A Lifeline for Young People: RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Funds Our FEED Programme

We’re incredibly proud to share that Child Training Academy has been awarded funding from the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal for our FEED PLUS Programme. We can’t begin to express what this means, not just for us, but for the young people and families we support.

FEED stands for Fitness, Education, Empowerment, and Development, but it’s about so much more than those four words. It’s about hope, belonging, and giving young people a chance to believe in themselves again.

Thanks to the generosity of everyone who supported the Toy Show Appeal, we now have the resources to offer even more support, at a time when our community needs it most.

What This Funding Means

This funding will allow us to continue offering our free FEED PLUS Programme to young people aged 12–16 and 17–24. Many of those who come through our doors are struggling with their mental health and with low confidence.

Through boxing, fitness, mindfulness, cooking, mentoring, and team support, FEED PLUS gives them more than just structure, it gives them purpose and it gives them pride.

Thanks to this funding we can:

• Provide nutritious meals during sessions

• Deliver additional workshops on emotional wellbeing, budgeting, and food hygiene

• Offer safe, welcoming spaces where young people feel seen, heard, and valued

• Keep this programme 100% free and accessible to everyone who needs it

Community First, Always

At CHILD Training Academy, we believe in building people up, and we believe that change starts locally. That’s why we’re so passionate about creating opportunities that lift the whole community. When a young person gains confidence, resilience, and support, that energy radiates outwards into their home, their school, their friendships, and their future.

This grant is about more than money. It’s about recognising the power of grassroots support. It’s about telling young people in our community: we see you, and we believe in you.

A Heartfelt Thank You

To everyone who donated to the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, thank you. You may never meet the young people whose lives you’ve touched, but please know your kindness will ripple out for years to come.

Because of you, another young person will learn to believe in themselves.

If you’d like to learn more about the FEED PLUS Programme, get involved, or refer a young person who could benefit, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we’re making real change, one person at a time.

Thank you for being part of the journey.