23 Years.
One Mission.
Founded in Dublin in 2003 by Robert Stephenson FRSA. Aired on RTÉ 2. Historically backed by Coca-Cola, Barclays, AIB, Big Lottery Fund, O2 and others. Operating in 11 countries. 360,000+ students. Cape Town pilot schools launching June 2026.
In the Press
Real articles, real publications. All links verified and sourced.
Feature interview on Robert Stephenson FRSA with Kieno Kammies of Innovate Africa — tracing Blastbeat's 23-year journey from Dublin to South Africa's schools.
Read on TimesLIVEHotstop from St. Gerard's School, Bray beat international competitors from the USA, South Africa and Belgium at the World Final held at The Tripod, Dublin.
Read on Hot PressCoca-Cola-sponsored Blastbeat national final at Opera House, Cork. €5,000 prize fund plus record deal and Walton's equipment. Covered across 330+ Irish schools.
Read on Hot PressNational final at The Helix, Dublin. AIB as primary sponsor. €5,000 prize plus an album deal from Kidnapped Records. Programme in 10 schools in its second year.
Read on Hot PressJack Morton and AXA PPP win the HR Magazine/Blastbeat CSR competition. Their staff mentor Blastbeat students toward the national Battle of the Bands final at the O2 Arena in front of 14,000 people.
Read on HR MagazineBlastbeat Education listed as a featured startup appearance at Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon — the world's largest technology conference, attended by 70,000+ delegates.
View on Web SummitOfficial RTÉ press announcement for the Blast:Beat TV series on RTÉ 2, produced by Bren Berry. Department of Education and Science-approved Transition Year scheme.
RTÉ PresspackRegistered UK charity (No. 1136121 / Climate Actions Now). Listed on Benevity's global giving platform — enabling corporate employee giving and matching programmes worldwide.
View on BenevityVerified organisational profile on Crunchbase covering Blastbeat Education's history, team, and funding. Used by investors, journalists, and researchers globally.
View on CrunchbaseBlast:Beat on RTÉ 2
Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ aired the Blast:Beat television series on RTÉ 2 — broadcast on Fridays at 7pm and Saturdays at 11am during the 2005–06 academic year. The series followed student teams as they built real event businesses through the Blastbeat Schools Challenge.
The series was produced by Bren Berry (publicist and booker for Vicar Street; associated with The Coltranes/Revelino) and was officially approved by the Irish Department of Education and Science as a Transition Year scheme — one of the first enterprise TV formats ever to receive this designation.
"The Blast:Beat series was the first of its kind in Ireland — combining real enterprise experience with national television exposure for secondary school students."
— RTÉ Presspack, April 26, 2006
During the 2005–06 series the programme was formally renamed "Coca-Cola Blastbeat" — one of Ireland's most prominent youth enterprise sponsorships of that era.
Blastbeat in Action
Real footage from Blastbeat events across the years. The energy is real — these are student-run shows.
@blastbeatuk — The Full Archive
Years of student events, performances and behind-the-scenes from the UK era. Subscribe for the full back-catalogue.
Subscribe on YouTubeVisit @blastbeatuk on YouTube for the full library of student performances, school finals, and behind-the-scenes from 2009—2015 era.
Blastbeat in Pictures
Events, students, performances, and programme moments from across 23 years and 11 countries.
Oh Environment
Blastbeat partnered with CANMusic and Nkuringo Bright Future Primary School & Orphanage Centre in Uganda to produce Oh Environment — a music-driven climate action project that has reached over 20 million people globally.
Featuring Giles and Diego, the project brought together youth voices and community storytelling — demonstrating that culture, joy, and sustainability belong in the same sentence. Exactly what CAN stands for.
23 Years of
Milestones
From a single school in Dublin to a 19-country movement — every step sourced and verified.
Robert Stephenson launches the Blastbeat Schools Challenge — students form real "Event Social Enterprises" at Dublin secondary schools. Year one: enterprise meets music meets education.
Programme expands to 10 schools. National final held at The Helix, Dublin on 16 May 2004. AIB as primary sponsor. Prize: €5,000 cash + album deal from Kidnapped Records.
Coca-Cola becomes primary sponsor — the programme is officially renamed "Coca-Cola Blastbeat." RTÉ 2 airs the Blast:Beat TV series (Fridays 7pm / Saturdays 11am), produced by Bren Berry, endorsed by the Dept of Education and Science as a Transition Year scheme. National final at Opera House, Cork on 13 May 2006.
Programme launches in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Partners include Mr Price (SA) and A Glimmer of Hope (USA). UK charity registration established under Climate Actions Now.
Blastbeat World Final at The Tripod, Dublin. Competitors from Ireland, USA, South Africa, and Belgium. Winner: Hotstop (St. Gerard's School, Bray, Co. Wicklow). Blastbeat signs with William Morris Agency — groundwork for a multi-country TV series.
Summer 2009: Blastbeat launches in Japan as its 5th country — as NPO法人ブラストビート (NPO Blastbeat Japan). Tagline adopted March 2010: "変わる、ジブン。変える、ヨノナカ。" (Change yourself, change the world). Programme runs continuously and self-sufficiently for 16+ years.
HR Magazine / Blastbeat CSR competition: Jack Morton and AXA PPP win — their staff mentor student teams toward a national Battle of the Bands final at the O2 Arena, London, in front of 14,000 people. Winners receive management and recording deals. Endorsed by Nick Hurd MP, UK Minister for Civil Society.
Blastbeat Birmingham 2013 semi-final documented. "Young Kings" perform in front of a student-run production. Programme active across multiple UK regions with Barclays Bank and O2 (Telefónica) as corporate sponsors.
Blastbeat's parent charity Climate Actions Now (CAN) is formally established, formalising the climate action and social enterprise dimensions of the programme under one registered entity.
Blastbeat relaunches with a next-generation mobile platform, cutting cost-per-school from €3,000 to under €100 — a 95%+ reduction. Rwanda launches. Western Cape Government partnership: 76% commitment rate from 34 rural youth leaders (Nov 2025). Featured at Web Summit 2025, Lisbon. TimesLIVE feature interview published Sept 5, 2025.
First 12 founding schools onboarded across South Africa at zero cost. National Finals planned for June 2026 in Cape Town. Adopt-A-School sponsorship marketplace launched. Goal: 10 million youth empowered by 2030.
NPO法人ブラストビート
Japan became Blastbeat's 5th country when the programme launched in summer 2009. Registered as an NPO (非営利活動法人) in Japan, it has operated continuously and self-sufficiently for 16+ years — a testament to the programme's cultural adaptability and genuine youth relevance.
The Japanese programme adopted its own identity while maintaining the core ESE framework — empowering Japanese youth to run real music and events enterprises, building business skills in a culture where enterprise education for this age group is rare.
Visit blastbeat.jp →Name: NPO法人ブラストビート
Website: blastbeat.jp
Status: Active & self-sustaining
Backed by Organisations
That Matter
Corporate, government and third-sector partners across Blastbeat's 23-year history.
Robert Stephenson FRSA
Robert Stephenson is an award-winning social entrepreneur and entertainment industry executive with 30+ years in the music industry — managing and touring bands across Europe, running his own record label and events companies, and crossing paths with a young U2 in Dublin in 1980.
Formally recognised as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Robert now leads Blastbeat Education and Climate Actions Now from South Africa, where the 2026 South Africa launch and Adopt-A-School marketplace represent the programme’s most ambitious chapter yet.
Awards & Endorsements
Ireland's national broadcaster commissioned the Blast:Beat TV series — the first enterprise education format endorsed by the Irish Department of Education as a Transition Year scheme.
"BlastBeat gives young people real skills in ways that excite them. You can feel the confidence and energy it builds." — Nick Hurd MP, Former UK Minister for Civil Society.
Blastbeat Education was selected as a featured appearance at Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon — one of the world's largest and most competitive technology conferences with 70,000+ delegates.
Robert Stephenson has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), recognising his contribution to social innovation, youth enterprise, and creative industries education.
Blastbeat Education is supported by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, one of the country's most prestigious social enterprise development programmes, providing funding and strategic mentorship.
In 2008, Blastbeat signed with the William Morris Agency — the world's oldest and most prestigious talent agency — laying groundwork for an international multi-country TV series.
Invest in the
Youth Economy
Blastbeat represents a proven, scalable model at a pivotal moment. We've demonstrated 23 years of programme delivery across 11 countries. The 2025 digital relaunch cut cost-per-school by over 95% — making deployment into under-resourced markets genuinely viable.
South Africa's youth unemployment stands at 59.7%. Enterprise skills education at school level is one of the most evidence-backed interventions available. Blastbeat is positioned to be the infrastructure layer for this across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Legal & Compliance
Press & Media Contact
We respond to all media, investor, and partnership enquiries within 2 business days.