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May 10, 2024
For the 13th year, Kellogg’s GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) Cúl Camps are returning to Ireland, providing primary school children aged 6 to 13 with the opportunity to spend their summer holidays participating in sports activities. Running weekly from late June to end of August, the camps are centered around Gaelic Games including Hurling, Gaelic Football, Handball and Rounders.
In recognition of the global refugee crisis, this summer the camps will offer spaces to children of migrant families. By the end of September 2023, 114 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Children are bearing the brunt of this crisis, with young people accounting for more than 41% of the world’s refugees in 2022, according to UNICEF. Kellogg’s initiative comes at a time when diversity and recognition of the migrant crisis is crucial.
This initiative is part of the multinational food manufacturer’s social impact strategy “Better Days Promise,” which welcomes all children regardless of background or culture. Over the past two decades, Ireland has become an increasingly diverse community with people of many different ethnicities, cultures, languages and religions. It is one of the most diverse countries in the European Union with 12% of the population made up of non-Irish citizens.
The GAA Cúl Camps have long helped young people explore new interests and stay active while creating life-long friendships. They have welcomed over 1 million participants since the Kellogg sponsorship started in 2012. Since then, participation levels have increased by 92% and participants have accumulated more than 1.2 billion activity hours, based on a daily average of 240 minutes of physical activity. This aligns closely with the World Health Organization’s recommendations of at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily for children aged 5–17.
The company, which split into Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co. in 2023, will further support the children of migrant families by providing transport to and from the camp. This effort will not be just a one-off but is part of a long-term vision to increase overall accessibility to the camps, helping to ensure a more diverse mix of players within the adult Gaelic Games in the country. The initiative is made possible through a collaboration between the GAA and the Irish Refugee Council. Spaces will be opened at several clubs throughout the summer, enabling migrant children to spend a day or full week engaged in activity.
“It is fantastic to see that Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps continues to grow and be such a key part of so many children’s summer break! This year we are embarking on a journey to really make a difference by putting into action our Better Days Promise of encouraging wellbeing and supporting families in our communities,” said Sarah Ferguson, Kellanova Ireland General Manager. “With Kellogg’s being a staple at the Irish family breakfast table and the GAA being such an integral part of Irish culture, we are delighted to trial this initiative for the first time this year to introduce children from different cultures and backgrounds to the joy Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps can bring.”
The initiative’s launch featured an appearance by former Leitrim Hurler, Zak Moradi. Moradi was born in a refugee camp in Ramadi, Iraq, before migrating to Carrick-on-Shannon at age 11. Despite language barriers, his talent for hurling allowed him to build lifelong friendships and opportunities. He attended the Cúl Camps as a child and now works as a coach and campaign ambassador. Dublin LGFA star Sinead Goldrick, a former Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps ambassador, was also in attendance. After recently returning to Ireland from Australia, she has rejoined the Dublin ladies’ panel ahead of championship season.
“Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps are one of the highlights of the GAA calendar, and we are very grateful to the coaches, coordinators, clubs and volunteers that make it happen,” said GAA Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns. “We are really looking forward to welcoming thousands of children across the country to their local GAA clubs to experience an action-packed and fun-filled week.”
To provide support to those impacted by global forced displacement, Beyond Sport’s Sport Together Fund provides grants and capacity-building initiatives to organizations that are using sport to assist refugees, displaced persons and asylum seekers. Learn more here.
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