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)

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