X-HALE Youth Awards goes viral

Youth groups nationwide are looking for support from the public following their entry into the Irish Cancer Society’s X-HALE Youth Awards. 

The X-HALE Youth Awards will take place on Thursday, 2nd of July in the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield in Dublin. Over 41 youth groups from around the country will attend the Awards to see their entry showcased on the big screen. X-HALE is an initiative of the Irish Cancer Society which engages young people to address the issue of smoking in their own communities and encourage their peers not to start smoking. 
 The youth groups involved are calling on the public to support their film entry as they compete for the Online Award which is decided by public vote. The groups will also compete under various other categories with winners selected by an independent judging panel comprising of people from the entertainment, film and healthcare industries. The X-HALE Youth Awards is the culmination of months of hard work by the youth groups in creating their films from scratch. 
 Marie-Louise Neary, Cancer Prevention Officer at the Irish Cancer Society said: “The film entries are very strong and effectively convey some really important messages around the issue of smoking. The youth groups have developed these films themselves - from filming, editing and producing to scriptwriting and acting, they have delivered impressive results in the form of film projects which will be showcased at the X-HALE Youth Awards in a few weeks. They have raised some tough questions of the tobacco industry and have sent a clear signal to them that their generation will be smoke-free. We would like to wish all the youth groups involved the best of luck ahead of the national event in July. If you want to see your local group win an award then offer them support by voting for their entry online!”  The 2015 X-HALE Youth Award entries are now up on our website  and can be viewed and voted on from the 9th of June until the 26th of June. The entry with the most ‘views’ online will win the Online Award as well as €200 worth of digital equipment for their youth centre.   
 Aside from the 41 film entries which have been developed by youth groups, there are four further youth groups who have delivered Community Action Projects on the issue of smoking which will also be displayed at the X-HALE Youth Awards in July. These groups are hoping to empower change in their own communities around smoking and are taking action to inspire their peers to realise the impact of smoking on their health. (Pictured above are students taking part in a workshop in Cork as part of the X-HALE Youth Awards earlier this year)

Follow the X-HALE conversation on Twitter using the #theXgeneration or go to the Facebook Page . For further information on the X-HALE Youth Awards, visit www.cancer.ie/xhale2015 .