Initiatives Supporting People Rebuilding Their Lives 

Secret Street Tours won this category in 2026. They are a social enterprise in Dublin that trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides. Learners design and deliver their own tours, sharing personal stories from streets they once called home. The programme builds confidence and communication skills while challenging stereotypes about homelessness. 

Start360’s Volunteer Service launched in January 2024 in Belfast. This service supports people furthest from education and employment, particularly those with experience of substance use or the justice system. Through group training, mentorship, and workplace experience, it currently supports twenty-four volunteers rebuilding their lives. 

Cork Simon’s “Great to Train” Initiative has been running since 2019 and builds personal and work-related skills for people accessing homeless services in Cork. Combining skills training with therapy and learning, it supports wellbeing and job readiness, helping create sustainable routes out of homelessness. 

Initiatives Supporting New Communities  

Welcome English Language Centre (WELC) has been supporting learners from around the world for 23 years. Mostly run by volunteers, the centre has helped new arrivals build language skills and social confidence. Its “global kitchen” offers a warm space for connection between classes. 

The Open Doors Initiative creates pathways to work through training, education, and entrepreneurship for people from marginalised backgrounds, including refugees, migrants, Travellers, and people with disabilities. With corporate partners, it has supported over 130,000 people to break down barriers to employment. 

Saoirse Ethic Hands in Deck is a social enterprise founded by migrant women in Cork. It empowers women navigating direct provision and asylum processes. Its three-year Mná Employment Programme builds pathways to work through entrepreneurship, textile production and personal development, supporting economic independence and resilience. 

Fáilte Isteach is a national, volunteer-led initiative offering free conversational English classes, with over 300 groups across 26 counties and 3,000+ volunteers. Its trauma-informed, compassionate approach helps migrants and refugees build confidence and connection, combating isolation and fostering a sense of belonging. 

Cultúr Migrants Centre is a migrant-led organisation with 20+ years’ experience supporting migrant workers in the Midlands. After a successful 2021 Community Development Project application, it launched outreach through churches, mosques, and workplaces, running conversational English classes that expanded further with the arrival of Ukrainian refugees. 

EDNIP English Language Conversation Club supports migrant parents from five DEIS Band 1 schools in Limerick, representing children from 64 countries. Held in a familiar school setting, sessions bring together mostly women over tea and halal snacks for relaxed conversation practice. Using real-life stimuli like menus, images, and maps, learners build practical English for daily situations such as doctor visits, shopping, and parent-teacher meetings. Through modelling and role-play, women gain essential vocabulary and confidence for everyday life.