Two organisations in Galway have been successful in receiving funding from the Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund.
CURVE and Venture Out Wilderness Project are among 13 organisations in Ireland to receive funding for projects which aim to strengthen resilience in young people and help them manage anxiety.
Non-profit organisations who work with young people in Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny and Limerick were invited to apply for a share of the €100,000 fund.
Curve is a voluntary organisation set up in August 2022 in response to Ukrainian residents arriving to Esker Monastery in Athenry.
Their mission is to build a representative body of residents and volunteers at Esker Monastery to ensure positive outcomes for all.
The funding received from Vhi will support the delivery of its Young Adult Leaders Programme. Over the course of a week, 12 young adults aged 16 to 20 will receive leadership training in order to lead a confidence camp for events for children aged 12/13 in the locality.
Venture Out Wilderness Project offers a range of creative and innovative nature based programmes and interventions to support young people from disadvantaged communities requiring support to manage adversity and affect positive change in their lives.
The funding they received will support them in continuing to deliver and expand their ‘Two Wolves Health & Wellbeing Programme’.
This is an experiential school-based programme for young boys and men, aiming to promote their health and wellbeing, while also addressing issues around what it is to be a man in today’s world.
In addition to the funding, Vhi introduced a new element this year through the creation and delivery of a bespoke Trauma Informed Care & Wellness programme. The programme was made available to all of the successful youth groups, with 28 youth leaders participating in the sessions.
Karen Blake, Client Relationship Manager, Vhi, said that they are delighted that this year another 13 innovative projects are benefitting from the Health & Wellbeing Fund.
“In addition, we were really pleased to introduce a bespoke Trauma Informed Care & Wellness programme for youth workers,” she said.
“The aim of this programme is to equip the youth workers with the necessary skills in mental health and wellbeing to support both the young people they work with and their own personal wellbeing and resilience.
“Clinical Psychologists and Health Coaches from Vhi delivered a series of guided sessions to youth leaders designed to improve skills in physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing to pass on to young people in their projects and to their peers.
“The uptake and reaction to the programme has been very positive and demonstrates how important access to this type of training is. We had 28 youth leaders participate in the programme this year and I hope that’s a number we can grow in the future.”
