Two visionary students and a dedicated group of bereavement support volunteers brought home the big prizes to Galway from the National Volunteer Ireland Awards, which took place in Dublin recently.

The volunteer team at HopeSpace took home the award in the Small Group category.

The charity provides free one-to-one listening and care for children between the ages of four and 17 who have experienced loss, in Galway city and county.

Volunteers are trained in the psychology of bereavement and help young people navigate the emotional complexities of loss, offering comfort and a framework for understanding their grief.

They are also trained to provide more than just emotional validation; they also equip children and young people with practical coping mechanisms.

“Grief can be overwhelming, especially for younger individuals who may not yet have the emotional tools to process such a complex experience,” said a spokesperson.

“Volunteers introduce strategies for managing grief, such as journaling, creative expression through art or music, and physical activity, which are all proven methods for helping children process their emotions. These young people are building resilience for future challenges,” they added.

University of Galway students, Latisha McCrudden and Emma Ward, took the Campaigning & Activism Award for their work in researching, recording and producing the podcast ‘Mincéirs; Paving the Way’ with Spunout.

The podcast aims to highlight the experiences and challenges faced by young Travellers in Ireland. They invite expert guests on to speak about issues like women’s rights and mental health and how they uniquely affect the Traveller Community.

They also speak about their own experiences as a disabled person and a childhood domestic abuse survivor in hopes that others will feel less alone.

Their powerful words shed light on the discrimination that Travellers face and their conversations aim to empower not just Travellers but people of any number of marginalised backgrounds. They took home the award in the Campaigning and Activism category.

Galway Volunteer Centre Manager Donncha Foley said that the local winners were ‘the perfect example of so many volunteers across the country and we are lucky to have people like them in Galway’.

“The difference they make in our communities and the lives of local people is immense. These awards give us a chance to say thank you and celebrate the wonderful contribution volunteers make every day.

“I’d like to congratulate Latisha, Emma and the HopeSpace team along with all of the winners and nominees,” he added.

The Volunteer Ireland Awards are the national awards for volunteering in Ireland and shine a light on the ordinary people doing extraordinary things in communities every day.

Eleven category winners and the overall Volunteer of the Year were named at an awards ceremony in the Carlton Hotel Blanchardstown, Dublin on Sunday.

Pictured with Cllr Peter Keane, Mayor of Galway, at HopeSpace in Ballybane were Mary McHugh, Galway City Partnership, Aine Deely, Co-Ordinator, HopeSpace, Cllr Alan Cheevers, Kathleen Hurley, HopeSpace Trustee and Linda Sice-Brogan, CEO Galway City Partnership and Declan Farrell, HopeSpace Trustee.