Fresh from an Academy Award nomination, BAFTA-winning Irish actor Barry Keoghan has shown his support for the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund once again this year, returning home to encourage local youth group leaders to take action and apply for funding before the deadline for applications closes on Thursday 15th June.
Partner powered solutions
Operating in partnership with the IYF and supporting partners YouthAction Northern Ireland, The Coca-Cola Company and its partner Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland joined forces this year to double the size and impact of the Coca-Cola Thank Fund, making €200,000 in grants available to non-profit organisations across Ireland and Northern Ireland empowering young people through programmes of learning, inclusion, and sustainable development.
Having grown up in inner city Dublin, Keoghan first supported the Fund in 2020, returning home to launch this year’s programme with a visit to former Coca-Cola Thank You Fund recipients Global Action Plan in their Green Living and Sustainability Garden (GLAS) in Ballymun. Just one of the projects run by the environmental organisation, GLAS was developed to empower young people from disadvantaged areas with the skills they need to take action in their homes and communities for a more sustainable future.
Highlighting the benefits of the €5,000 in grants received from last year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, Global Action Plan chief executive, Hans Zomer said: “With the funding of the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund we can extend our reach and our impact as an organisation.”
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Speaking about his own experience during the visit to GLAS and the role of the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund in empowering and equipping young people across Ireland and Northern Ireland Keoghan said: “Youth groups are vitally important for people in the community, without them I wouldn’t have found acting and definitely wouldn’t be the person I am today.”
Empowering young people
The actor’s commitment to supporting young people in Ireland comes at a time when many are facing significant challenges, with the aim of this year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund focused on empowering local programmes that promote sustainable development, foster inclusion in communities and create pathways to meaningful education that will help build a brighter future for all.
“I launched the 2020 Coca-Cola Thank You Fund just before the pandemic, and it really struck a chord with me, meeting the young people whose lives had been so positively impacted by the programmes delivered as a result of this great support.
“The Coca-Cola Thank You Fund is giving local groups in communities the ability to help vulnerable young people build positive relationships and develop skills that will have a lasting impact on their future and their communities, but also on our environment, and that’s something that’s important to me. I’m a proud example of the impact of local projects and hope that I can help other young people by encouraging community-based programmes to apply for funding,” he added.
Promoting sustainable development
Now in its thirteenth year, The Coca-Cola Thank You Fund was set up in 2011 to mark the 125th anniversary of the company with €1,365,000 in grants donated to over 135 non-profit organisations across Ireland and Northern Ireland during this time.
Marking a major milestone for the Fund, Agnese Filippi, country manager for Coca-Cola Ireland, explained the importance of the Fund to the company and the impact this year’s partnership with Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland will have on local community groups: “By joining forces with our partners in Coca-Cola HBC to double the size of this year’s Fund, we’re seeking double the impact by providing opportunities to even more young people to realise their potential, achieve their goals and contribute positively to society.
“With these added resources, we’re directly investing in youth orientated organisations that are empowering young people through programmes of learning, inclusion, and sustainable development, working in partnership with the IYF to ensure no one is left behind.
The increased investment in this year’s fund sees total Coca-Cola Thank You Fund grants donated to non-profit organisations across Ireland and Northern Ireland reach over €1.5 million. In his remarks about their involvement in this year’s Fund, Miles Karemacher, general manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland spoke also about the importance of providing young people with the support and resources they need to succeed. “We believe in the power of investing in our youth and their future. Every young person has the potential to create positive change in the world and together with our partners in The Coca-Cola Company, we want to empower them with the skills and resources to do so.
“Through this year’s increased Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, we aim to promote sustainable development, foster inclusion in communities across Ireland and Northern Ireland and create pathways to meaningful education that will help build a brighter future for all,” he added.
Applications now open
Operated in partnership with the IYF and YouthAction Northern Ireland, community-based organisations applying for funding will be asked to show how their proposed projects and programmes are empowering young people aged 16-25 under three key areas of change, those that empower learning, inclusion, and sustainable development.
Awards of up to €5,000 and €10,000 will be available, with Lucy Masterson, chief executive of operating partners the IYF saying: “Working together with a panel of local industry experts, as the operating partners of this year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, we’re laser focused on identifying and supporting community-based programmes and projects that are engaging young people in models of innovative and inclusive practices under three key areas of change.
“With this significant increase in grants, we’ll be in a position to support even more groups with the aim of making a real impact on the future of young people at risk of low education attainment; encouraging applications from non-profit organisations promoting inclusive practices and empowering young people to challenge how they are currently engaging with the theme of sustainability in their everyday lives.”
Applications for this year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund can be submitted via www.coca-cola.ie/thankyou until 6pm on Thursday 15th June. Applicants are encouraged to visit the website for further details and full terms and conditions.