Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund

The Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund is an annual fund launched by Vhi in partnership with the Irish Youth Foundation.

The fund is focused on young people’s wellbeing and financially support projects that seek to strengthen resilience in young people and help them manage anxiety, with an emphasis on early intervention and prevention. Projects may work directly with young people aged 15-25 years, or with the adults that surround them.

This fund is open to projects based in the 6 counties where Vhi operate – Cork, Dublin, Donegal, Galway, Kilkenny & Limerick.

Since its inception in 2020 the fund has supported:

22 grassroots youth organisations in 6 counties throughout ROI

3,979 young people have been directly impacted through 1:1 support work focused on managing anxiety and building resilience

The 2023 fund is now closed for applications and awardees will be announced at the end of June 2023.

Last year’s awardees

120 young people directly impacted

Awarded a grant for their programme ‘Chillax’. Running over six weeks the initiative will provide young people with a mindfulness, skills-based anxiety management programme designed to equip participants with coping skills which can be applied daily in real life situations to aid with feelings of anxiety and stress.

50 young people directly impacted

Awarded a grant to produce a Mental Health Survival Guide, created by young people for young people.

70 young people directly impacted

A grant to run a workshop for young people to help them manage anxiety. The workshop will be designed to engage young people aged 12-16 years old living in disadvantaged areas of Donegal.

20 young people directly impacted

Successful in receiving a grant to deliver an 8-week project that will select a group of young people from Limerick city who are living with acute anxiety. The young people selected participate in an 8-week programme to support them in getting out into nature participating in hill walking and kayaking and through the experience learning to manage their anxiety and strengthen their resilience.

250 young people directly impacted

Deliver a programme which trains 8-12 young people to become local agents that will promote a more community conscious culture towards the promotion of resilience and well-being using the ‘five-a-day’ method for positive mental health across the north inner city.

60 young people directly impacted

Will support children living in direct provision in Dublin and Galway through their ‘Ripples of Laughter’ programme. Over 13-weeks the young people will be given the opportunity to partake in theatre and circus workshops designed to help with anxiety management.

30 young people directly impacted

Will deliver “Connected Me”, a 6-week wellbeing programme for young people. The programme is designed to help provide young people with the social and emotional supports as well as encouraging them to engage in physical activity and learn more about their bodies and the impact their physical wellbeing has on it.

10,000 young people directly impacted

Will produce a series of webinars for young people designed to provide them with the supports they need to manage anxiety and strengthen their resilience. The webinars will be delivered by experts in this area trained on providing this support to vulnerable young people.

10 young people directly impacted

Will create a targeted mentoring programme over the course of one year called the PlusOne Mentoring Programme which will offer a one-to-one mentoring service for vulnerable and at-risk young people. This programme aims to nurture personal growth and development within the young person.

100 young people directly impacted

Will create ‘Sort It’, a nine week trauma informed cognitive skills development programme for young people to help build resilience and manage anxiety.

2,000 young people directly impacted

Develop ‘Mind How You Go’, a series of online wellbeing and mental health workshops that will be available 24/7, 365 days to all young people nationwide. It is primarily aimed at supporting young people at post-primary and third level undergraduate level. The series will be designed to help the young people who engage with them to gain insight into their thoughts and develop the knowledge and vocabulary needed to express their feelings in a constructive manner.