Students tackle climate goals with Ballyhoura Youth Empowerment workshop

THE ABSOLUTE Hotel, Limerick, hosted the Ballyhoura Development CLG’s interactive workshop on Youth Empowerment for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Held on Thursday, September 18, the event was organised by Rhiannon Laubach, European Climate Pact Ambassador and Development Officer with Ballyhoura Development.

The workshop welcomed students from Coláiste Iósaef in Kilmallock and were accompanied by their teacher, Brian Kelleher, who also serves as an EU Climate Pact Advisor alongside Rhiannon.

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The day featured an interactive workshop by Alex Whyatt of Global Action Plan Ireland, which focused on deepening students' understanding of the SDGs and exploring how their everyday actions connect with global environmental and social challenges.

The session emphasised the interconnectedness of goals such as climate action, poverty reduction, and sustainable communities.

“What really stood to me was how aware the young people aware of the Sustainable Development Goals and their depth of knowledge they had on both environmental and social global issues. They represented Limerick and Ireland really well,” said Rhiannon in an interview with the Limerick Leader.

Rhiannon spoke on the students' engagement saying, “I think they are very switched on and very aware of these issues on a regional, national and global level. There’s also a degree of concern, which shows just how engaged they are.”

The workshop was part of the wider YESDGs (Youth Engagement for Sustainable Development Goals) project, an Erasmus+ initiative, with partners from Portugal, Lithuania, Belgium, Greece, and Italy. The project promotes active citizenship and youth entrepreneurship, with a strong focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

As part of the YESDGs project, Ballyhoura has helped launch an online learning hub to support youth workers and educators in teaching young people about the SDGs.

The platform offers tools and resources to empower young leaders in sustainability.

During the event, participants also heard from a young Irish delegate who represented Ireland at a recent YESDG meeting in Italy, sharing their experiences of being part of the Erasmus+ programme and participating in a sustainability hackathon.

“We focused on what the students already knew and how interconnected the SDGs really are,” said Rhiannon. “At the end of the session, we were all reflecting on how climate change, poverty, education, and other global issues are deeply linked.”