Ours To Protect
Ours to Protect is funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee and is a partnership between Midwest Radio and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland.
Episode one:
In this episode, we’ll be discussing the Junk Kouture and ReLove fashion competitions and looking at how they encourage our youth to get involved in material waste reduction. We will be speaking to students from Ballinrobe YouthReach on their experiences. We will also hear from Sharon Cameron, Environment Awareness Officer and Lorna Dennehy, Community Climate Action Officer for Mayo County Council. We will hear from Katie Brill from Junk Kouture also. We’ll also hear from Paul Butler, Forestry Liaison Officer with Teagasc on the topic of deforestation and the concerns that students expressed as we spoke with them in preparation for this episode of Ours to Protect.
Ours to Protect brought to you by Midwest Radio, the IBI and funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with the Television Licence Fee
Episode 2:
In this episode we’ll be discussing the award winning project on Swift Conservation conducted by 3 students from Ballinrobe Community School. Lynda Huxley of Swift Conservation Mayo will share her thoughts on the project and the state of the swift here in County Mayo. We will also be speaking to students from Scoil Náisiúnta Corrchloch who are working hard to preserve our coasts. Eoin Warner naturalist and wildlife documentary presenter will share his thoughts and experiences as he has worked to highlight the need for marine conservation.
Ours to Protect brought to you by Midwest Radio, the IBI and funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with the Television Licence Fee
Episode 3:
In this month’s episode of Ours to Protect we will be focusing on a range of topics from organic gardening to litter picking and beach cleanups. We will hear from Alison from Scoil Náisiúnta Corrchloch who will tell us all about their organic garden where they grow lots of vegetables. Noreen Lyons from An Gáirdín Organic Garden and Ecology Centre in Portumna Co Galway will tell us about her experience and the importance of getting young people connected with our land. Pádraig from Scoil Náisiúnta Corrchloch will fill us in our a recent beach cleanup that they took part in. Olivia Jones Clean Coasts Coordinator for the North West Region will tell us about how we can safely get involved in beach cleanups. We will also hear from Holy Trinity NS Westport students who recently received a Rising Star Award in the Our World Awards for their project which focused on how issues including climate change can be dealt with both locally and globally. We will hear from Picker Pals Programme Manager Gary Jones who will tell us all about the wonderful project that teaches children about the importance of litter picking.
Ours to Protect brought to you by Midwest Radio, the IBI and funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with the Television Licence Fee
Episode 4:
In this month’s episode of Ours to Protect, we will hear from students from primary schools around co. Mayo including Scoil Náisiúnta Corrchloch and Holy Trinity National School Westport who discuss a number of topics including the humble bee and a recent trip to Oweninny Windfarm. We will be joined by Jude Walsh, Secretary of Mayo Beekeepers Association and local bee keeper, who will tell us all about bees and the hard work they do every single day. We will also hear from Justin Moran, Director of External Affairs with Wind Energy Ireland, who will share some information on onshore and offshore windfarms and wind energy in Ireland.
Ours to Protect brought to you by Midwest Radio, the IBI and funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with the Television Licence Fee
Episode 5:
In this month’s episode of Ours to Protect, we will hear from students from St Louis Community School in Kiltimagh who will fill us in on the waste reduction campaign that they undertook in their school to reduce waste and make their community a little cleaner. Following on from this, we will also hear from local councillor and chairperson of Castlebar Tidy Towns Ger Deere. Castlebar Tidy Towns were recently invited to the National Tidy Towns Awards at the end of October. It’s that time of year again where we start talking Christmas! We will hear from students from Scoil Náisiúnta Corrchloch about how they used recycled materials to make their Christmas decorations and also from Jane Crean, Manager of Ballina Costume Company. They will be undertaking the Knitmas Tree project in Ballina this year, a sustainable Christmas project. Finally, we will hear an update from Jonathan on Columbus the Loggerhead Turtle! All of this and more!
Our to Protect brought to you by Midwest Radio, the IBI and funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with the Television Licence Fee
Episode 6:
In our final episode of Ours to Protect for this series, we will hear from young people all across the region on their thoughts, ideas and suggestions around climate change and climate action. They will tell us some of the things that they do everyday to make their own difference. We will also hear from Sharon Cameron and Laura Dixon of Mayo County Council about their ‘Schoolbooks for Ghana’ campaign and Conor Hughes of Cross Cause who will see just how impactful this campaign will be in Ghana. We will also hear from Laura and Steve of Climate Café Connacht. They will talk us through what happens at the Climate Café ahead of their third session on November 22nd. You will also get the opportunity to hear some footage from our Audiomoth recorder that has been capturing some of the sounds of local nature!
Our to Protect brought to you by Midwest Radio, the IBI and funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with the Television Licence Fee
BLOG!
Here is what some of our young contributors had to say about taking part in Ours to Protect Series 2 on Midwest Radio!
Did you enjoy being interviewed:
- I enjoyed it very much. Lauren made me feel comfortable and helped me out. It was very exciting to talk on the radio and share what I had learned about protecting our seas.
- Yes, I did enjoy the interview. It was a good experience and cool to be on the radio for loads of people to hear my story.
- Yes, I enjoyed being interviewed.
Do you like taking part in work to help our environment?
- Yes I do! Even if we do the small things it’s really important that we all do something to help the environment. I loved learning how our actions can make a difference to the sea life and beaches.
- I do like taking part in work to help our environment, to show people how to recycle and to protect our world.
- Yes, I enjoy doing work for the environment!
Did you enjoy telling Midwest Radio about your work and featuring on Ours to Protect.
- I loved it and I hope when people hear about my story and message that it will remind them to take care of sea life.
- I did enjoy telling Midwest Radio about my work and showing people how to recycle and pick up litter.
- Yes, I thought it was good craic.
What changes would you like people to make in their homes to help our environment?
- I’d like people to use less plastic, recycle more and make sure rubbish doesn’t end up in the sea. Small changes like reusing things and picking rubbish up can make a big difference.
- I would like people to stop littering, recycle more and pick up rubbish when you see it on roads or beaches so it doesn’t go into the sea and ocean.
- I would really like people to stop littering.
Are you happy to have made an impact by speaking on the radio about your hard work?
- Yes, I am very happy! I hope that the listeners will think more about what they can do to help. I feel proud that my words might inspire others.
- Yes! I am very happy to have made an impact by speaking to Midwest Radio on Ours to Protect and I hope that my story has inspired people to not litter and think more about recycling.
- Yes I think I made an impact with my words.
Would you recommend other students to take part in Ours to Protect?
- Yes, of course! It is a really cool experience and it feels good to share your ideas and help people understand how important our planet is!
- Yes, I would recommend other students to take part in Ours to Protect to save our environment, recycle and not litter!
- Yes, I would like them to take part as it is good fun.