Award for Tipp youth group's project

Youth Group Cappawhite from Tipperary were awarded Creative Technology project of the year, TechSpacer of the Year and Organisation of the Year at Kinia's Creative Technology Week. The group has consistently taken part in Kinia programmes and continues to empower young people to use digital tools to express themselves, solve real-world problems, and build futures.

The event, which took place earlier this month, was part of Kinia's annual showcase of young digital innovators, celebrating their groundbreaking projects in Creative Technology, Smart Energy, Green Tech, Mobile Filmmaking, Podcasting and Robotics.

The awards were presented during Creative Technology Week celebrations, which saw over 600 young innovators from across Ireland display their projects as part of 2 days of events in the Explorium, Sandyford. Young people attending, engaged in hands-on workshops such as Machine Learning and AI, and competitions, such as the new Kinia Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP), where young minds competed in racing hydrogen-powered vehicles. This year Kinia is launching a Hydrogen skills programme which gives young people the opportunity to gain hands-on learning about the potential of hydrogen-powered technology, and Kinia are pioneering hydrogen energy education in Ireland.

Diana Tuamashova of Youthreach in Cappawhite, winner of Creative Technology Project and TechSpacer of the year, spoke about her Flush Tracker project: “70% of the earth is covered by water and only 1% of that we can use as drinking water, and for everything else. I decided to make a flush tracker using the Microbit to see how much water is wasted over a certain period of time, and I proposed solutions such as putting a brick or a water bottle filled with water into the tank, and some statistics that I got from my youth reach is that there’s about 27 flushes per day, and 6 litres of water is wasted every flush. By pushing a brick into the cistern, you can save up to 2 litres of water, and by multiplying and adding all that data over a week, you can save up to 450 litres of water by using that brick.”

Kinia, an education-focused non-profit and social enterprise, is dedicated to reducing educational inequality by building digital skills and access to technology career pathways for young people across Ireland. Throughout 2024, Kinia supported 2,725 educators through training, support sessions and events and helped to lift barriers to learning for 21,600 young people across 436 organisations.

Creative Technology Week celebrates Kinia’s mission to deliver learning opportunities that unlock skills, talent and creativity — empowering young people to confidently create and shape a more equal and sustainable future.

Teachers, youth and community workers attended the flagship events alongside young people aged 12–18, and the Award Ceremony saw schools and youth groups scoop awards for their incredible creativity in engineering, digital and technology projects, such as Youth Group Cappawhite from Tipperary who were awarded Creative Technology Project of the Year, TechSpacer of the Year, and Organisation of the Year.

It’s not only about the award winners, all young people that submit projects as part of Creative Technology Week, are recognised through Kinia Credentials for the activation of new skills learned such as Collaboration, Problem solving, Critical thinking and Creativity. It gives young people the opportunity to build their personal portfolio of skills and competencies, whilst creating a CV for their future.

Speaking about the event, Marianne Checkley, CEO of Kinia, said: “We believe in the potential of every young person. As technology continues to develop rapidly, some young people and communities risk being left behind. Creative Technology Week highlights the work Kinia is doing to break down barriers and ensure that every young person has the chance to explore, create and shape their future.”

“We’re always blown away by the ingenuity and creativity in the standard of projects and this year is no different. This year there is a real focus on how technology and renewable energy can support communities to reimagine their futures, from mini-solar powered farms to green villages and “How the Kinia Tech Helped Our School Save Water” are just a few to highlight.”

For more information about Kinia, their impact and how you can get involved, visit www.kinia.ie.