Hi there, welcome to my 100minds profile! My name is Ciara and I’m a 3rd year Commerce Student in UCD, currently taking a year out from my studies to complete an internship in Microsoft as part of their Commercial Launch and Capabilities team.

I am delighted to be part of the 100minds team this year. 100minds is a social enterprise founded in 2013, that brings together some of Ireland’s top college students and connects them with one cause to achieve big goals in a short space of time. So far, 100minds has raised a staggering €400,000 for Irish children’s charities. This funding has made an incredible impact to date and for their third year have partnered with ChildLine to help fund and support the amazing work they do for children and teenagers across the country. ChildLine is Ireland’s only 24-hour, confidential listening service for young people. Their goal is to empower, support and protect young people all over Ireland. Unfortunately, that is not an easy task. Last year, ChildLine answered 460,000 calls, 1,208 of which came on Christmas day. The numbers speak for themselves, this is an essential service for Irish children.

ChildLine’s night time service that takes majority of the calls came close to being shut down as a result of lack of funding. This year the goal of 100minds is to raise €1,000,000 for ChildLine. Ensuring that 100,000 children that call will be answered and listened to. This money will go towards keeping facilities open and training volunteers. My part to play in this is to raise €1,000 by April 2016. Donations can be made here, in cash or by cheque. I will also be hosting a range of fundraising events throughout the year so please keep an eye out and get involved where you can. All donations are greatly appreciated. Thank you, Ciara