which were available in English and as Gaeilge, in print and digital format.
Judging is now underway and shortlisted schools will be invited to the National Final taking place at the Printworks, Dublin Castle on Friday 30th May 2025 where their entries will be celebrated and the Our World Awards School of the Year, 2025 will be announced.