Engage & Educate End of Fund Showcase

Over the three years, the fund has supported four awardees to enable people from marginalised communities to access game-changing education programmes. We heard from all four awardees of the fund - Care After Prison, Cúltur Migrant Centre, Galway Traveller Movement and Youth Horizons.

The awardees spoke about the massive impact the Engage & Educate Fund has made to both their organisations and the people they empower through both education and peer-to-peer support. 647 people engaged in education and training programmes to date, including:

• 257 migrants supported to identify courses, training and employment opportunities
• 125 people with lived experience of incarceration
• 31 students who previously left the education system
• 34 Traveller students and students from minority backgrounds and their families

Speaking at the event, Will Carmody, Managing Partner at Mason Hayes & Curran, said: "The impact that those four organisations have, it really ripples out beyond the core groups that we're focusing on. There's a domino effect through society when you enable one individual to enhance themselves through education. It goes out into their family and into their communities, and we're really pleased to be able to help that effort. Many people at Mason Hayes & Curran have had the benefit and the privilege of a really good education. So we really understand the importance of that and how it can enhance people's lives. Education is the great enabler. It empowers people to take control of their own circumstances, and it allows people to utilise their own abilities and resources to meet their own needs. More equitable access to education is going to ensure a fairer and more just society for everybody."

The 1% Change

Our CSR target is to invest up to 1% of our annual turnover across five key areas:

• A focus on education, especially supporting those who may not be able to access the traditional pathways to education, whether because of social, physical or intellectual barriers
• Pro bono support of organisations, especially helping those in crisis
• Investing in the visual arts
• Environmental responsibility, and
• Creating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion

Find out more about our Corporate Social Responsibility.