Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund 2024

Over the past four years, the Fund has awarded a total of €360,000, creating a positive impact in the lives of an estimated 22,000 young people across Ireland.

The €90,000 awarded to this year’s projects alone will directly benefit approximately 5,000 young people. By focusing on projects that enhance resilience and manage anxiety, the fund has significantly contributed to improving the health and well-being of young people across the nation.

More information on this year’s recipients can be found below.

Organisation

Wellsprings

County

Cork

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

36

Project Overview

Wellsprings offers short to medium term residential placements for young women aged between 16-23 years, with the possibility of lifelong support through a dedicated outreach aftercare service. This funding will support the ‘Wellness Matters’ group, a 12-week holistic health, education, and wellbeing programme which will build the participants’ capacity and capability to self-resource and develop resilience and positive habits and schedules, reducing anxiety, and facilitating a more positive reengagement in society. The funding will also support initiatives for Wellsprings staff, the initiatives will increase knowledge around trauma informed practice.

Organisation

The Shona Project

County

National

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

7500

Project Overview

The Shona Project aims to educate, empower, and inspire today’s Irish girls to become tomorrow’s resilient, capable, and confident young women. This funding will support The Shona Project to develop a suite of content and conversations on the topic of anxiety, to provide girls with a better understanding of how to manage their feelings and utilise tools such as breathwork to reduce feelings of anxiety both in the moment and long term. After starting the Shine Festival as an in-person event, The Shona Project has now built an online digital platform, making Shine an in-person and digital event, with the digital event accessible year-round to every girl in Ireland at no cost.

Organisation

Donegal Youth Service

County

Donegal

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

30

Project Overview

Donegal Youth Service is a countywide youth service with over 30 affiliated youth clubs and projects that provide drop-in facilities, programmes and services to over 11,500 young people annually across Donegal. This funding will support ‘BreakOut’, a youth project focused on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer young people aged between 12 and 24 years. ‘BreakOut’ provides safe, appropriate and fun youth work services to LBGTI young people in Donegal which facilitates them through exploration, development and growth, enables them to access all their rights as equal citizens, and empowers them to participate as agents in positive social change.

Organisation

Just ASK

County

Dublin

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

250

Project Overview

Just ASK is an afterschool club, focused on transforming their community through education and support for inner city children. They endeavour to walk beside the young people they support on their educational journey to advise and offer guidance and support. This funding will support the VIBES programme which supports young people in actively promoting positive mental health through its 5 pillars or VIBES:

  1. Being aware of your thoughts
  2. Connecting
  3. Contributing
  4. Staying Healthy
  5. Accepting
Organisation

Irish Refugee Council

County

Dublin

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

100

Project Overview

The Irish Refugee Council provides services and support for people seeking international protection and people recognised as refugees in Ireland. This funding will support a new project based on the ‘7 Cs of Resilience’ to support young people seeking asylum aged 16-25 to strengthen resilience and manage anxiety and stress. The project involves three activities: a monthly drop in youth group, targeted wellbeing workshops and one to one support.

Organisation

Venture Out Wilderness Project CLG

County

Galway

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

40

Project Overview

Venture Out aims to inspire personal growth & development by designing, prescribing and delivering a range of experiential, outdoor based therapeutic, youth work and personal development focused programs, primarily to young people living in disadvantaged and marginalised communities, experiencing adversity and difficult challenges in their lives. This funding will support the ‘Branching Out’ programme, which provides opportunities for participants to learn valuable life skills within safe, social, positive and healthy natural environments. The programme is designed to help participants build self-confidence and self-awareness through a range of fun, creative and educational group based activities, games and challenges.

Organisation

Aiseiri

County

Kilkenny

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

40

Project Overview

Aiseiri provides residential and community based addiction treatment to young people aged 15 – 21. This funding will support the ‘Connection Programme’, specifically ‘Sailing into Wellness’ and ‘The Equine Therapy Programme’. The title ‘Connection Programme’ was chosen as often the young people Aiseiri work with experience extreme isolation and feel disconnected from themselves, friends, family and community. This programme promotes fun, inclusion and integration into community life.

Organisation

Smile School Completion Programme

County

Limerick

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

300

Project Overview

SMILE School Completion Programme is situated in the Northside of Limerick City. SMILE is a targeted support for children and young people most at risk of educational disadvantage through early school leaving. This funding will support SMILE School Completion Programme in addressing the high levels of anxiety facing secondary school students. The programme will offer afterschool walking/trekking club, run healthy eating pop-up clubs, relaxation and mindfulness classes for small target groups during the school day throughout the year, and deliver tried and tested programmes to the whole school to challenge unhelpful thoughts (Dot.B).

Organisation

Blue Box Creative Arts therapy Centre

County

Limerick

Focus Area

Mental Health

Impact No

30

Project Overview

Blue Box Creative Arts Therapy Centre, Limerick, provides services to vulnerable children, young people and their families to realise their full potential through research-based, innovative, professional, accredited Creative Arts Therapies. Blue Box is developing a creative arts therapy intervention for young people, and this funding supports the roll out of the programme to local youth groups. The goal of the programme is to support mental health, reduce anxiety and build resilience with a focus on technology and improving young people’s sense of community.