The Dropbox Foundation and BeLonG To will be bolstering support services for LGBTQ+ young people across Ireland through their new partnership. 

Four international nonprofit organisations committed to racial justice, climate change and LGBTQ+ rights are partnering with the Dropbox Foundation. This partnership will provide BeLonG To with unrestricted funding as well as voluntary assistance.

Speaking on the significance of this new funding, BeLonG To’s Partnerships and Engagement Manager, Caroline Flynn expressed, “As things change and we see more problems arrive at our front door, more people needing help, this grant just gives us the freedom and the ability to support those young people in whatever situation.”

https://twitter.com/BeLonG_To/status/1359832979657416708

Further illustrating the opportunities provided by this partnership with the Dropbox Foundation, BeLonG To’s Head of Operations and Fundraising Oisin O’Reilly shared, “There won’t be people who get phone calls unanswered or won’t get to talk to someone, or who will be left on their own, so all of those things give us hope.”

O’Reilly outlined the driving force behind BeLonG To and the services they provide, “We as an organisation, at our core, believe that young people can be agents of positive social change. We strive to ensure that the experiences of LGBTI+ young people inform our work. The way we engage with young people and adolescents is a process of equal partnership. 

“This means we encourage young people to think for themselves and work with us in developing our campaigns and programmes. It’s the young people who are living those experiences who are the experts on their lives,” O’Reilly concluded. 

Alongside BeLonG To, the Dropbox Foundation are partnering with three new organisations, Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), The Mockingbird Society, and Raheem. They will be joining groups such as  Allies Against Slavery, Human Rights Law Centre, and Physicians for Human, who will be funded for another year. 

The Dropbox Foundation was launched in 2018 to support organisations in their fight for equality and community engagement. Regarding their recent partnerships with BeLonG To and the other three groups, head of social impact at Dropbox, Tina Lee, said “Given the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the climate change crisis, and the marginalization of targeted communities, we committed to these organizations for their missions around racial justice, climate change, and LGBTQ+ rights. There is so much work to be done in these areas and we have a unique opportunity to provide support and make an impact.”