14/12/2011

€200,000 Announced For Youth Cafes

The Children and Youth Affairs Minister has announced details of a special one off provision of €200,000 to support 18 youth projects around the country.

Frances Fitzgerald said the money would specifically support the provision of Youth Cafés enabling existing youth projects to upgrade existing premises or purchase additional equipment in order to provide a "safe, alcohol and drug free" meeting space for young people.

Announcing the decision on Wednesday, Minister Fitzgerald said her Department was committed to supporting the development of quality; front-line youth work projects and services, which address the "changing needs of young people".

Ms Fitzgerald said: "A key element of this is to support the continued nationwide development of youth café facilities given the considerable benefits they offer for young people to meet in safe drug and alcohol free spaces and most importantly the identification of the need for such spaces by young people themselves."

The minister added she had ensured that as part of the Government’s Capital Review published last month the capital funding available for youth project was to increase from €0.8m in 2011 to €1.5m in 2012 and 2013.

According to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs some 75-100 youth café facilities now operate across the state and are seen as hugely beneficial to local communities in terms of broader engagement with young people, according to the minister.

(DW)

Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

04 March 2019
Irish Youth Club Funding Increased
Funding for Irish youth clubs has been increased by 12% this year, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone has announced. The increased funding will bring the overall allocation for the scheme to over €2m and will provide small volunteer-led youth clubs with greater capacity to reach more young people during 2019.
19 March 2014
Government Is Failing Young People - Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin's Dublin EU candidate Lynn Boylan has said the findings of the OECD's 2014 'Society at a Glance' report is proof that both Labour and Fine Gael are failing young people.
25 June 2009
Fifth Of Young People Can't Afford To Visit Doctor
A survey published today has revealed one in five young Irish people can't afford to pay for a doctor's appointment. The research published by the National Youth Council surveyed over 1,000 young people across the country. Among the issues covered in the report are Education, Voting Participation, Health, Housing and Personal Finance.
22 February 2019
€11.1m Exceptional Safeguarding Funding Announced
National youth organisations in Ireland are to benefit from more than €11 million Exceptional Safeguarding Funding, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone. National youth organisations are receiving an increase of at least 2.5% after the Minister secured additional youth funding in the Budget.
13 September 2016
Young People Not Feeling The Benefit Of Economic Recovery
Young people are yet to feel the benefits of the economic recovery, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Social Protection, Willie O'Dea, has said. Deputy O'Dea said that while unemployment is falling, the current rate of youth unemployment is still "far too high". He also said the latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that 17.