Athlone Community College students shortlisted for international environment award
Athlone Community College are one of two Irish schools who will compete for the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) international award following their recent national success in the competition.
The secondary school achieved success on the double at a special awards ceremony in Hotel Kilkenny claiming a national accolade in the Young Reporters for the Environment competition and was also announced as the Green-Schools Global Citizenship Litter and Waste School of the Year.
Students James Duffy, Maeve Murphy, Alexander Socolovsky, Eoin Dillion and Henry Proctor all received the national award in the senior category for their three minute video report ‘The Choice' in which they investigated the detrimental issue of illegal dumping in both the local area of Westmeath and beyond.
The five students were inspired to undertake this project after being shocked by the amount of rubbish dumped around Westmeath. They noticed that people had almost become immune to noticing dumping in their area as sadly, it’s so common, especially in scenic areas, for example bogs, rivers or hedgerows.
This years theme of ‘Ecosystem Restoration’ inspired the students to put in the effort to help their local area by planning litter picks with volunteers from Athlone Community College.
“Our main goal of the video is to spread awareness and shed light on the very real problem that is illegal dumping, aiming to make people notice and see it, as even the act of acknowledging an issue can lead to great change”James, Maeve and Eoin said.
Their Green-Schools Committee also received the national award for Global Citizenship school of the year for leading a variety of sustainability initiatives like litter-picking, fast fashion awareness, and energy-saving. Activities like Walk to School Week and biodiversity efforts, including pollinator planting, encouraged students' sustainable habits, while the school also raised awareness through film, classroom audits, and collaborations Shane Boyne, Environmental Officer in Westmeath county council. Events like Diversity Day and Black History Month highlighted global citizenship and through strong local partnerships, Athlone Community College embodies their Green Code: Think Global, Act Local.
The YRE competition is a leadership programme open to students aged 11-25 who are invited to share their environmental perspectives through an article, photograph, or video.
The overall winners in each category have a chance of being recognised on a global scale with publication on the International YRE exposure website and entry into the international award, the winners of which will be announced next month.