Northern Ireland youth groups win Coca-Cola Thank You Fund

Melanie May | 4 November 2016 | News

• Tagged with:
• funding
• Northern Ireland

The Coca-Cola Thank You Fund has announced that six youth groups from Northern Ireland are amongst its winning recipients.

The Fund totalled €130,000 and was launched in partnership with YouthAction Northern Ireland and the Irish Youth Foundation this year to find youth groups across Ireland with project ideas that foster self-esteem, confidence, well-being and leadership in young people.

The overall winner, Extern Limerick and its Jumping Hurdles Horse Project has been awarded the top prize of €30,000 while 12 other groups including six from Northern Ireland receive grants of either €5,000 or €10,000.

Groups from Northern Ireland awarded €10,000 grants include Co-operation Ireland from Belfast, which runs the Legacy Youth Leadership Programmes, and Drake Music Project from Newry (pictured), which will facilitate young people with disabilities in music workshops.

€5,000 grants have been allocated to Orchardville Society from Belfast, with the aim of enhancing the leadership skills of its User Forum comprised of users with intellectual disabilities; Cushendall Development Group for the provision of specialist training to young people; Antrim Youth Information and Counselling Centre which will deliver a health and wellbeing programme and Cedar Foundation from Belfast, for the implementation of a recruitment and training programme for disabled young people.

June Trimble, MBE, director of YouthAction, said:

“Our youth need support to reach their full potential and these projects will play a vital role in helping them become contributors and leaders in society. Through the work of the Fund, a wealth of new programmes and projects will come into existence that will have a very real impact on the local community, and that’s something we are pleased to have been a part of.”

About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.