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“DO YOU HAVE the next big idea to change Ireland?”
This was the question we asked people across Ireland earlier this year. Hundreds of people replied, from every corner of the country. The ideas that came back were incredible.
We often think that we have to wait for the system to change things. But there are people all over the country who have innovative ideas to solve Ireland’s social problems and they have the drive and determination to put these ideas into action.
These people are entrepreneurs. But not in the traditional sense. Instead of having an idea to make a profit, they have an idea to create a social change, to make life better for people and to create a better society.
At Social Entrepreneurs Ireland we select the best entrepreneurs with the best ideas and give them funding and support to make that idea a reality.
Some of the previous Social Entrepreneurs Ireland winners have been FoodCloud – an app developed by Aoibheann O’Brien and Iseult Ward which matches retailers who have too much food with charities that have too little; and the Irish Men’s Sheds Association founded by John Evoy which has had a huge impact in combating isolation and suicide among men in Ireland.
Like Dragon’s Den, we filter through the applications, interview the entrepreneurs and finally, after a thorough and in-depth selection process we have found the top nine ideas to change Ireland for 2016 and the entrepreneurs behind them.
And they are…
A Lust for Life – Niall Breslin and Susan Quirke
Sometimes an idea arrives at just the right time, when people need it most and when a country is really ready to embrace it. For Ireland, this idea is A Lust for Life. There are hundreds of thousands of people across the country who are experiencing or have experienced a mental health issue. This can be very lonely. It can also be daunting and overwhelming.
A Lust for Life aims to bring people together, to show solidarity in doing activities together, like a run or a cycle. They are creating strong communities so no one has to feel alone, no matter what they are going through.
A Lust for Life has also created a platform where experts can give advice and people can talk about the mental health issues they are experiencing. A Lust for Life is a national wellbeing movement utilising a holistic approach to promote positive mental health, suicide prevention and physical health. Through the media and grassroots advocacy A Lust for Life aims to change the way we talk about and treat mental health issues in Ireland.
Lakers- Meeting Special Needs – Claire Brady
Lakers is changing people’s lives in a big way. It is an idea that is set to take off across the country. The idea behind Lakers is to create a place where people of all age groups with different intellectual disabilities can participate in a wide range of sporting, social, recreational, and developmental activities.
Lakers asks its members what activities they would like to take part in and facilitates the various interests of its members. Lakers also provides a strong, supportive network for parents and families of its members. If you have an intellectual disability in Ireland sometimes the choice of activities that you can take part in can be very limited.
This has a huge effect on the quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Lakers is changing people’s lives by giving them diversity and choice and creating an environment where people can thrive and reach their full potential.
ReCreate – Dara Connolly
Many businesses have surplus materials at the end of the day, which are often sent to landfill. Meanwhile, many communities around Ireland cannot afford art materials, which can be very expensive. ReCreate is a fantastic idea which bridges this gap. ReCreate salvages materials from businesses, like Avoca handweavers or Bewleys and makes art materials out of them.
They have created a Warehouse of Wonders which is full of incredible materials. They hold workshops and invite groups and schools from disadvantaged communities to join in the workshops or avail of art supplies. ReCreate’s mission is to be an inclusive social enterprise by inspiring curiosity, creativity and care for the environment by supporting businesses nationwide to divert materials from landfill. This is a very special project and a trip to the Warehouse of Wonders is a must for children and adults alike.
Buddy Bench Ireland – Sam Synnott and Judith Ashton
Buddy Bench Ireland is a simple but wonderful idea – to put a colourful bench in school yards around Ireland. The aim is to encourage children to use the bench to talk to each other about their feelings.
This is coupled with a programme they have developed, which aims to teach children how to express their emotions and talk about how they are feeling. This has mental health benefits and creates a supportive and communicative environment for children from a very young age.
It is surprising how many young children experience anxiety issues and don’t know how to express what they’re going through. Sam and Judith’s vision is to have a buddy bench in every school in the country. This could make all the difference to the mental health of the next generation.
CyberSafeIreland – Alex Cooney and Cliona Curley
One third of internet users are children. This may surprise you. What may surprise you even more is what these children are doing online. Many parents worry about children being on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. But what they may not realise is that there are a whole host of other apps and websites that children are accessing that parents don’t even know exist.
One in five children has come into contact with a stranger online and many of the dangers of the internet like cyberbullying and grooming are very real concerns when children are growing up with the internet as part of their daily lives. And yet, there’s no national strategy to help parents and teachers to deal with this issue.
CyberSafeIreland works with children, talking to them about the apps and websites they are using. They then advise parents, teachers and children about how kids can be stronger, smarter and safer online. This idea is timely and will help our society to adapt to a fast-changing world.
DabbledooMusic – Shane McKenna and Killian Redmond
Many primary school teachers don’t know how to read music, and yet they are supposed to teach it in the classroom. Remember this?
This can be daunting and often means that teachers avoid teaching the subject as they’re not confident about it themselves. The reality is, because of this, a lot of children around the country are missing out on music education and the joy and skills that come with it. DabbledooMusic has the solution.
By creating a programme that uses colours in place of musical notation, they are making teaching and learning music more accessible, engaging, and fun for teachers and students. If you’ve never played music in your life, you’ll be playing a polka in a matter of minutes! Check it out.
Mobility Mojo – Noelle Daly and Stephen Cluskey
For many people with mobility issues- whether they are in wheelchairs, are elderly, or pushing a pram or buggy, accessibility is a major issue. And yet, it can be incredibly difficult to find any reliable information about whether hotels, bars, restaurants or tourist sites are accessible.
This makes life very difficult for more than 600,000 people affected by reduced mobility in Ireland and their friends and families too. Mobility Mojo is an exciting new app which aims to solve this.
It’s like ‘TripAdvisor’ for those with mobility issues. Developed by Noelle and Stephen, who are both wheelchair users themselves, it is a platform for people to give live reviews on transport routes, public buildings, tourist attractions and accommodation.
Their mission is to create a barrier-free travel environment for people with limited mobility and make Ireland the most accessible destination. It’s one of those ideas you just can’t believe doesn’t exist already.
Problem Gambling Ireland – Barry Grant
With the tap of a phone these days you can lose your paycheck, your rent money, your relationships, your job. This is because gambling is so easy to do on your mobile phone. For people who are addicted to gambling this is a major problem.
Barry is an addiction counsellor and witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of problem gambling – from mental health issues to family breakdown to crime committed to support addiction.
Problem Gambling Ireland is an independent resource dedicated to reducing gambling related harm through preventative education, awareness-raising of gambling addiction and lobbying for statutory regulation of the gambling industry.
Its mission is to provide an independent suite of supports, resources and referral pathways for problem gamblers and their families. This idea is tackling a complicated issue in a real and meaningful way.
Step Out Ireland – Francis Cleary
One in eight people in Ireland suffer from social anxiety disorder. That means probably one of your friends or family may go through this at some point in their lives. It is a very isolating and overwhelming condition which can make friendships, relationships and even keeping down a job very difficult.
It can also lead to substance abuse and other mental health issues. Francis Cleary was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder at the age of 27. He knew he had to do something to help people who were going through the same problem.
He founded Step Out Ireland which creates a welcoming and safe space for people with social anxiety disorder to meet and talk with one another. Its aim is to facilitate meaningful connection so that social confidence and a sense of belonging can be fostered. Step Out Ireland hosts facilitated meetings in locations around Ireland and is already changing lives across the country.
So far Social Entrepreneurs Ireland has supported over 200 big ideas which are having an enormous impact on lives across Ireland. Stay tuned to see how these ideas grow and scale over the coming years. And keep a look out for our call out in March as we look for more people to Think Big, Act Now and Change Ireland.
Darren Ryan is CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland
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Madness! Life saving services should be the last to get cut. I’d rather see TD’s on 52 grand a year(1000 euro a week with no expenses is still too much). There is still too much fat to be trimmed before cutting what is really needed. What idiots are coming up with this rubbish!
I think this would be terrible. The fire brigade do such a good job, if they have no overtime then the incentive to do extra shifts is lost leaving them short staffed most of the time. This could possibly result in fires not being attended to or worse, lives could be lost.
Agreed,
If they aren’t going to pay them overtime how are they going to fill the needed hours?
Are they going to guilt trip them into it? "lives could be lost if you don’t do the late shift tonight"
There’s plenty of other places costs could be cut before these guys/girls.
@ Ray Boyse. In DFB we have met with EVERY concession that has been asked of us. We have already reduced manning levels on certain appliances and in other roles. Our training centre which is now being closed, has been run with a skeleton staff for months now. Training had more or less ceased anyway as essential upskilling and refresher courses had been cancelled or postponed. People have given out about benchmarking and pay increases over the years, which in fact only really mirrored the rate of inflation. In return we upskilled regularly (in that I mean we are delivering more primary care through the use of different medications on the ambulance, using new and more effective equipment) and we are also delivering more services on the Fire & Rescue side of things. Since then we have received what amounts to more than a 20% pay cut yet we are still expected to deliver the same service. You may argue that we are lucky to have a job but a job in the Emergency Services should be seen as a job for life. We didn’t benefit greatly from the Celtic Tiger, we didn’t get bonuses, our pay increases simply matched inflation and anyway in that time we all upskilled. We work nights, weekends, bank holidays, Christmas and New Year, we get abuse, verbal and physical and we are prepared to put our lives on he line to protect life and limb. In return for that we expect to be modestly remunerated and not vilified for taking a job that is secure. Our budgets have already been cut substantially and the reason that the service has remained the same is because WE HAVE MADE IT WORK. We are constantly making suggestions to make the service better value. There is no actual logical mathematical calculation in reducing our budgets, it is simply a blunt initiative simply because money has to be saved.
A sobering thought for you all. Firefighter deaths in the UK Fire Service were ZERO for the years 1996 to 2002. Following cutbacks in their service this figure increased to THIRTEEN for the years 2003 to 2007. Not to mention the risks it will pose to the general public and their property. These cuts will end up COSTING more money, not saving it.
Minister have 7.5 million in expences last year the fire service short fall this year 1.4. Next year is 4.4 million. That is still less than ministers expenses. One man one vote mister kenny one one term
agree wiyh you paul – just as bad in retained stations – callouts are being screened, refresher courses at a standtill, this years income barely on par with 2001 levels. You will find that many firefighters with long service will retire and will not be replaced – leaving stations understaffed and no experienced personel
Within the ranks of Dublin Fire Brigade, there are numerous staff with a host of 3rd level degrees and qualifications. We provide the services within our working day for more than money. The provision of Fire and Emergency ambulance services in Dublin is second to none in Europe. The proposed cuts will effect only one group of people, namely, you, the public. Various proposals have been put to management within Dublin Fire Brigade and Dublin city council. They have been largely ignored, leaving us where we are today, on the verge of a reduction in the services we provide to you, the public. Overtime is there to facilitate sick or injured Firefighters, Paramedics, and advanced paramedics within the service. If there is no overtime, there is no staff to cover illness, injuries and unforseen leave that happens in all employment, especially one as stressfull and phyically demanding as this. If we have no overtime to cover this leave then Fire appliances and ambulances will be withdrawn from service as there will be no staff to crew them. In Germany the fire service is partially funded by the insurance industry. We do after all limit their liability with regard to payout, as we save the property they insure. In every county in the Irish Republic the local authority charge all users of the fire service for services rendered. This charge is taken from house insurance, car insurance etc. which you pay for. In Dublin Business are charged for call outs. If the city council refuses to charge for services, how can they pay the people that provide those services?? They are after all business people. The members of Dublin Fire Brigade do not regared what we do as a business, we regard it as a necessity. Our business is looking after people. Who looks after us and our families? There is a ban on recruitment within our service. Training of Firefighter/Paramedics in Dublin can be achieved in 2 years, however it takes years of experience to make a multi functional individual in this service of true value. Experience is haemorrhaging from the ranks as members retire, and these have not been replaced. As public servants allow us to do our job to the best of our ability, after all, we serve you.
Why is it always frontline services that get hammered?
@ Ray Boyse.
Can you honestly justify the wastage that exists at government level, the endless billions being pumped into the black hole that is the the banking sector and actually agree with a cut in funding of front line emergency budgets ?We’ve already saved 3.5 million through CPA, remember our staff level is only 900. This is a sad fact but people only ever realise what or how much we do when they need us. We’re not looking for superstar status or bonuses or anything like that, all we ask is for proper recognition of the work we do, some respect and a somewhat decent living, surely we’re entitled to the above considering the daily risk we take and the sacrifice of family time that comes with working nights/weekends/holidays etc etc. We were promised ‘ring fencing’ of emergency budgets, it hasn’t happened. Millions would be saved if they nationalised the whole service, as numerous reports have recommended but they won’t because it will massively reduce the amount of senior management. As Mr Brennan already states we make an unworkable system work ! If your not convinced or anyone else out there needs convincing, come join us for a night of two or a weekend. You’ll soon realise, the system that we do make work is a very delicate one at that…take care.
Well said Donal…. Put in such a way that sums up emergency service workers’ reasonings and mind set…. And hopefully any open minded private sector or politician reading it will empathise
God bless all the front line civil servants. You do a great job. Thank you all.
Ive Read all comments Donal .. Fair play , well written ..it’s Unfortunate that a lot of the public buy into government/ media propaganda , without realising these cuts will severely effect them , the taxpayer !!
Minister have 7.5 million in expences last year the fire service short fall this year 1.4. Next year is 4.4 million. That is still less than ministers expenses. One man one vote mister kenny one term
if we had anything like the riots in Uk we’d be in serious trouble. What about those 70 days a year some public servants were looking for to prepare for retirement. Couldn’t they be donated for the betterment of our country. When will we all realise we are all one?
seems to me, like the majority of public sector organisations, DFB is top heavy, Too many chiefs and not enough indians. The Firefighters are getting it in the neck at the moment and it’s only set to get worse. If only people could see the real conditions faced daily, and I’m not talking about the job itself I’m talking about the lack of support and respect given to the DFB frontline. The waste ALL happens way up the line, decisions made by people who have no real experiance or understaning of what is required but refuse to ask those who do. a managment system that ridicules it’s workforce for their, hard earned, annual leave while same managment have double this time!
come on people, wake up and smell the coffee, it’s only propaganda that the frontline have it easy. that’s what they want you to believe, it takes the heat and distracts from the fact that the top end of the public sector is still milking the last few Euro while they still can, and yet this is where the least amount of change has occured.
I reckon it’s gonna take some sort of disaster to show how mismanaged the fire services and hospitals are, then the public will be up in arms about ‘how was this allowed to happen?’ well the answer is because you allowed it to happen!
they’ve done all the tests, they know what needs to be done but they refuse to do it!
I agree with everything above. But wouldn’t it be great if the DFB or SIPTU could come up with some solutions rather than drawing lines in the sand. Budgets are there for a reason – when they’re overrun, the taxpayer pays. What has the Croke park agreement delivered here? Are there opportunities? Maybe not, but it would be great to see a balanced assessment & some constructive ideas. We need our fire brigade. We need to reduce the budget deficit..
I couldn’t agree more or have said it better than most of the previous comments, sadly this is the same all through the Public Service, many of the public believe the lies they’re fed by the media and politicians that everyone is earning almost a grand a week (nowhere near it, unfortunately) and we do sweet damn all work (try it and see for yourself). All we ever hear is “benchmarking” but, as Donal explained wonderfully, the whole purpose of benchmarking was to keep our wages in line with inflation. We have all met with the demands of the Croke Park Agreement, and more, so much so that despite what the politicans say about the continued moratorium and they’re still looking for reduced numbers in the Public Service through natural wastage etc we’re now in a situation where we don’t have enough numbers. Hospitals don’t have enough nurses, don’t talk about doctors, Templemore is now basically closed and gardai numbers are plummeting, we’ve just seen how bad the Fire Service is. How bad does it have to get? Several hospitals have indicated that they’re budgets are going to run out in October and the Minister has already clearly said they won’t be getting any more money so a conflict is looming, some fire stations have around the country have indicated they may have to close at nights and go “on call” to save money. Do fires not happen at night? Maybe we’ll see agencies appear to fill the gap, they’ll supply agency firemen, gardai and nurses… oh wait they already supply agency nurses, not much of a leap then is it?
have your say