Over €61m Made Available For Youth Services

Over €61 million has been made available to fund youth services nationwide this year, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has announced.

Dr Katherine Zappone TD set out a breakdown of the financial support that will be committed to local clubs, education and training boards, national youth organisations and in targeted funding.

Some €2.1m has been made available for the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, while €4.1m will be allocated to the 16 Education and Training Boards.

National Youth Organisations will benefit from over €11.5m in universal funding and €38.7m has been made available in targeted funding.

The biggest financial award, targeted funding will form the basis of the new 'UBU - Your Place, Your Space' scheme which was launched in December.

The UBU scheme aims to provide services that support young people to develop the personal and social skills required to improve their life chances. This includes services covering health, education, employment and social connectedness. The scheme will target young people who are marginalised, disadvantaged, or vulnerable.

'UBU - Your Place, Your Space' opens this year, streamlining and strengthening previous targeted youth funding arrangements.

Minister Zappone said she was delighted to confirm the funding for youth projects and services.

"I am committed to supporting and reforming our youth services," the Minister commented.

"As in previous years, I am confident this funding will assist in delivering quality services to the benefit of all young people involved. I and my department have enormous respect for the value of youth work and are fully aware of the transformative effect it can have. Youth work engages with young people as they experience what is probably the most dramatic phase of change and growth in the cycle of human development.

"I know that investment in youth work makes economic sense, and promotes equity, inclusion and social cohesion. It benefits young people and benefits society as a whole. That is why increasing the overall budget for youth services remains a key priority for me and my department."

National Youth Organisations will benefit from over €11.5 million in universal funding for 2020. The work carried out by the national youth organisations, through volunteer led groups and clubs, is transformative for young people. These organisations provide exceptional engagement for children and young people who are members nationwide. The funding ensures the continued promotion, growth and development of these organisations for young people.

Funding of over €4.1 million has been made available to the sixteen Education and Training Boards (ETBs) around the country through youth work function allocations and technical assistance funding to support their work and engagement with young people. The technical assistance funding provided to ETBs in 2020 will enable them to continue to provide administrative and other supports to youth officers and enable them to focus their full attention on the assessment of the needs of young people within their ETB area.

Funding of over €2.1 million was also made available for the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme this year. This scheme supports youth work activities at a local level by providing small grants to youth clubs and groups.

The remaining funding supports a number of smaller initiatives throughout the youth sector.



(JG/CM)