The letter, which is part of a country-wide campaign, is calling on government to invest an additional €9.4 million in young people in Budget 2024, following growing demands on youth work organisations.
Daniel Meister is the Communications Manager for the NYCI.
He said the response from Donegal shows the concern on a local level:
Highland Radio reached out the five Donegal Deputies to which the letter was addressed.
Their responses and the letter in full can be read below:
OPEN LETTER:
Dear Deputies Doherty, Mac Lochlainn, McConalogue, McHugh, and Pringle,
We are constituents from Donegal, who are calling on you to support young people in Budget 2024 by investing €9.4 million in young people and youth work.
It is a hard time for young people. COVID-19 impacted their mental health and social connections, and now, the cost-of-living crisis means many are struggling financially.
Youth work organisations say that deprivation among young people they work with is on the rise, and the need for youth services is growing dramatically as young people and their communities feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.
Youth workers are often a lifeline for young people, particularly for those who have the least. The wide range of activities provided by youth organisations support young people in their personal and social development, positive mental health, physical wellbeing, job skills and much more.
The rising cost of living is also placing a huge strain on youth work organisations themselves. A recent survey by the National Youth Council of Ireland revealed that nearly 3 in 5 organisations struggle to deliver vital youth work services because of inflation.
The Government must provide the necessary resources for these organisations to meet the growing needs of young people in Dublin, and to provide an Ireland where young people can live, grow, and flourish.
That is why we are supporting the National Youth Council of Ireland in calling on the Government to invest an additional €9.4m in youth work services in Budget 2024, to provide more supports and activities for young people and meet the needs of our growing youth population. The NYCI and its members across the country believe this increase is needed to help ensure the sustainability of the sector, and deal with current challenges facing many services.
We request that you act on this call and use whatever avenues available to you to ensure that we see a Budget 2024 that invests in our young people.
Your constituents,
Rosie Harrison Gallagher
Donal Mac Giolla Bhríde
Nora Mc Kinney Gillen
Caroline Muldowney Coyle
Martin McDonagh Senior
Patricia Miller Sheerin
Debbie Byrne-Thompson
Geraldine O’Shaughnessy
John Mc Greevy Jnr
Adrian MacFhearraigh
Amanda Doherty Furey
Mary Campbell Ryan
Pádraig Mac Diarmada
Clara Maria Costa Torres
Marie O’ Donoghue
Catherine Ní Dhuibhir
Rachel McGranaghan
Eilish Mc Phillips
Noel Mac Suibhne
Easkey Britton Phd
Guy Stephenson
Evanna Schorderet
Gerry O’Heoghain
Maighread Ní Ghrásta
Anna McLaughlin
James Mclaughlin
Kerry McLaughlin
Anne McCafferty
Sharon Mc Menamin
Ann Mc Gavigan
Suzanne Mc Closkey
Carie Lainchbury
Mary Fitzgerald
Maureen Cunningham
Bernadette O’Donnell
Katie O’Donnell
Rosaleen O’Donnell
Patricia O’Donnell
Anna Ní Bhroin
Eileen Muldowney
Eoghan Megannety
John Mcmenamin
James McCormack
Clare McCarroll
Myra McAuliffe
Anne Mc Elchar
Tàn Kacperski
Margaret Mary Griffiths
Angela Gillespie
Dee Gallagher
Eileen Gallagher
Elaine Gallagher
Jacinta Gallagher
Marie Gallagher
Marion Gallagher
Mary Gallagher
Moya Gallagher
Tara Gallagher
Ursula Gallagher
Barry Farragher
Bernie Comerford
Brig Clafferty
Patricia Caulfield
Angeline C. Driver
Nicole Ainsworth
Mary Shovelin
Kathleen Mcsharry
Michael McMullin
Kathleen McGinley
Carol McFadden
Marian McFadden
Mary Mc Grath
Louise Marshall
Rosemary Marshall
Anna Longwill
Maggie Lavender
Mark Lafferty
Odhran Lafferty
Pat Kavanagh
Andrew Johnston
Paddy Hannigan
Hugh Fletcher
Rita Fletcher
Andrena Faulkner
Kieran Donagher
Rosaleen Donagher
Seamas Costello
Edel Corcoran
Caroline Connolly
Michael Campbell
Brid Cafferty
Pauline Arbuckle
Niamh Vambeck
Maureen Travers
Angela Tourish
Marian Timoney
Caroline Sweeney
Eileen O’Regan
Fearghal O’Boyle
Colleen Nichols
Paddy Muldoon
Liam Moloney
Pat McNeely
Eileen McLoone
Susan Mcbride
Aileen Mc Hugh
Maggie Maclean
Katarzyna Kurzeja
Caroline Kepnang
Gillian Kennedy
Geraldine Kearney
Geraldine Hultman
Helena Hession
Pamela Hamlett
Kevin Griffin
Siobhán Göppert
Sinead Gibbons
Bernie Gibbins
Kieran Donohue
Marian Donnell
Donna Donegan
Clare Doherty
Fionnuala Doherty
Jacqueline Doherty
Mary Doherty
Tricia Doherty
Ann Marie Darmody
Una Collier
Anne Canavan
Deirdre Britton
Brid Breslin
Eileen Borland
Una Bhriain
Patricia Barnett
Marion Whelan
Geri Walker
Alan Walden
Laura Toland
Orla Taylor
Rebecca Strain
Marie Slevin
Sheila Shiels
Margaret Reddin
Martina Patton
Marie O Gara
Kathleen P Nelson
Martina Neller
Geraldine Murray
Anne Murphy
Caroline Murphy
Paul Murphy
Stewart Morris
Anne Mclean
Rosaleen McHugh
Michelle McDaid
Denise McCool
Winnie McCabe
Marion McAfee
Caroline Mc Gee
Margaret Martin
Pauline Madden
Caroline Mackey
Karen Kirwan
Jacqueline Herron
Gabrielle Harvey
Georina Harkin
Michael Harkin
Teresa Harkin
Shell Grogan
Ailbhe Farren
Una Farren
Rosemarie Downey
Candice Devine
Jane Deeney
Patricia Darcey
Breid Currid
Maureen Curran
Christina Crouch
Dympna Cronin
Alison Clarke
Catherine Clarke
Nuala Caslin
Bridget Browne
Thresea Browne
Pauline Bonner
Sorcha Bolger
Mary Barron
Johanna Walsh
Lorraine Tilly
Ellen Quinn
Kathleen Quinn
Peter Quinn
Patricia Mason
Berenice Maher
Claire Lynch
Lola Kelly
Margo Kelly
Mary Kelly
Michael Kelly
Grainne Hines
Joanna Given
Grace Gerry
Deirdre Friel
Claire Foody
Mary Flood
Rose Dunne
Nora Duffy
Seamus Duffy
Michael Doyle
Susan Craig
Mary Cooke
Anne Clear
Nigel Carey
Ann Byrne
Brendan Byrne
Laura Byrne
Catherine Burke
Deirdre Brown
Ann Boyle
Brid Boyle
Clare Boyle
Liam Boyle
Rosaleen Boyle
Darina Boyce
Sarah Boyce
Sarah Boyce
Hollie Beard
Eirú Ward
Grace Reck
Peter Ogle
Cróna Kerr
Anne Hone
Rose Gill
Scarlet Fahy
Madeline East
Stephen Doak
Jackie Daly
Bongiwe Buso
Lisa Bond
Teresa Bell
Alia Rua
Brian Nee
Dearbhla Fox
Responses:
Deputy Thomas Pringle, Independent
I am supportive of the NYCI’s call for additional funding. I will include it in my budget submission to government. It is an issue that has been raised with me by various youth organisations across the county in recent weeks. The impact that this funding could have in enhancing the great work these organisation do cannot be under estimated. Especially when our health and education systems fail young people so frequently in the area of mental health.
Deputy Joe McHugh, Fine Gael
Question submitted to the Minister for Children; Equality; Disability; Integration and Youth:
To ask the Minister for Children; Equality; Disability; Integration and Youth to consider the National Youth Council of Ireland’s proposal of an additional investment of €9.4 million in youth services in Budget 2024; to provide more supports and activities for our young people in Donegal and across the country to meet the needs of our growing youth population; to assist these organisations in supporting the personal and social development, positive mental health and physical wellbeing of our young people; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Reply to Deputy McHugh
I have received the Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2024 from the NYCI and its contents have been noted.
Budget 2024 is currently being considered by Government in the context of the annual estimates process. As this is ongoing, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage.
My Department’s current funding allocation in youth is €72.948 million in 2023. Of this, €46.29m is allocated to the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme with €691,313 provided to UBU organisations in Donegal.
The UBU Your Place Your Space Scheme provides funding to youth organisations who support disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised young people, including young people who may face particular mental health challenges. The scheme focuses on achieving the following personal and social development outcomes for young people:
1. Communication skills
2. Confidence and agency
3. Planning and problem-solving
4. Relationships
5. Creativity and imagination
6. Resilience and determination
7. Emotional intelligence
There is strong evidence showing that approaches which focus on building social and emotional capabilities can have greater long-term impact than ones that focus on directly seeking to reduce the “symptoms” of poor outcomes for young people.
I am committed to supporting this important sector, which has enormous value to the many young people involved and from a broader social and economic viewpoint.
Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn, Sinn Fein
Thank you for your email. I have received the response below from John Brady TD, Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Equality, Youth, and Integration:
Thank you very much for your email, which was forwarded onto me by colleague deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn in my capacity as the Sinn Féin spokesperson for Youth.
The importance of youth work in Ireland cannot be overestimated. It provides a range of important and often critical services to our young people.
Sinn Féin is currently in the process of preparing its Alternative Budget for 2024. Which is an incredibly detailed and complex process.
We have met with the Youth Council of Ireland and other groups, to identify the core needs of the sector.
I will ensure that your contribution is also fed into our ongoing preparations.
Thank you again for getting in contact and if there is anything more that I can do for you please feel free to get back in touch.
Kind regards,
John Brady TD
Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Equality, Youth, and Integration
