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Tearing it up in '08 ready to rock out in '09

Blog: SpunOut.ie steps back to smell the roses!

Article by : SpunOut.ie

SpunOut.ie is like a hyper wee puppy that just never tires! Check out a taster of what our community has been up to in ’08, and have a peek at what’s in store for ’09.

YOU are a vital part of what makes SpunOut.ie rock, so please keep dishing out the ideas and feedback about what direction we should head in and any and all ideas that should take us there.

Pat YOURSELF on the back for helping to contribute to the below achievements. Think you didn’t do anything to play a part? Think again. Getting involved takes many shapes and forms, all of which make SpunOut.ie the unique beast it is. Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

 

 

2008 achievements

  • Reaching over 270,000 website visitors, 1 million pageviews and millions of people connecting with SpunOutters via the national media including 2 items on RTE TV news.
  • Publishing over 400 articles (health and info factsheets, true-life stories, youth media articles and opportunities) and 7,000 discussion forum postings.
  • Major website content review with 30 volunteers and complete website redesign and redevelopment.

  • 3 new staff (Youth Participation Officer, Operations Manager and Mental Health Project Worker) and 3 new freelancers (Web Developer and Forum Moderators) joined the team.
  • New North West Mental Health outreach initiative got underway and visited over 20 schools, colleges and community groups.
  • Major marketing programme including new promotional materials, an online marketing drive, extensive national TV, radio and press exposure, a colourful presence at over 20 talks, events and conferences and a range of promotional partnerships.
  • Youth Participation Strategy revamp resulting in improved youth protection policy and controls, 3 National Youth Board days, and 100s of young people becoming involved as volunteers, media makers, forum users and health and social advocates.
  • Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award for 'Best Social Enterprise' in Connaught and short-listings for the Irish Web Awards, The Eircom Golden Spider Awards and a commendation in the Irish Healthcare Awards.

 

  • Partnerships with Samaritans, Young Social Innovators, Google Ireland, Today FM, The GAA, EMI, The Examiner, Concern, The Galway Junior Film Fleadh, The Credit Unions, Treoir and the National Economic and Social Development Organisation.
  • A new HSE-SpunOut.ie Reference Group was set-up and we held 3 Advisory Network meetings with representatives from Mental Health Ireland, Samaritans, the HSE, the Irish Association of Young People in Care, the Irish Family Planning Association, Bodywhys, the Daughters of Charity, Console, NUIG, Rape Crisis Network Ireland, TCD, Headline, Shine, BelongTo, Drugs and Alcohol Programme, Pieta House, NYCI, Grow, USS, USI, Youth Work Ireland, Exceptional Lives and Volunteering Ireland.

  • Funds and support was gratefully received from HSE, from a philanthropic foundation, from Google Ireland (via Google grants) and donations from the Cliona Ring Foundation, Hannover-Re, The Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund, The Communicating Europe Initiative, The iRadio Naked Bus promotion and Ernst and Young.
  • Organisational development revamp with new structures, operational policies, procedures and systems and improved staff development mechanisms.

 

 

2009 priorities

  • Marketing: getting our message out there, reaching the masses, increasing our user base and rolling out a range of media and corporate partnerships.
  • Advocacy and action: developing resources, events and opportunities to support young people as advocates and agents for change.
  • Fundraising: filling our funding deficit through a new corporate sponsorship and CSR programme and a range of fundraising proposals and events.
  • Website development: re-designing SpunOut.ie, making it more interactive and generating new content and multimedia features.
  • Research and evaluation: conducting an independent evaluation of our work and increasing our evidence base with a view to influencing and changing policy through advocacy and action.

 



Interested?

Got ideas? Do you want to get involved?

Give us a shout- emily@spunout.ie  or  091 533693