Michael White (Carndonagh CS), Megan McGee (Magh Ene Bundoran), Meabh McDaid (Loreto Milford), Emma Rose Callaghan (Scoil Mhuire Buncrana), Conor Farrell (St Eunans), Tim Rene-Runge (PCC Falcarragh) and Aoife Gillespie (St Columba’s Stranorlar).
DONEGAL Youth Council have launched a new seatbelt road safety radio advertisement campaign, which will broadcast on regional radio stations Highland Radio and Ocean FM for the next three weeks from today.
The first advertisement highlights the recent increase in road accident related passenger deaths in Ireland. It is part of a planned campaign over the year, which will see the Youth Council focus on a range of road safety issues.
The advertisements have been developed in partnership with the Donegal Road Safety Working Group, of which the Donegal Youth Council and Donegal Youth Service are members of. Donegal Youth Councillor Michael White from Carndonagh Community School, who represents the Youth Council on the Donegal Road Safety Working Group, explains how they developed the idea for the advertisement.
“We wanted to address the issue in a way that had not been addressed in previous radio advertisements. We especially wanted to emphasise the youth voice, with the hope that younger people would relate more to people of their own age.”
Road Safety Officer Brian O’Donnel said. “The DRSWG made a decision to strengthen the message and update the Road Safety radio ad campaigns with the help of the Donegal Youth Council and Donegal Youth Service.
Bringing a fresh approach to the issue of road safety, the campaign differs from conventional road safety campaigns by using young people’s voices to reinforce the road safety message and hopefully showing that individuals can make a difference. 19 per cent of drivers and passengers killed in 2014 were not wearing a seatbelt.”
The Donegal Road Safety Working Group in an interagency group that come together to develop road safety initiatives. They hope that the listener can associate with the voices used in the campaign which has a very serious message– seatbelts save lives. As Brian explains, “More importantly it’s about getting listeners to do the right thing and change their habits when it comes to wearing seatbelts.”
Donegal Youth Council is funded by Donegal County Council, HSE Health Promotion and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and aims to provide young people with opportunities to identify, prioritise and work on topics and projects which have been identified by the wider youth population of the county and also to provide young people with opportunities to have their voice heard by being involved in the development of local services and policies which affect them.
You can listen to the first of the new advertisements here….
Donegal Youth Council is co-ordinated at local level by the Donegal Youth Service. For more information you can contact Donegal Youth Council Co-ordinator Marty Keeney on 087-6806676 or email youthcouncil@donegalyouthservice.ie.
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)
DONEGAL Youth Service and Donegal Youth Council are combining to complete a special project to launch Connecting for Life...
DONEGAL Youth Council is launching their ‘Shake Up Sports’ initiative tomorrow (Friday) in the Finn Valley Centre in Stranorlar....
DONEGAL Youth Council is calling for people in the county to vote YES in the upcoming Marriage Referendum on...