Offaly students scoop national Trócaire award

STUDENTS from Sacred Heart School were awarded third prize at the national 2022 Trócaire Game Changers competition for an innovative game aimed at raising awareness about the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The local students won a trophy in the post-primary school category of the competition for their game ‘The Consequence Games’.

Trócaire judges said they were blown away by the quality and creativity of the games. The final selection of prize winners on the day were chosen by the finalists themselves and announced at the Lighthouse Cinema in Dublin.

Trócaire Game Changers is an annual competition run by Trocaire’s Development Education team, who help students learn about the issues facing people in developing countries through workshops in schools.

The programme invited students to create a development education game that focuses on one or more of the SDGs. Students from across Ireland played and judged the games of fellow finalists at the event, exploring issues such as gender equality and climate change.

Now in its fourth year, 212 games were entered into the competition with 28 shortlisted from each of the two categories – Primary, Post-Primary/Youth - for the final showcase. The games are a mix of board games, digital games and some traditional games like Twister and ring toss.

Trócaire CEO Caoimhe de Barra said: “The Game Changers programme provides an excellent opportunity for students to explore the SDGs, get creative, and raise awareness of global justice issues as well as providing students with an opportunity to learn from one another.”