Massive congratulations to Ursuline Secondary School from Tipperary, this year’s Concern all-island debate champions!
Ursulines faced Cross and Passion College from Antrim and successfully proposed the motion, ‘It’s time to increase international aid, not walk away from it’ at the Helix in Dublin on Thursday evening.
It was a fantastic, high-quality debate, with excellent points made from both sides, and plenty of ideas for the audience to reflect on. Throughout the debate, students from both schools explored root causes of poverty, legacies of aid, and what approaches humanity should and could take to tackle poverty and inequality across the world.
Lily Murphy, captain of the Ursuline debate team, said afterwards: “We are on cloud 9. We reached the semi-finals last year so we’d no idea we’d get this far again. You can tell that everyone has put in so much work and so much effort, Cross and Passion in the final, Largy College who we debated in the semi-final, and Rosscarbery in the quarter finals. You can tell that everyone is so passionate about what we’re doing and it’s just a beautiful atmosphere.”
As the winning team, the Ursuline students will receive an educational trip to Brussels and the Hague, while the runner’s up from Cross and Passion are heading to London.
This is the second time that Ursuline Secondary School have won the Concern Debates in the 41 years the programme has been running, having previously won in 1995.
The Concern Debates started in 1984 to promote positive dialogue and shared learning and is open to schools from all 32 counties.
Our thanks and appreciation go out to the more than 170 schools who took part this year, our dedicated volunteer adjudicators and our supporters in Irish Aid.
#ConcernDebates #YouthVoice #CriticalThinking #GlobalCitizenshipEducation
Meet Concern Worldwide’s Youth Climate Ambassador for 2026 - Sarah Gavin!
Sarah, from Drogheda, Co Louth, is a first year Economics, Politics and Law student at Dublin City University, and is passionate about climate action, biodiversity and youth activism.
“I support young people to advocate for issues they feel strongly about,” Sarah said. “Most young people aren’t represented, it’s not a secret! It’s important they find a voice for themselves and hold political actors to account, so that when they do become an adult, they already know how to fight for themselves and what they believe in.”
As part of her time as Youth Climate Ambassador, Sarah will be facilitating workshops, exploring global issues with Concern staff, and meeting other young people in the countries most impacted by climate change to discuss how best to advocate for climate justice.
Keep an eye on @concernactive to follow Sarah’s journey as Youth Climate Ambassador!
#1planet4all #climate #youthactivism #youthclimateambassador
180 schools have taken part in the Concern Post-Primary Debates competition this year, but now, it's all down to two!
Earlier this month, we held the semi-finals of the Concern Debates 2025-2026, with Cross and Passion College opposing Ardscoil Mhuire, and Ursuline Secondary School opposing Largy College in a debate of the motion: "Western democracy is purely symbolic."
In the end, Cross and Passion from Co Antrim and Ursuline from Co Tipperary successfully opposed the motion, and will face off on May 7 at the Helix in Dublin for our grand final.
The motion? "It is time to increase aid, not walk away from it."
Good luck to our finalists, and well done to everyone who has taken part so far!
You can watch the final live on Concern's YouTube channel at 7pm on May 7.
@Irish.Aid@concernactive
#ConcernDebates #debating #ItsOurConcern
Concern's Project Us Summer Academy is a hands-on program for third level students passionate about making a positive global impact. This year, we're focusing on reduced inequality, exploring its effects in Ireland and worldwide.
Participants will learn from NGO experts through interactive workshops and education initiatives, aligning with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). There's career development, networking opportunities and a trip to meet real representatives.
Sound good? Then join us! June 8th-12th at Concern's Head Office in Dublin.
Open to students in higher or further education and want to take part, apply now!
Link to apply:
https://bit.ly/41NIuV7
Register today: https://bit.ly/3QdBiz8
Subscribe to Concern here: https://bit.ly/3YwL0xG
Special thanks to @IrishAid@deloitte
#ireland #irishstudents #NGO #summerprogramme #UNSDGs
Happy #EarthDay
Thinking critically about the issues that impact our planet is essential for Global Citizenship 🌏#ConcernDebates asks students to research, analyse and discuss topics such as hunger and climate change, as well as our response as active citizens.
Take a look at these motions from over the years that examine some of the most pressing issues of our lifetime 📣
#GlobalCitizenship #debating #motions
Congratulations to @ursulinethurles and @crossandpassioncollege for making it through to the 2026 Concern Debates All-Island Final!
We're so proud of all the hard work and passion that our debaters put into the programme, and we're so grateful to their teachers, the volunteer adjudicators, and @irish.aid for making it possible.
The final motion: It's time to increase aid, not walk away from it #debateit
🌍✨Earlier this month, Concern Worldwide had the privilege of bringing 10 university students across the island of Ireland to Brussels, Belgium as part of the “EU Presidency & You” Initiative.
During the visit, students explored key institutions including the European Parliament, Ireland’s Permanent Representative Policy Makers to the EU, and the House of European History, gaining first-hand insight into Ireland’s role for the upcoming Presidency for the European Council.
Their mission is to take their learnings and share them with their peers.
We’re incredibly proud to have worked with such a passionate and thoughtful group, and we can’t wait to see the impact they’ll make in the future 💫
#eupresidency #youthleadership #concernworldwide #eu #ireland
Last month, our team hosted students from Millburn Primary, Coleraine and Bunscoil Mhic Reachtain, Belfast, for our primary debates final at Stormont.
It was wonderful to have Concern ambassador and journalist Jane Corbin join us.
Huge congratulations to both teams for their impressive efforts this year!
#ConcernDebates #Debating #Education #GlobalCitizenship #YouthActivism #NI
@millburn_primaryschool
Oteja, Richard, Alice and Tommy are in our offices today capturing footage for the @concernworldwide Sierra Leone 30th anniversary 🎬
They’re past #ConcernDebates participants who wanted to stay involved with Global Citizenship so signed up for #ConcernConnect our alumni network that connects young people to likeminded peers and new opportunities 🌎
This is just one example of the exciting projects that our #ConcernConnect group have been involved in, thanks to the support of @irish.aid and @deloitte_ireland
🔗 Link in bio if you’d like to apply!
#GlobalCitizenship #YouthActivism
Our semi-final motion has dropped:
'Western democracy is purely symbolic'
Western democracies are often seen as global models of freedom and representation—but how true is that in practice?
This motion explores whether democratic systems genuinely empower citizens, or whether participation is more symbolic than real. From political elites to media influence, critics and defenders clash on what western democracy really looks like today.
Where do you stand? 🌍🗣️
#ConcernDebates #GlobalCitizenshipEducation #YouthVoices #ConcernWorldwide
It's been a busy week for the Global Citizenship team @concernworldwide !
Following an inspiring St. Patrick’s Day celebration marking 30 years of Concern in Sierra Leone, young people took centre stage with bold, climate-smart solutions for their communities.
Through our Youth Climate-Smart Solutions engagement, youth from Sierra Leone and Ireland came together online to share ideas, learn from each other, and reimagine how we respond to the climate crisis. From local innovations to scalable solutions like Tree Planting in Moyiba and a Green Schools initiative in Drogheda, their energy and leadership are shaping a more resilient future.
#ClimateSmart #Youth #GlobalCitizenship
