The Young Social Innovators awards can benefit society by encouraging young people to take part in volunteer work later in life, it was argued yesterday.
Addressing participants from 105 schools at the first day of the event in Dublin yesterday, Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Noel Ahern said: "This showcase is hopefully the seed that will give you the vision to continue your voluntary work for your communities and for society."
Some 3,400 transition year students took part in this year's event, working in teams to select and study a given social problem and identify ways to improve or solve it.
The event's chief executive, Rachel Collier, said students' preoccupations reflect changes in broader social debate.
"You can see trends every year. Road safety is one this year that's really high on the list, and Asbos [anti-social behaviour orders] is another one that's come through. The other one is cancer - no cancer screening services, the long distances that people have to travel [for treatment] . . . This is a way of finding out what young people are thinking. If you're an organisation or a local authority or a health board, you really should be here listening to what they're saying about social issues."
As well as suggesting policy options, the event also benefits participants themselves in important ways, Ms Collier added. "Peer education is so powerful. If you can get young people to talk about drugs or alcohol, it's much more powerful than someone coming in talking to them or lecturing them."