Sky Ireland and Age Action have announced a charity partnership which will see Sky Ireland supporting the charity in its mission to achieve fundamental change in the lives of older people.
Through both financial and people support Sky will help Age Action in its mission to empower older people to live full lives as actively engaged citizens.
Throughout 2021, Sky Ireland employees will support Age Action with their ‘Getting Started Kit’ initiative, a national programme to help older people improve their digital literacy skills so they can be more connected, informed and supported. Sky Ireland employees will also work with Age Action to raise vital funding for its support services for older people in Ireland.
The announcement comes after Sky launched a new initiative in 2019, Sky Cares, which is a commitment to supporting the communities where their customers and employees live and work. As part of the initiative, each staff member receives two volunteering days in addition to their annual leave allocation, each year.
According to JD Buckley, Sky Ireland CEO: “It has never been more important to support older people in our community. Older people have been hugely impacted by Covid-19 and I am very proud to be partnering with Age Action and supporting initiatives to keep them more connected. At Sky, we’re passionate about making a real difference in the community and I am really looking forward to seeing our teams support Age Action through fundraising and volunteering in the months ahead.”
“We are delighted to be chosen by Sky Ireland as their Charity of the Year and the recognition it brings to our work advocating for equality and rights of all of us as we age. COVID-19 has shown how older people need to be supported to engage with all kinds of digital media, so that they keep informed, feel connected and maintain their independence. We are really looking forward to working in partnership with Sky Ireland on our digital inclusion programme which aims to build the skills of older people to get online,” adds Paddy Connolly, Age Action CEO.
