WE ACT Campaign
We Act is a campaign to celebrate the impact of Ireland's charities and community groups
Only 8% of people in Ireland believe they have been personally impacted by charities or community groups in the past year.
But 70% believe the lives of people in their communities would be impacted if charities disappeared overnight.
Source: nfpSynergy Research, Spring 2021
2021 End of Year Message
It’s been a whirlwind of a year on all fronts. Over the last 12 months, our sector has continued to demonstrate its great strengths. Its ability to respond, to innovate, and to care. It’s ability to act.
And for us, the highlight of 2021 was getting to celebrate those strengths with the launch of We Act. Thank you for being part of it - for building this campaign with us from the beginning, sharing your input at every stage, and being so engaged with the launch.
And because this campaign is all about sharing our stories and shouting our impact from the rooftops, we figured it would be remiss of us not to look back at a few more of our collective achievements so far...
Why a campaign?
The response to Covid-19 illuminated how charities and community groups do incredible things. The pandemic demonstrated that in times of real crisis, we are at the forefront of our national response. But this work often goes unseen or is misunderstood.
We have a fresh understanding of what is important and what we value. We have a renewed sense of community. We want a society with more emphasis on equality, justice and work-life balance.
There needs to be a concerted effort to ensure that the goodwill and community cohesion that we saw during Covid-19 continues. If we don't value our charities and community groups, we will lose them.
What are the goals?
1. We want to share positive stories. Stories about the people who spot a gap, see a need, take the initiative, and act.
2. We want everyone in Ireland to realise that we all benefit from charities and community groups. If you've ever been to the theatre, adopted a dog, played local sports, called a helpline, enjoyed a Tidy Town — you've been impacted.
3. We want to encourage participation. We want volunteering and community involvement to be part of the fabric of our society.
4. We want to celebrate the people who work and volunteer in our charities and communities. We want them to feel part of something bigger — meaningful societal change.
Who is Leading this campaign?
This campaign is being executed by a steering group made up of six organisations, Volunteer Ireland, The Wheel, Charities Institute Ireland, Boardmatch, Dóchas, and Disability Federation of Ireland. It has been developed with intensive consultation with stakeholders at every level.
How is this campaign funded?
The campaign is funded by The Community Foundation for Ireland through the RTÉ Does Comic Relief Fund.
To find out more or get involved visit www.weact.ie
