The Voice of Youth ─ Young Social Innovators’ Speak Out Tour travelled to Cork this week

12/03/2025

Young Social Innovators (YSI) ─ the non-profit organisation that empowers young people to use their talents, insights, passion and creativity to come up with innovative solutions to social challenges ─ opened the Cork leg of its 2025 Speak Out Tour on Tuesday, 11th March, with at Cork City Hall.

Photo Credit: Marcin Lewandowski 

Around 40 teams of teenagers from Munster, who are taking part in the Young Social Innovators Activate programme in their secondary schools, spoke on a host of topical issues, including promoting mental health, online misinformation, promoting positive body image, disability rights, racism, climate justice and substance misuse, among many others.

Special guests, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dan Boyle and the CEO of Young Social Innovators Roger Warnock attended the event.

The Lord Mayor said, “It is encouraging and inspiring to hear these young people highlight, speak out on and propose solutions to challenges that affect them. We need these voices to be considered by those making decisions at top tables and this tour and series of events contributes to those voices being heard”.

The Cork stage of the YSI Speak Out Tour is taking place across two days on Tuesday 11 March and Wednesday 12 March.

The Speak Out Tour kicked off in Dublin last week and will continue from Cork to further locations around the country on dates this month, namely Sligo, Drogheda and Kilkenny.