€7million Committed to Targeted Support and Expanding Programmes
In these complex and often troubling times the attainment gap between the advantaged and less fortunate has never been wider. Recent grants approved to existing programmes with Foroige and Archways bring basis.point’s total investment in education to €7million. This goes some way to bridging the attainment gap, but the scale of the task is immense.
Core programmes with existing educational partners have expanded in both reach and impact, and we now fund programmes in over 25 counties through-out Ireland, many focused-on numeracy and literacy, and each grounded in a commitment to creating positive and lasting change in young people’s lives. Earlier in the year we celebrated the transformational impact of many of these programmes.
However, as the needs of young people today are changing, social anxiety and mental health issues are one of the most pressing issues limiting young people from reaching their full potential. The increasing challenges in youth mental wellbeing are a significant concern and this year we have made a concerted effort to strengthen programming that develop life skills, resilience and creativity, giving young people the tools to navigate and flourish in an ever-changing and sometimes overwhelming landscape.
Encouraged by the success of the KiVa antibullying programme, run in association with Archways, we have added two partners, Fighting Words and Soar to our portfolio, each focusing on building resilience and confidence.
Fighting Words was founded in 2009 by Roddy Doyle and Sean Love, and is dedicated to promoting creativity and writing among young people, encouraging them to find their voice, and build resilience. Earlier this year we approved a grant of €30,000 to expand services to the South Inner City, aiming to empower 600 young people through creative writing workshops, clubs, and summer camps.
Even the smallest of interventions can make a difference in the lives of young people. Earlier in the year an organisation called SOAR approached us with a view to expanding their already successful senior cycle workshops, to a younger cohort of students. In September, it was agreed to provide seed funding of €36,000 to roll out the Spark Programme to 2nd-year students in Ireland. These workshops focus on mental wellbeing connecting with teens to explore their inner character – follow their true path – and not what’s pushed on them from society, adults, peers and the media.
From grassroots initiatives like the DCU Changemakers programme to corporate partnerships facilitating educational opportunity, we are conscious to support a child’s needs from cradle to career.
Our work with the Early Learning Initiative, Archways and Kinia focus on pre-school and early childhood education. Our programmes with DCU Changemakers, Archways, Fighting Words and SOAR focus on emotional wellbeing and self esteem. And our partners TU Dublin, Foroige, Teen Turn and Business in the Community complement these programmes with access to further education and career readiness.
It is hoped that by supporting children and young people as they journey through their educational lifecycle, we will level the playing field for young people experiencing disadvantage and offer them a pathway to a brighter future.
