In 2017, Every Child Is Your Child (ECIYC) did something people said could not be done.

A bus left Knockalisheen Accommodation Centre in Limerick and travelled less than 2km down the road to Moyross. It was the shortest of journeys. But for the children on that bus, it was the first time they had ever been in their community outside of school hours. Not as pupils. Not as residents of a centre. Just as children, with somewhere to go and people genuinely glad to see them.

That became CONNECT — Ireland's first community-based summer camp programme for children in Direct Provision and IPAS accommodation.

Working with extraordinary people and organisations — Michele Ryan, who spearheaded the idea from dream to reality, the Moyross Youth Academy Centre, Céim ar Chéim, Music Generation, Tobi Omitoso, Denise Chaila, Murli, Goodknows, Doras, Limerick City and County Council, Limerick Youth Service, and Archie — we proved that when communities come together, nothing is impossible.

It was mighty. We still feel it.

What Happened Next

In the years that followed, something beautiful spread across Ireland. Thousands of summer camps were held for children in IPAS and Direct Provision accommodation. A movement had quietly begun. CONNECT had helped start something.

But here is where we are now. There are over 9,000 children in the system today, triple the number when we started. The centres have multiplied across the country. And yet funding has dried up. Momentum has faded. Many of the camps that were running are no longer running.

CONNECT Is Back

This summer, ECIYC is bringing CONNECT back, with 3-day camps planned across Limerick, Clare and Tipperary.

Children out of centres. Into communities. Into art, music, sport, friendship and joy. Into the Irish summer that belongs to them as much as to any child born on this island.

We are working with community partners across the Midwest who are opening their doors and their communities to make this happen.

What Your Money Does

Every euro raised goes directly to the running of the camps. Here is what it costs to give a child a day at CONNECT:

What it covers:

Transport to and from the community is €8 per child per day

Meals and refreshments €10 per child per day

Activities, art materials, music €12 per child per day

Staff and volunteer support €10 per child per day

Total cost per child per day: €40

Total cost per child for 3 days: €120

Our target of €15,000 will fund the majority of 3 camps, each running for 3 days with up to 50 children per camp. The full cost of the 3 camps is €18,000. The remaining €3,000 is being sought through partner contributions and grant funding.

3 camps x 50 children x 3 days = 450 child-days of community connection this summer.

Donation Tiers

€20 covers a full day for one child at the CONNECT camp.

€40 covers one child for their full first and second day.

€120 covers one child's complete 3-day CONNECT experience.

€500 sponsors an entire activity session for a group of children.

€1,500 funds one full day across an entire camp of 50 children.

€4,500 sponsors one complete 3-day camp for 50 children.

Who We Are

Every Child Is Your Child (ECIYC) is a community group based in Limerick, Ireland, founded in 2016. We exist to champion the rights and well-being of children living in IPAS accommodation, children who are here, who are part of Ireland, and who deserve to be treated as such.

We are volunteer-driven, community-powered, and absolutely certain that when Irish people show up for each other, extraordinary things happen.

Share This

You do not need money to make a difference right now. Sharing this page costs nothing and could reach the person who changes everything for one of these children.

Please share. On Facebook. On Instagram. On WhatsApp. In your workplace. At your club. Everywhere.

Every child deserves a summer. Help us make it happen.