Kildare pupils shine in this year's Our World Awards
Record number of schools take part as Irish Aid celebrates 20 years of the awards
Five primary schools from Kildare proudly took part in this year’s Our World Awards from Irish Aid, showcasing the creativity, compassion, and global awareness of young learners across the county.
Entries were submitted by Mercy Convent Naas, St Brigid’s NS, Kill; St Raphael’s Special School, Rathmore NS, and Scoil Bhríde, Clane.
Each school produced thoughtful and imaginative projects that connected local action with global issues, aligning with the themes of the awards.
The awards are the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s flagship programme with primary schools which, over its lifetime, has seen thousands of young people become inspired to engage with global issues and take action for a fairer, more sustainable world.
This year, Kildare primary schools were encouraged to learn about the lives of children and their families in Mozambique, Somalia, and The Lao People’s Democratic Republic, also known as Laos, focusing on how Ireland and 192 other countries are working together to create a better future for all through support for the 17 UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
St Brigid’s NS in Kill wrote and performed two original songs – 'Help the World' and 'Life is Tough' – and also wrote letters to world leaders, created poems, postcards, and posters, all demonstrating their hard work and strong engagement with global themes.
As part of their entry to the Our World Awards from Irish Aid, pupils at Scoil Bhríde in Clane created a thoughtful and impactful video presentation highlighting their learning around access to quality education for girls around the world.
The pupils reached out to people in other countries to gain real insights into the opportunities and challenges girls face in accessing education. Their project was both heartfelt and informative, with powerful messages that reflected their empathy, curiosity, and commitment to global citizenship.
Open to primary school pupils from 3rd to 6th class across the country, the Our World Awards encourages children to explore important global themes such as climate action, equality and international development, while reflecting on Ireland’s role in creating positive change.
Schools were provided with a suite of specially created cross-curriculum teaching and learning materials to make participating as easy and as enjoyable as possible for both teachers and their pupils.
These materials included a colourful pupil magazine packed with information, quizzes and questions; lesson plans, activity sheets and online games, all of which were available in English and as Gaeilge, in print and digital format.
Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD expressed his delight at the number of schools taking part in this year’s awards.
“This year saw an impressive rise in the number of entries for the Our World Awards. This response highlights the growing emphasis on Global Citizenship Education in our primary schools, which is very encouraging.
“The Our World Awards challenges children, as global citizens, to put the spotlight on world issues. It encourages pupils to learn about Ireland’s international development programme, Irish Aid which aims to fight world hunger and poverty on behalf of all the people of Ireland.
“International development has a positive impact on the lives of people who are trying to survive hunger, poverty, inequality, climate crises, natural disasters, political instability and conflict. This is why the Our World Awards are so important, to increase awareness of global issues in schools and highlight how we all have a part to play in helping to make the world a better place, by sparking creativity and critical thinking and building empathy, awareness, and a sense of global responsibility.”
Judging is now underway and shortlisted schools will be invited to the National Final taking place at the Printworks, Dublin Castle on Friday, May 30 2025 where their entries will be celebrated and the Our World Awards School of the Year, 2025 will be announced.