Wexford Project Worker takes home Educator of the Year Award

Robbie Sludds, Project Worker with the FDYS (Ferns Diocesan Youth Service) Traveller Inclusion Project in County Wexford, has been named Educator of the Year at Kinia’s Creative TechFest, during Creative Technology Week 2025….

The award recognises his outstanding commitment to empowering young people from the Traveller community through inclusive and culturally responsive education initiatives.

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 award was presented to Robbie 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.

Robbie speaking about his group of young people said:

“It’s a great opportunity for the traveller community to see something different in their communities, and these boys are really driven, especially after today, they see what’s going on, and what it can actually bring to their lives and the community. Mick got nominated for his project today too,” he said.

Speaking about Kinia, Robbie said:

“It’s amazing, I think every school and every youth outreach project should have someone mandatory to actually teach Kinia training to their young people. The world is changing and we need to keep our young people up to date.”

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 create and shape a more equal and sustainable future confidently.

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 Robbie Sludds, who has been named Educator 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, told Wexford Weekly:

“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.”