Volunteer Supports and Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiatives
In the third of our series looking at where Dormant Accounts Funding will be allocated, and spotlighting examples of how the money will be spent we will look at Volunteer Supports and Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiatives. You can find the hub page for the series here.
Volunteer Supports
In line with the Volunteer in Sport Policy, funding of €420,000 will be allocated to Volunteer Supports initiatives which focus on empowering volunteers in disadvantaged communities to enhance their leadership skills in sport.
Spotlight: Sligo LSP
The Creating Capacity programme by Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership empowers underrepresented groups in Sligo - particularly women, refugees, and those from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds - to step into volunteering and leadership roles in sport.
Through targeted training such as Women in Sport Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion education, and Active Leadership courses, the programme aims to build confidence, skills, and peer support networks.
It also includes a partnership with Liquid Therapy’s A Drop in The Ocean (ADITO) surf therapy initiative for children aged 8-14, supporting youth mental health through trained local instructors.
A carer of one of the participants who took part in the surf therapy initiative said: “They [Liquid Therapy] were great at making the students feel comfortable and meeting at their level, gently encouraging the children. The programme was great for building confidence, and helped with regulation and provided new experiences.”
Overall, the Creating Capacity programme enhances inclusion and capacity across clubs and communities in Sligo.
Award: €40,000
Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiatives
Almost €280,000 will go to the Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiatives (UOAI), a fund that aims to provide outdoor adventure sports opportunities for disadvantaged communities and at-risk youth.
The UOAI Evaluation Report 2021 found that the initiative had been successful at increasing the diversity of sports within these urban communities and at bringing new people into these sports.
Furthermore, engagement in these UOAI activities is widely appreciated at a participant and community level and some of the initiatives have had a significant positive impact on participants’ personal development.
“It just gives you such a boost to be able to say that I went rock climbing, and I done this and I done that, so I can actually do anything. And it wasn’t that long after that, that I says I’m going to college like, I can do whatever I want. You know, it just gives you… I just think it’s amazing. I enjoyed every bit of it, and I swear to God, I would do it all over again like a light, like a light, all over again,” said one young adult UOAI respondent.
An adult participant on another course said: “I think if they knew more about this, and the laugh you have, you know like, there wouldn’t be as many young fellas hanging around street corners, going down the wrong way. And I truly believe that…
“Like if you had people around talking to those young fellas about coming out to do it, I guarantee you, like if they can just see that there’s a better life out there. Yeah. Like, it’s better than hanging around corners waiting for the guards to come. That’s what I got from it, and I was 41 at the time.”
Spotlight: Cork LSP
The Bandon Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiative will create access to, and develop, the River Bandon as an amenity for people of all ages and abilities by utilising the river and surrounding green spaces for physical activity.
Through participation in water-based activities, residents will be empowered to engage with the river in a new way — deepening their sense of stewardship, curiosity, and connection with the natural environment.
Cork LSP will partner with Kinsale Outdoor Education Centre to coordinate a comprehensive water and land-based offering in the town and along the River Bandon.
The project will also be supported by partners including Cork ETB, Cork County Council, Canoeing Ireland, and The Angling Council of Ireland to deliver a comprehensive suite of on-the-water programmes, activities, training, events and upskilling initiatives.
Award: €46,000