Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, has today, Monday, announced €1,218,000 in funding for 12 national youth organisations to support initiatives focused on increasing volunteering and expanding the network of volunteer-led clubs across the country.

The financial packages, distributed via the Volunteer Activation Fund, will back a diverse array of projects engineered to improve volunteer recruitment, training, and retention. The funding is also designed to upgrade the capacity of these organisations to deliver high-quality youth work services to local communities nationwide.

This year's funded projects include initiatives centred around environmental action, Scouting, youth arts, Irish-language youth work, and specialised services for young people with additional needs.

The Volunteer Activation Fund will support several targeted projects across the country, including:

• Establishing new volunteer-led Scouts groups in communities where no Scouting provisions are currently available.

• Increasing staff capacity to support volunteer-led youth work.

• Strengthening volunteer-led ECO UNESCO clubs throughout the nation.

• Delivering capacity-building programmes to expand volunteer-led services for young people with additional needs.

• Designing and piloting a Volunteer Activation Toolkit to encourage greater participation in volunteering. • Recruiting, training, and retaining volunteers to deliver high-quality, Irish-medium youth work.

• Establishing new volunteer-led youth film hubs and expanding access to youth arts opportunities in underserved regions.

The various projects receiving investment under the scheme are anticipated to raise overall capacity across the youth sector while improving the ability of individual organisations to attract, support, and retain their volunteer base.

Since the Volunteer Activation Fund was set up in late 2024, more than €2 million has been allocated to advance volunteer development and accelerate the growth of volunteer-led clubs, reinforcing the Government's commitment to improving youth work provision and youth participation.

Confirming the funding allocation, Minister Naughton said: "Volunteers are the backbone of the youth work in Ireland. Their commitment and dedication help create opportunities for young people to learn, develop skills, build confidence and participate fully in their communities.

"I am delighted to support these innovative projects, which help organisations recruit and train volunteers, strengthen volunteer-let youth clubs, and ensure that even more young people can benefit from high-quality youth work opportunities in every part of the country.

"This funding represents an investment in the future of youth work and in the volunteers whose contribution makes such a positive difference to the lives of young people every day."