Transition Year students from four secondary schools in Ennis presented their vision for Ennis over the next 17 years at Council Chambers today.
Following months of research and action planning, students from Ennis Community College & Gaelcholáiste An Chláir, Coláiste Muire, St. Flannan’s College and Rice College delivered their inspiring presentations to a panel of judges as part of the Ennis 2040 D.A.C. education and public consultation programme.
Their presentations mark the final step of the TY programme initiated by Ennis 2040 D.A.C. last year where almost 200 transition year students were tasked with developing a vision for Ennis in 2040 while considering sustainable practices, energy sources, accessibility and transport. Over several months, the students worked in class groups investigating how their own habits and behaviours impact on the environment, conducting surveys, organising action days within each of their schools (over 3,000 students in total) and developing their final presentation.
Making well-structured presentations, the students put forward their proposals on how and why more environmentally friendly modes of transport can be deployed in Ennis, they re-imagined how streets could be used, suggested interventions to improve biodiversity and demonstrated how habits can be adapted to reduce waste.
Kevin Corrigan, COO, Ennis 2040 DAC and head judge, said “The overall goal of the programme is to facilitate a re-imagining of the town while empowering young people through engagement with their local authority. As a cohort, they are rarely consulted on future visions of their society, but these current TY students will be the ones living, working and socialising in Ennis in 2040. The success of any project is communication with all stakeholders and we are delighted with how they seized this opportunity to get involved.”
“I would like to thank the students, their teachers and schools for their enthusiasm and engagement with this inaugural programme and process. We are very impressed with their grasp of economic and spatial strategies and the level of research has been exemplary. Choosing an overall winner is going to be extremely difficult,” he continued.
Fellow judge Patrick Tiernan, Acting Executive Engineer, Ennis Municipal District, Clare County Council said, “It was impressive to see how the students totally immersed themselves in the programme and benefited from identifying their own environmental impacts. It was also wonderful to see how they’ve gone on to make environmentally conscious choices and learn how they can adopt more sustainable lifestyles through small changes in their habits at home and at school. The ambition to make Ennis ‘Ireland’s First Climate Adaptive Town’ is within our reach with this mindset.”
Sean O’Neill, Director Communications of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said, “I am delighted to see such enthusiasm from the TY Students of Ennis for this Project. They have a terrific understanding of how sustainable transport can make such a difference to the quality of our lives and the environment.”
A core focus of the Ennis 2040 TY programme was to encourage young people in Ennis to learn and engage with their local community and become participants in local democracy through active citizenship. It commenced with representatives from Ennis Municipal District, Clare County Council and Ennis 2040 providing introductory presentations in the schools. The TY Students then spent several months developing their projects under one or more categories namely; Transport, Food, Circular Waste, Biodiversity and Energy. As part of the programme, the students organised School Action Days in their chosen category to create awareness among their fellow students and to create behavioural change which will, in turn, assist in reducing their overall carbon footprint.
The judging panel included Kevin Corrigan and Claire Reilly, Ennis 2040, Pat Stephens, Limerick Clare Energy Agency, Clare County Council, Patrick Tiernan, Ennis Municipal District, Clare County Council and Sean O’Neill, TII. Students were judged on their survey structure, school action plan, participation and presentations.
Winners will be announced on Monday 24th April. The overall winning team and/or category winner will then present their sustainability ideas and vision for Ennis in 2040 to the Ennis Municipal District Councillors in the Council Chamber on 2nd May 2023.
In collaboration with Cllr. Clare Colleran Molloy, Mayor of Ennis, the overall winning class will be given the unique opportunity to travel to Dáil Eireann to present their Vision for Ennis in 2040 to Minister Eamon Ryan, Minister Norma Foley and Oireachtas Members on 10th May 2023.
Ennis 2040 D.A.C. is responsible for implementation of the Ennis 2040 Economic and Spatial Strategy which was officially launched by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD on October 22nd, 2021. Ennis 2040 incorporates a wide range of economic, social and environmental considerations which provide a basis for targeted investment, balanced economic growth and a sustainable spatial pattern of development with quality of life at its core.
Ennis 2040 (Strategic Development) D.A.C. is responsible for implementing the Ennis 2040 Economic & Spatial Strategy which will transform Ennis into a leading destination for indigenous and international investment.
Established as a special purpose vehicle of Clare County Council, Ennis 2040 D.A.C. is developing key strategic sites in Ennis into locations for enhanced employment, enterprise, investment and economic development. Ambitious growth targets have been set and the prioritisation of sustainable economic activities proposed that will grow the population of Ennis on average by 1.6% per annum and deliver an additional 5,000 jobs by 2040. As a long term strategy, it will inform and drive the economic, social, and physical development of Ennis over the next 20 years.
Further information is available at www.ennis2040.ie
Colaiste Muire
Area of focus: Sustainable Transport
Presented by: Maya Hogan, Ciara Fitzpatrick, Amy Gibbons and Victoria Byrnes
Ennis Community College & Gaelcholáiste an Chláir
Area of focus: Circular Waste, Transport, Food Waste, Biodiversity & Energy
Presented by: Myriam Andre-Liddane, Dylan Ó Riain, Bridget Nic Suibhne,
St. Flannan’s College
Area of focus: Transport & Biodiversity
Presented by: Jack O’Halloran & Vladimir Riscovoi
Rice College
Area of focus:
Transport & Biodiversity, Presented by Kate Moran and Rory Cunniffe
Circular Waste, Presented by Grace O Halloran and Laoise Dooley
Bio-Diversity Presentation, Presented by Harry Kennedy and Cormac Kennedy
