A Lust for Life chosen as the only mental health charity to feature on the ‘RTE does Comic Relief’ TV special, airing this Friday
In the wake of COVID-19 RTÉ, in association with Comic Relief, are bringing the best of Irish comedy and entertainment together to have a laugh and raise much-needed funds for charities across Ireland. The fundraiser will air on Friday 26th June on RTÉ One at 8pm and features A Lust for Life sharing the extensive work they do in youth mental health.
Since March 2020, the mental health and wellbeing content curated by A Lust for Life to support the nation during lockdown has reached over four million people.
A Lust for Life charity co-founder, chairperson and acting CEO, Paula McLoughlin, said:
“We are honoured to feature as part of this brilliant initiative and want to thank RTE for showcasing our work with children and young people in Ireland. We believe we all have a responsibility to ensure the youth of Ireland live in a country that prioritises their mental wellbeing and RTE’s Comic Relief is an incredible opportunity to amplify that message”.
RTÉ and Comic Reliefs’ charity partner for the event is The Community Foundation For Ireland who will distribute the funds raised among the charities they support in Ireland. The Community Foundation Ireland has a strong working relationship with over 4,000 non-profit organisations at a national, regional and local level throughout Ireland, including A Lust for Life.
A Lust for Life shares free online resources, nightly Facebook live expert sessions and developed a Psychological First Aid platform in partnership with TherapyHub.ie to help people during these confusing and difficult times. A Lust for Life also has showcased young people’s voices and experiences during this period – and are currently producing a podcast series by and for the Leaving Cert class of 2020 about their experiences this year.
Also, through Community Foundation Ireland, A Lust for Life are making their Schools programme (a ‘Netflix’ of mental health for schools) ‘COVID-ready’ by tailoring existing content to support childrens’ transition back into school – and creating new content for teachers to facilitate discussions on the impact of COVID-19 on their pupils.
Paula McLoughlin, charity co-founder, chairperson CEO went on to add:
“We’ve been able to make significant changes to our schools programme with funding from Community Foundation Ireland. With further funding, we will expand the programme by crafting a further semester of rich content – and we will to continue to drive content, connection and campaigns to empower young people to demand that we hold their future with the support, humanity and empathy they need and deserve. So please, tune in on Friday, have a laugh and make a donation – there is so much more we can do with your support.”
A Lust for Life alongside other charities profiled on the night will have the opportunity to apply for funding through the open grant round after the event.