Integrated College scoop top international reporting award

Ambassador Eco-School, Ulidia Integrated College, win the International Collaboration category in the Young Reporters for the Environment global reporting competition 2017. Kynu Ku receives the First Place Award certificate from Ruth Van Ry, Eco-Schools Coordinator, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, with the rest of the Eco-Committee. Also pictured are Sandra Patterson, Eco-Coordinator Ulidia Integrated College; Barry Donaghy, ISL Waste Management Limited and Mr Houston, Principal Ulidia Integrated College.

Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) is an international programme run by the Foundation for Environmental Education in 34 countries and aims to empower young people to take a stand on environmental issues they feel strongly about through the media of writing, photography or video in an annual reporting competition. Ulidia has been working with Lycee Pole School in Madagascar on a number of environmental projects this year. They teamed up to enter an article in the International Collaboration category of the YRE competition 2017.

The combined project has been very interesting for the two schools, seeing the different issues pupils face in both countries but also their shared concerns and passion for the environment. Their article focused on production and consumption of coffee. The pupils in Madagascar considered the challenges of growing and selling coffee faced by Madagascar farmers. Ulidia pupils considered the benefits of purchasing Fair Trade coffee here at home and how it helps farmers around the world get a fair deal for their crops.

The article was submitted to the International YRE Jury in Copenhagen in June and both schools were delighted to win first place in the International Collaboration category. Their article will be published in the Huffington Post and is available to read at www.yre.global