...and Exchange House Ireland are thrilled to be part of it!

In November 2021 The Late Late Toy Show was watched by over 1.8 million viewers, and it was watched by viewers in 150 countries on the RTÉ Player. The programme made history by being one of the highest-rating television programmes on a single channel on record. 

But beyond this being an exceptional broadcasting achievement, the programme became memorable for an entirely different reason: not only did it celebrate some of Ireland’s most amazing children, it created enough funds to help touch the lives of over 1.1 million children and family members across the island of Ireland in the months that followed.

Exchange House Ireland National Travellers Services were lucky recipents of funding in both 2021 and 2022. In 2021 we received €100,000 to carry out a national research programme of Traveller young peoples' attitude, experience and possible future supports regarding mental health. The research is being carried out by our National Traveller Youth Mental Health Sevice.

In 2022 we struck gold for a second time and were awarded a further €300,000 to provide targeted supports for Traveller children in Primary & Secondary school in the Limerick area. The funding will develop an after-school project, and targeted professional supports for Traveller children and their parents, including social workers and counsellors.

In this report, Kevin Burn, our CEO, states: 

"This community survey combined with findings from the existing Traveller Youth Mental Health Project has provided an opportunity for a new programme to be piloted in Limerick City where relevant services and Travellers can develop effective interventions and learn from each other’s expertise. The project will empower the Traveller community but also make professionals more aware of Traveller specific conditions and needs. This programme will maximise existing resources that at the moment are underused, and create some new specific resources for Travellers in the area. The hope is that this will positively impact on Traveller children and families, by creating a common programme that will address Traveller children’s development in a holistic manner. The experience can and will also become an additional resource to the area and potentially create a model to be replicated with other marginalised groups/minority groups."

RTÉ Toy Show Appeal - Changing Children's Lives for Good.