Mayo woman Ciara joins Ireland's newest wave of changemakers

Mayo woman Ciara Mangan, founder of Beyond Surviving, has joined Ireland’s newest wave of changemakers on Social Entrepreneurs Ireland 2025 Impact Programme and Ideas Academy.

She is one of the five outstanding social entrepreneurs who have been awarded a place on the programme.

These changemakers are tackling some of Ireland’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

Beyond Surviving, established by Castlebar's Ciara, is a survivor-led organisation providing post-crisis support and community connection for survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse, filling a critical gap in Ireland’s support services.

The other awardees are:

Matthew McCann, founder of Access Earth – Developing SPACES, a smart, inclusive parking system using real-time enforcement technology and data insights to combat misuse of accessible parking bays and improve infrastructure for people with disabilities.

Sarah Naylor McNamee, founder of Beauty Business in a Box – A practical training programme empowering women and girls with accredited beauty skills, business tools, and confidence-building supports to move from disadvantage to financial independence.

Gareth Conlon, founder of Síolta Chroí – An environmental cooperative restoring Ireland’s ecosystems through regenerative agriculture training for farmers, fostering sustainable food systems and community resilience.

Cormac Noonan, co-founder of Wolf Academy – Delivering holistic wellbeing solutions to schools across Ireland, blending modern psychology and ancient practices to help young people, teachers, and parents build emotional resilience and mental health.

Each organisation will receive a share of €100,000 in direct, unrestricted funding alongside €100,000 to €150,000 worth of pro-bono support, helping them to scale their impact and drive lasting social change.