Eoghan McDermott asks young people to start healthy conversation about drugs

Ceremony

The winners of the Drugs.ie "Let’s Talk About Drugs National Youth Media Awards 2016" were announced today at an awards ceremony in the Department of Education Clock Tower Building, Marlborough Street, Dublin.

This annual competition was created to encourage discussion of drug-related issues by inviting young people to produce a piece of original content relating to drug and/or alcohol use - either a piece of video, audio, poster or written article.

Eoghan McDermott

Speaking at the event, Guest of Honour Eoghan McDermott (Irish television and radio presenter mostly known for hosting The Voice of Ireland) said: “Drug use is a problem across all age groups and all sectors of society, and youth are no exception to this. To have a project which encourages young people to think about drugs and drug use, to start a conversation with their peers and to create such wonderful resources is simply fantastic. It’s important to empower young people to think critically, to investigate the evidence, to talk with their peers – these are all skills that are essential in life.

Special guests handing out the prizes were Stuart Clarke, Hot Press; Ciaran Darcy, Irish Times; Danielle Flynn, PSTD; and Aoife Ní Shúilleabháin, Union of Students in Ireland. The overall winner was chosen from the category winners and was presented with a trophy and cheque fro €2,000 from Tony Duffin, Director of the Ana Liffey Drug Project.

Tony said: “Not all young people take illicit or unknown drugs. It is always safest not to do so; however, when a young person does decide to take drugs, for whatever reason, we want them to be as safe as possible. We want to reduce the chances of drug related injuries or deaths; and the devastating impact that these have on families, friends and communities. That’s why we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that meaningful messages get through to this target group via the drugs.ie Media Awards.The overall winning entry ends on a peer-to-peer call to action for young people to educate themselves about drug use and the potential risks involved. Ultimately this is what the Drugs.ie Media Awards is about.”

Duffin continued:
“There were a record number of entries this year and the quality of entries was outstanding. I hope that the mainstream media will pick up on the high quality media content that the young people have made and help us show case their various messages about drugs on radio, TV and online.”