The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, T.D., approved €600,000 from the What Works initiative budget, which is funded through the Dormant Account Fund, in 2021 for the Children and Youth Digital Solutions Fund. The Children and Youth Digital Solutions Fund was created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. This Fund recognised the positive role of technology within the children and youth sector and the emerging need following the Covid-19 pandemic for charity and voluntary organisations to maximise its use across their services.
57 organisations submitted an application to the Fund, of which nine awardees received a combination of and/or €50,000 cash grants and a non-financial business support package, delivered by Rethink Ireland, worth €10,000. All grantees also received a place on Rethink Ireland’s six-month Accelerator Programme.
This Fund proved hugely beneficial and widely successful. Overall, it had an impact that included a wide geographic spread that reached 77,500 children and young people and 831 schools across Ireland.
The Fund further assisted the grantee organisations to improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, reduce loneliness and isolation, improve personal development skills, improve education and reduce the risk of homelessness and poverty for those most at risk.
Read more about the Fund and its impact here.