Edenderry Youth Cafe take overall winner title back home to Offaly following Irish Cancer Society X-HALE Youth Awards

Edenderry Youth Cafe has been awarded Overall Senior Winner at the Irish Cancer Society X-HALE Youth Awards 2017. The group scooped the award for its short film “Don’t let yourself rot from the inside out” which was showcased at the recent event in the Odeon Cinema in the Point Village in Dublin.

Tullamore Youth Project also entered their short film “Tammy and her ciggy” to the competition and were at the awards ceremony on the day.

2364 – 001 – Tullamore Youth Project pictured at the Irish Cancer Society’s X-HALE Youth Awards 2017. Left to right: Front – Brandon Hickey, Paddy Ward, John Alan Ward. Back – Grace Kearney, Jade Ann Power, Jack Kilroe, Harry O’Brien, Leah McInerney, Amy Berry, Martin Ward, Chris Kerry, Margaret Ward, Maureen Ward.

Over 300 young people from 40 youth and community groups came together to showcase their anti-tobacco films and projects which they have created to contribute towards establishing Ireland’s first smoke-free generation.

While the rate of smoking has seen declines in recent years, 8% (or approximately 40,260) of children and young people between the ages of 10 and 17 are using tobacco. The Irish Cancer Society has said is it vital that this generation of young people give the biggest blow to cancer possible – by not starting to smoke or by getting support to quit.

Kevin O’Hagan, Cancer Prevention Manager at the Irish Cancer Society said: “I would like to congratulate Edenderry Youth Cafe for taking part and for making a positive impact on their health and that of their peers. They have been recognised at this awards ceremony for exceptional effort in their project.

“We need to look at what Edenderry Youth Café, Tullamore Youth Project and the rest of the #TheXGeneration are saying. They can be Ireland’s first smoke-free generation and they are telling us in their own way that smoking is bad for you and they are confident enough to share this message with their peers. They are educated on the issue of smoking and are refusing to let their health be affected by tobacco.”

2364 – 178 – Edenderry Youth Café getting their Overall Senior Winner award at the Irish Cancer Society’s X-HALE Youth Awards 2017. From left to right: John McCormack, Irish Cancer Society CEO, Ava Duane, Josh O’Connell, Diarmuid Kane, Patrick Donoghue, Prema Bhuiyan, Bank of Ireland, Kasper Miniszewski, Rebecca O’Neill, Cian Harris and Anne O’Neill

X-HALE is an initiative of the Irish Cancer Society which aims to empower young people to work towards reducing smoking among their generation, by raising awareness about the dangers of smoking and encouraging their peers to be smoke free.  Since its inception in 2011, X-HALE has awarded over €140,000 to youth groups and organisations through X-HALE to create smoking related community awareness film projects since the initiative started over seven years ago.

The winners of the 2017 X-HALE Youth Awards are listed below. For further information on X-HALE visit www.cancer.ie/xhale and to watch the X-HALE entries visit www.cancer.ie/xhale2017.

Follow the X-HALE conversation using the #TheXGeneration, go to the Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/XHaleYouthAwards or the Tumblr blog

www.thexgenerationxhale.tumblr.com

About the Irish Cancer Society’s X-HALE Youth Awards

X-HALE is a youth smoking prevention initiative of the Irish Cancer Society which aims to de-normalise smoking and encourage young people to drive the movement towards a tobacco free generation.

This is the seventh year of the X-HALE Youth Awards and smoking rates among young people continue to decline.  In 2017, 40 youth groups from around the country are participating in the initiative. The Society has awarded over €140,000 to youth groups and organisations through X-HALE to create smoking related community awareness film projects since the initiative started over seven years ago.

Entries submitted show that young people truly understand the dangers of smoking and the power of the tobacco industry.