National Youth Council of Ireland petition Government to properly fund youth work

"They need and deserve real, meaningful support."

More than 3,000 people have signed a National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) petition calling on the Government to properly fund youth work in Budget 2022 and support the rebuilding of youth services in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of young people from Blanchardstown Foróige group presented the petition at Leinster House in the run-up to budget day, on Tuesday, 13th October. The document outlines the need for an extra €10 million in Government funding for the youth sector and includes a number of impact stories from young people whose lives were changed by youth work. Commenting on the call for extra funding, Mary Cunningham, CEO of NYCI, said:

"Young people have borne a disproportionate brunt of the fallout from the pandemic. In the last year, we have seen a chronic rise in youth unemployment, with almost one in five young people affected. We have also seen a serious impact on young people’s mental health as a result of the pandemic. They have experienced difficulty in getting support from friends and networks, and a huge number of young people have missed out on key life landmarks and experiences, while the interruption to education has caused massive difficulties for many young people."

Findings from a recent NYCI report ‘Youth Work and Covid-19: 2021 Review of the Youth Work Sector Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic’ found a significant decrease in the number of young people engaging with youth work services, with 80,000 less young people engaged, since the outbreak of the pandemic, with sixty-nine per cent of youth work sector organisations reporting a decrease in engagement numbers. The report also showed an overall 62 per cent reduction in the number of youth groups – a loss of more than 1,000 groups and clubs. Additionally, 61 per cent of the services surveyed saw a decrease in volunteer involvement, with figures falling from 11,102 in 2019/20 to 3,951 in 2020/21, equating to a drop of 64 per cent.