FÁS cuts will hit the most vulnerable
Under a FÁS review, it appears likely that the scheme which aims to bring long-term unemployed people back into the workforce will be cut from 28,000 to 15,000 by the end of the year. The move will incur the wrath of community and voluntary groups, especially in marginalised areas.
Practically every town, village, parish, community and suburb in the country has at least one youth group involved.
Young people learn to participate in organisations in a democratic manner that will stand to society for the future. They design and implement their own activities.
Voluntary youth organisations are in trouble unless the Government reverses cutbacks in funding over the last year. No other voluntary section mobilises more people more than 240,000 young people and adults as members of youth groups, as voluntary leaders or as participants in one-off events.
I appeal to the Government to restore funding, under the youth grant scheme, to December 2002 levels and to allocate adequate resources to allow the implementation, in full, of the national youth work development plan.
Cllr Noel Collins
St Jude's
Midleton
Co Cork
