Galway-based youth charity SpunOut.ie has been short-listed for two major awards in the areas of healthcare and internet excellence.
The national youth organisation SpunOut.ie, which is based out of Galway city, was celebrating last week when, just weeks after being short-listed for this year’s Irish Web Awards, it was announced that they had also been short-listed for an Irish Healthcare Award 2008.
Run by the Irish Medical Times, the awards aim to recognise and reward people and projects that have “made a difference and demonstrate excellence, originality and innovation in the healthcare or pharmaceutical industry”. The Irish Web Awards is a national award scheme that celebrates “community minded websites leading the way in Ireland”.
Encouraging youths to “express yourself, voice your opinion, and volunteer to make a real difference in the lives of young people across Ireland”, the website is run by a dedicated young staff and currently reaches over quarter of a million young people per year who log on to find information about health and lifestyle topics such as alcohol, drugs, sexuality, and the environment. The youths, who are mainly aged between 16 and 25, can also access information on getting help, join interactive forums, become health and social advocates, and publish their news, views and videos online.
“Everyone involved with SpunOut.ie puts their heart and soul into their work,” said SpunOut.ie spokesperson Susan Quirke. “We have a hugely committed staff team who are supported by hundreds of volunteers throughout Ireland. It's brilliant when we get recognition and support from the community, from the media and from awards like these.”
Success in either or both of these awards would follow previous award successes for SpunOut.ie which included a 2007 Eircom Golden Spider Award for Best Charity Website in Ireland. The Irish Web Awards take place this Saturday, the Irish Healthcare Awards will go ahead on October 16.
