The National Youth Institute (INJU) and the Parliament will distinguish young people from all over the country in sports, social commitment, entrepreneurship, animal welfare, science, innovation and the environment, and art and culture, in the third edition of the INJU Awards . Trying to consolidate the program as a recognition tool for young people by the State from the Parliament, the INJU and the departmental governments through the Network of Youth Offices.
Applicants between the ages of 14 and 29 may apply through the institute’s website, inju.gub.uyuntil July 31, 2022. On August 12, International Youth Day, the awards will be presented in the Lost Steps Hall of the Legislative Palace.
The activity was attended by the Minister of Social Development, MartĂn Lema; the promoter of the Sembrando program, Lorena Ponce de LeĂłn; the undersecretary of the portfolio, Andrea Brugman; the director of the INJU, Felipe Paullier, and MaritĂ© MĂ©ndez, a young woman recognized by the INJU Awards in the 2021 edition, in the Science, Innovation and Environment category.
“For us, young people are the present,” said Lema, adding that, for this reason, it is so important to support the INJU, especially in work related to suicide prevention, mental health and the university campus.
He specified that the distinctions are part of an action plan to generate a greater number of tools and opportunities. “The actions have to be complementary in search of the comprehensive support that today’s youth requires,” she said.
Paullier, meanwhile, expressed that it is a way to make positive stories visible throughout the country.
Categories and jury
Performance in the following categories will be recognized:
- Sport: as an engine of effort, self-improvement, and solidarity.
- Social Commitment: to the work carried out in social and voluntary tasks, of contribution to the community.
- Art and Culture: artistic and cultural performance of young people.
- Science, Innovation and the Environment: actions carried out in the field of science, technology, and initiatives to contribute to the preservation of the Environment.
- Entrepreneurship: Recognition of the entrepreneurial spirit, the development and creation of own ventures.
- Animal protection: Work and dedication to animal welfare and protection will be rewarded.
The INJU Awards will have a selection and award method for the candidates, relying on juries with knowledge of the subject in the various areas, to reward six young winners of the national awards:
- Sports: Sebastián Bauza (Director of the Secretary of Sports); Dolores Moreira (Uruguayan sailor).
- Art and Culture: MarĂa Noel Riccetto (Director of the SODRE National Ballet).
- Social Commitment: Baskets.uy.
- Science, Innovation and environment: Gerardo Amarilla (Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment).
- Entrepreneurship: Lorena Ponce de Leon (Promoter of the Sembrando Program).
- Animal welfare: Marcela Delgado (Executive Director of the Animal Welfare Institute).
