Building for the future, basis.point and Kennedy Wilson in €100,000 co-funding partnership to support child development in Dublin North Docks

Clive Bellows, Chairperson basis.point and Jason Byers, Head of Residential Ireland, Kennedy Wilson pictured with Jing Xi Xu, and girls from St Lawrence O’Toole National School.

The odds are stacked against some of the children living in the North Inner-City Dublin, an area of historic disadvantage. But it needn’t be so. With early intervention and positive role modeling, children can be given a decent chance at succeeding in education.

In a co-funding agreement with our Corporate Patron, global real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson, basis.point are together committing €100,000 over a five year period, to support two key education and mentoring programmes delivered in association with our charity partners the Early Learning Initiative (ELI) and Archways.

Having invested heavily in the Dublin Docklands, Kennedy Wilson are committed to improving opportunities for the local community.

Jason Byers, Head of Residential Ireland, Kennedy Wilson, commented “We are pleased to be supporting these two very worthy initiatives over the next five years that will have a tangible impact on the fundamental early years of local children’s education.”

Clive Bellows, Jason Byers and Denise Kinsella reading a giant picture book with children and home visitors from ELI.

The need for support amongst vulnerable families living in temporary accommodation has been identified as an area of immense importance by our charity partner ELI.

Earlier in the year, they set about modifying their already established Parent Child+ programme to facilitate the unique issues facing families living with homelessness through an integrated plan of intervention to empower parents of children from 16 months of age. With this additional funding, the Home from Home programme will now be extended, bringing the number of families supported to 17, for a further 5 years.

Director Dr. Josephine Bleach, of ELI comments, “This partnership has ensured that our programmes are continuously developing and expanding. Together we are enabling very vulnerable children start school with the skills needed to succeed in education and supporting them to achieve their educational, career and life dreams.”

The ELI have a wonderful cohort of home visitors who offer support beyond the encouragement of positive interactions between the child and parent or guardian. As one family participant explained “My Home Visitor has been a huge support to me. I don’t see anyone during the week; it’s nice to see a friendly face.”

Eimear Collins, Programme Facilitator Archways having fun with the girls from St Lawrence O’Toole National School.

The second programme is aimed at supporting children who are already engaged with the primary school system, many of whom despite their ample ability, face enormous hurdles to overcome, as a factor of the environment that they are being brought up in.

The additional funding allows us to pilot a new programme delivered by Archways, providing mentoring and support for children aged between 10 and 13 who have shown a talent in either art, sport, music or academically, to encourage them to reach their full potential. The first school identified to run this programme is the St Lawrence O’Toole National School on Sheriff Street.

Clive Bellows, Chairperson of basis.point commented “basis.point is delighted to be partnering with Kennedy Wilson on these two innovative programmes, both of which focus on supporting the North Inner-City communities, in the immediate vicinity of the Financial Services Centre. By working with our charity partners, ELI and Archways, we hope that with early intervention we can help them to break the cycle of disadvantage.”

Commenting on the co-funding partnership, Edel O’Malley, basis.point added “The transformative power of education is well documented and by working together with educational charities who are already established in these communities we can deepen our involvement and amplify our impact”

The participants in the Afterschool programme are a talented group of children. It is hoped that by giving encouragement at this crucial phase of their development that they will stay fully engaged with education and continue into secondary school excited to explore their full potential.