Readers' Blog: Continued funding vital for youth work groups
Youth work organisations present valuable opportunities for the social and personal development of young people.
Through participation in such organisations, life skills such as leadership, co-operation, decision making, motivation and taking responsibility can be acquired by young people.
Therefore, youth work organisations are uniquely equipped to assist young people to become full participants in society.
Voluntary youth organisations currently face a crisis retaining experienced staff, due to their funding levels.
Funding can only come from the organisations’ programmes and, therefore, the young for whom the service is provided will lose out.
Funding for youth services needs to be increased urgently.
The minister must provide additional funds immediately for the youth services grants scheme to ensure the survival of the current level of service.
Many volunteers are becoming disheartened by the inadequate funding provided and this discourages those who raise funds for the organisations.
If there is not a real increase in funding for youth organisations, the problems being experienced in urban centres will become widespread.
The continued funding of voluntary youth work organisations through the youth service grant scheme is intended to ensure the emergence, promotion, growth and development of organisations with distinctive philosophies — and programmes.
For the future of Ireland — support our youth organisations.
