Members of YouthAction NI’s Rainbow School of Performing Arts with Youth Worker Ryan Shaw and Sarah Montgomery, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Specialist at Coca-Cola HBC.
As YouthAction NI celebrates its 80th year of empowering young people across Northern Ireland, the charity has launched its first Winter Appeal to provide vital support to vulnerable people facing increasing challenges of anxiety, loneliness and mental health struggles.
The launch of this Winter Appeal comes amid reports that children make up 1 in 10 of those registered with mental health services in Northern Ireland.
Over the past year, YouthAction NI has supported over 5,500 young people, guiding them through challenges and offering a listening ear. This milestone year underscores the charity’s enduring commitment to helping young people build brighter futures.
Amidst a challenging climate of constrained budgets and underfunding, YouthActionNI is calling on individuals and local businesses to donate their money, time, products or skills this Winter to support the vital work of its youth workers.
Local businesses can support by donating food and refreshments for young people attending health and wellbeing projects, providing equipment for the Rainbow School of Performing Arts, or by volunteering their time to support the charity’s Life and Work Skills Programmes.
A local company producing global brands and a longstanding supporter of YouthAction NI, Coca-Cola HBC, has reaffirmed its commitment by pledging support for the charity’s Winter Appeal.
Coca-Cola HBC is also encouraging other local businesses to get involved where they can.
Youth Action NI’s appeal will run through December and January. To find out how you can support, visit: YouthAction Northern Ireland.
Grace O’Neill, Fundraising and Development Manager at YouthAction Northern Ireland, said:
“Right now, young people across Northern Ireland are struggling more than ever. We know that mental health waiting lists are getting longer, and young people here are affected by these issues more than anywhere else in the UK. This is why the work of our youth workers at YouthAction NI is so important. Young people need trusted adults that they can depend on, who are not necessarily their teachers or parents.
“For the first time and in our 80th year, we have launched a Winter Appeal to make connections with our business community here in Northern Ireland. It is our hope that these different sectors across Northern Ireland will be able to support our operations either through donations of time, products, money or expertise. It is our youth workers who work tirelessly to guide young people and inspire them to pursue bright futures in areas like education, business, political activism and international affairs, performing arts, and indeed youth work.
“We’re so appreciative of Coca-Cola HBC’s collaboration with us as we get the word out about our Winter Appeal and encourage other businesses to get involved”.
Tom Burke, Director of Corporate Affairs at Coca-Cola HBC Ireland & Northern Ireland, added:
“We’re proud to be supporting the launch of YouthAction NI’s first Winter Appeal. At Coca-Cola HBC, community is at the heat of everything we do and supporting charities like YouthAction NI helps us to achieve our goals of making a real difference in society. For many years, we have witnessed first-hand the value and impact of YouthAction’s support to young people across Northern Ireland.
“This is why we’re calling on other businesses in the local community to get involved, share their resources and ultimately help guarantee the delivery of these crucial services for our young people for many years to come”.