Edenderry youth group receives funding from Applegreen

The Edenderry-based youth group, Acorn Project, will receive €5,000 funding from the Blossom Fund operated by forecourt retailer Applegreen.

Acorn Project is one of 16 community groups across Ireland to share in over €100,000 via the Blossom Fund from the Irish Youth Foundation (IYF). The funding will go towards encouraging children aged 6-18, who come from disadvantaged circumstances, to remain in education.

The 16 projects that have been awarded funding, seek to address inequalities that discourage or prevent young people from completing education. Projects include supporting children with complex needs, providing work experience to students in areas of STEM, offering support and counselling, and facilitating escapes in the countryside. Each project is designed to equip young people with the tools and resilience needed to stay in education.

Lucy Masterson, CEO of the Irish Youth Foundation, commented: “The young people we support have been disproportionately affected by the last two years. We’re now starting to see the worrying effects of that in higher levels of disengagement in and early school leaving.

Through our close work with youth projects across the country we know that the transitions from primary to secondary, and from junior to senior cycle are crucial times in a young person’s life. Ensuring that they are supported during those transitions can be life changing – for instance, early school leavers are three times as likely to be unemployed.

That’s why the support provided by the Applegreen Blossom Fund is so important. It will ensure 16 incredible projects will be better able to meet this need and change the lives of young people across the country. We’re grateful to Applegreen for making this the focus of the fund this year.”

The 16 successful groups were selected from a total of 100 applications by the IYF, in consultation with the Applegreen charitable fund team. In addition to Acorn Project, other notable recipients include Narrative 4 which is based in Limerick, Galway-based Venture Out Wilderness, and Saplings school in Rathfarnham.

The Blossom Fund is part of the Applegreen charitable fund which provides monetary support to four Irish charities and worthwhile initiatives.

To date, the Blossom Fund has raised over €450,000 for the Irish Youth Foundation. The funds have fostered positive change in more than 133 local community groups, with over 8,000 children benefiting from direct support to date.