As at March 2023, 3,801 children and young people were in care in Northern Ireland, an 11% increase from the previous year and the highest number ever recorded. This demonstrates the pressing need for wrap around support. Include Youth is a local charity working with care experienced young people and those from disadvantaged communities. The charity will support over 700 young people this year.

Through fundraising, volunteering and raising awareness, Danske Bank and Include Youth will work together in a strategic partnership to help break the cycle of deprivation, improve confidence, help young people get work ready and support them to live independently.

Include Youth’s new Chief Executive, Diane Hill, said:

“Our vision is to live in a society that realises and fulfils the rights and potential of all children and young people. We’ve found that 93% of the young people we work with have an essential skills need, and 73% are in need of mental health or emotional support, and for us, that’s just not acceptable. We want to make a change and empower our young people to thrive.

“We were absolutely delighted to be chosen as Danske Bank’s charity partner for 2024. Our new partnership with Danske Bank will further strengthen the work we do supporting young people. Not only will Danske Bank’s fundraising allow us to continue to support the young people that we work with, the partnership will also provide lots of opportunities for us to collaborate together and create meaningful impact in other areas of our work.”

Vicky Davies, Danske Bank’s Chief Executive added:

“We’ve been part of Northern Ireland society for 200 years, and a huge part of our ethos as a business has been supporting local communities and making a positive impact.

“Our colleagues are passionate about making a difference and helping young people to thrive. We are excited by the potential of this partnership to help further improve the lives of the young people Include Youth supports, whether through raising awareness and reducing stigma, fundraising to support the Give and Take programme, or volunteering our time and skills.”

For more information on Include Youth, please visit their website