O2 has unveiled Think Big, a scheme that's designed to offer financial support to young people who are making a difference in their communities.
Young people aged between 13 and 25 can apply for a £300 grant to run projects that will help their local communities. The participants will also benefit from a comprehensive package of training and support through O2’s charity partners. They'll also have the opportunity to apply for a further £2,500 to boost their project.
Ronan Dunne, O2’s UK Chief Executive, said "Research shows that today’s society paints a negative picture of young people in Britain. We want to help change that by supporting grassroots social action. We believe young people’s ideas can have a huge positive impact on their communities and we want to enable and empower them to deliver change for themselves. Our customers tell us we should do more to support young people and this is a totally new approach; it’s not about top-down corporate social responsibility, it’s about listening to young people and working with them to create genuine social change."
Think Big has been developed in conjunction with the National Youth Agency and UK Youth. O2 says it's making a £5 million investment in Think Big and is giving £5 for every SIM-only tariff that is purchased plus £1 for every handset recycled through o2recycle.co.uk.