Vodafone CEO Jeroen Hoencamp
Vodafone’s Ireland division has invested €400,000 in Young Social Innovators, a programme aimed at fostering creativity and innovation among young people between the ages of 16 and 24.
The partnership involves a three-year commitment from Vodafone Ireland, led by the Vodafone Ireland Foundation, to make Young Social Innovators accessible to all 16-24-year-olds in Ireland.
Vodafone Ireland has pledged more than €400,000 in funding to Young Social Innovators (YSI) in the first year, as well as committed to a programme which will utilise Vodafone’s 35 retail stores, more than 1,100 employees, its technology, brand power and expertise.
The YSI Social Innovation programme is now implemented in more than 200 secondary schools annually in Ireland and supports students through the process of identifying local issues and working together to affect positive change in their communities.
The aim of this partnership is to double the number of secondary schools participating in the programme, reaching every community in Ireland, ultimately engaging 100,000 students.
“We believe this is the most ambitious social innovation project to date in Ireland and we want to put the full power of Vodafone behind young people as a driving force for positive change in Irish society,” said Jeroen Hoencamp, CEO of Vodafone Ireland.
