Northern Ireland Coca-Cola Thank You Fund Recipients Revealed

Three local community groups committed to supporting the future of young people in Northern Ireland are celebrating the news that they will receive a grant share of this year’s €100,000 Coca-Cola Thank You Fund.

Launched in May 2021 as “A Fund Supporting the Future of Young People across the Island,” grants totalling €100,000 were awarded to thirteen groups across the island of Ireland seeking support for initiatives targeted at 16–25-year-olds. These projects will help to build their resilience, meet the education gaps that exist and tackle the mental health challenges young people are facing today and will continue to face.

The three successful non-profit organisations from Antrim are YEHA Project, receiving €10,000 in funding, and St. Peter's Immaculata Youth Centre and Monkstown Boxing Club, both receiving €5,000 each in funding.

Based in North Belfast, the YEHA Project works with young people to tackle issues affecting their health and emotional wellbeing. Identifying the need for supports for young members of the LGBTQIA+ community on the Autism spectrum, the aim of the YEHA Project is to equip young people with the tools & knowledge to create a Youth Led Podcast, giving them a platform to make their voices heard. Additional supports will include group work, one to one life coaching, peer mentoring and training.

The Monkstown Boxing Club identified an increase in anxiety levels, lower levels of self-esteem and self-worth in the young people in their community. This encouraged the Club to develop the Brighter Futures Project. Their project will support vulnerable local young people impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic - to improve mental wellbeing, educate and equip with the skills they need for the future.

St. Peter's Immaculata Youth Centre will run the Lower Falls Youth Education Project. The project will offer accredited learning opportunities to the most isolated and excluded young people to help them succeed in life. Enabling young people to tackle the barriers to education and employment, the project aims to support personal and social development through mentorships and skills training.

“Helping them to rebuild their lives through education and training is more important now than ever before, with immediate action needed to renew their confidence in themselves and help to level the playing field for their futures. All of those who applied for this year’s Fund are worthy recipients, as they have shown a commitment to their local community, and those selected to receive funding will have a very real impact. I wish them the very best as they roll-out their innovative programmes.”

Since 2011 the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund has donated €1,255,000 to over 100 non-profit organisations across the island of Ireland involved in the delivery of youth targeted community, social and education programmes.

Now in its eleventh year, over 280 non-profit organisations across the island of Ireland applied for the Fund under the categories of education and training, diversity and inclusion in young people and those taking an innovative approach to sustainability and environmental leadership.

Thanking all the organisations who applied for the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund this year, along with the judges who had the impossible task of selecting this year’s recipients Agnese Filippi, Country Manager, Coca-Cola Ireland said: “The impact of the pandemic over the past two years has been particularly hard on our young people. Through the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund we are honoured to be in the position to support youth orientated organisations across the island of Ireland that are committed to supporting and helping young people to navigate their futures.”

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who applied, as well as our distinguished panel of judges who had the impossible task of identifying the 2021 recipients. I wish all of the Fund recipients the best of luck in delivering their projects in the coming months. We look forward to hearing about the impact they have.”

“Established in 2011, the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund aims to empower local community leaders that support young people, enabling them to effect change and make a real difference in the lives of those in their local community. With renewed importance of community spirit throughout the country we were so encouraged by the number of community leaders in towns and villages across the island of Ireland who took the time to enter the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund.

Joining the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund judging panel once again this year June Trimble MBE, Chief Executive, Youth Action Northern Ireland closed by saying: “The number of applications to the 2021 Fund is a potent reminder that the need is still very much alive in the youth sector following Covid 19- restrictions and the impact that they continue to have on the most marginalised young people on the island of Ireland.

23 shortlisted groups pitched their ideas to the panel of judges during a series of virtual judging sessions, with seven of the thirteen recipient organisations set to receive a grant of €10,000 for the development of their local project. An additional six organisations will also receive €5,000 for their project ideas following their pitch to the panel.

For more information about the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, click here.

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