Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan has returned home as an ambassador of a fund which supports local non-profit organisations focused on helping young people.
This is the second year Barry has been an ambassador of the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, which has €200,000 in grants available this year. The project will focus on empowering young people through learning, inclusion and sustainable development.
Speaking about his own experience as an advocate for the importance of local youth groups, Barry said: “I launched the 2020 Coca-Cola Thank You Fund just before the pandemic, and it really struck a chord with me - meeting the young people whose lives had been so positively impacted by the programmes delivered as a result of this great support.
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“The Coca-Cola Thank You Fund is giving local groups in communities the ability to help vulnerable young people build positive relationships and develop skills that will have a lasting impact on their future and their communities, but also on our environment, and that’s something that’s important to me.
"I’m a proud example of the impact of local projects and hope that I can help other young people by encouraging community-based programmes to apply for funding.”
The Summerhill native has been vocal in his support of young people, dedicating his Bafta win to Ireland and “the kids that are dreaming to be something from the area I come from”. Keoghan, whose mother struggled with drug addiction and died when he was a child, was placed with a dozen foster homes along with his brother before going to live with his grandmother.
Barry has now returned to Ireland to visit former Coca-Cola Thank You Fund recipients Global Action Plan in their Green Living and Sustainability Garden, which aims to empower young people from disadvantaged areas with the skills they need to take action in their homes and communities for a more climate-positive future.
The Coca-Cola Thank You Fund was set up in 2011 to mark the 125th anniversary of the company. Applications for this year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund can be submitted via the company's website until 6pm on Thursday June 15, with entries assessed under the categories of education, inclusion and sustainable development.
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