Press Releases

Latest figures show 45% signing on for a year or more
Over 9,000 for 3 years or more*

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is hosting an event today (12.06.13) to look at ways of tackling youth unemployment and in particular how to make the Youth Guarantee scheme a reality for young jobseekers.

“Of the 61,767 young people on the live register at the end of April, 45% were signing on for one year or more. Over 9,000 were signing on for at least 3 years. It is clear that it’s time for action and a Youth Guarantee, if funded and properly implemented, is one concrete measure which can provide hope for young jobseekers and a pathway to work,” stated James Doorley, NYCI deputy director.

The Youth Guarantee is a scheme that would ensure young people on the live register for four months or more have an opportunity of employment, education or training.

“We welcome the progress made on the Youth Guarantee during the Irish Presidency of the EU, but now it’s time to start the work on implementation here at home and ensure that this doesn’t drop off the agenda,” continued Mr Doorley.

The event entitled ‘Youth Guarantee: From Vision to Reality’ taking place today (12.06.13) in the Woodquay Venue, Dublin, has been organised by the NYCI in partnership with the European Youth Forum to bring together representatives of Government Departments, members of the Oireachtas, state agencies, youth workers, youth and community organizations, academics and think tanks to look at practical responses to youth unemployment and in particular the implementation of the Youth Guarantee scheme.

"Implementing tailor made employment schemes for young people, and investing in youth work and youth organisations in order to reach out to marginalised youth may not be cheap, but youth unemployment is much more costly. If we don’t take effective action now we will bankrupt Europe’s future. The youth guarantee is not therefore a quick fix solution, nor is it a re-packaging of existing measures already provided for young people" stated Peter Matjašič, President of the European Youth Forum.

The Youth Guarantee is also being discussed in the Seanad today (12.06.13) at 1pm.

ENDS

Contact: Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI: 087 781 4903, 01-478 4122 or communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

Event speakers & programme below.

National Youth Council of Ireland
The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.

NYCI Infographic Factsheet: Youth Guarantee
http://www.youth.ie/sites/youth.ie/files/NYCI_051_A4_accessible.pdf

The NYCI was among the first in Ireland to recommend examination of a youth guarantee scheme in February 2011
http://www.youth.ie/sites/youth.ie/files/Creating-a-future-for-Young-jobseekers-web-version_0.pdf

 (page 43).

*Source:

Parliamentary Question No: 371 & 372 Ref No: 25265-13, 25266-13:
http://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2013-05-28a.891&s=%229%2C334%22#g894.r

Youth Guarantee: From Vision to Reality
Roundtable on the Youth Guarantee organised by the National Youth Council of Ireland in partnership with the European Youth Forum

Programme:

9:30-10am       Registration

10.00-10:30     Introduction

• Welcome and introduction from James McCann, NYCI Board Member and Chair of NYCI Policy and Advocacy Committee
• Formal Opening of event by Deputy Damien English, Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Innovation and Enterprise
•  Mr Tim Hayes, Head of Communication/Information, European Commission Representation in Ireland
• Setting the Scene- Marie-Claire McAleer, Senior Policy and Research Officer, National Youth Council of Ireland

10:30-11:45     1^st Session: The European Dimension 

• Presentation by Mr Massimiliano Mascherini, Research Manager, Eurofound
• Presentation by Mr Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Vice President, European Youth Forum 
• Presentation by Mr Timo Mulari, Project Manager, Allianssi, Finnish National Youth Council 
• Question and Comments Session
• Facilitated discussion

11:45-12:00     Refreshment Break

12:00-1:15       2^nd Session: Learning from existing projects in youth sector    

• Presentation by Mr Ivan McMahon, Deputy National Secretary, YMCA-Ireland: the STEP Programme
• Presentation by Dunchadh Kinnane, Environmental Youth Officer: ECO-UNESCO Green Pathways programme
• Question and Comments Session
• Facilitated discussion

1:15-1:45         Lunch

1:45pm-3pm   3^rd Session: Supporting those most in need 

• Presentations by Mr Alan Hayes, JEDI-Training, feedback from consultation with young people not in education, employment or training.
• Presentation by Youth Worker
• Question and Comments Session
• Facilitated discussion

3pm-3:10pm   Overview of key themes emerging

3:10-:3:25pm Final points and comments

3:25-3:30pm   Wrap up and thanks

Youth Council tells Oireachtas members

The current scale of emigration from the Republic of Ireland means action is imperative, according to the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI). The organisation met with politicians at an Oireachtas briefing in Dublin today (29.05.13) to call for more to be done to support young Irish emigrants both before they leave and in preparation for when they return.

Presenting the recommendations from a recently published NYCI report on youth emigration ‘Time to Go?’ Marie-Claire McAleer, senior research and policy officer at NYCI stated:

“Over the past 2 years over a quarter of our population has been affected by the emigration of a close family member and one in two of our 18 to 24 years olds would consider emigrating themselves. We need political direction and a new policy response to emigration which meets the needs of young people currently facing the prospect of emigration.”*

Recommendations as a result of this report include:

• Give an existing Minister responsibility for emigration policy and for responding to and connecting with the Irish abroad.
• Government should develop and implement a strategy for emigrants.
• Fund an existing agency that operates in the Republic of Ireland to provide assistance to prospective emigrants intending to emigrate.
• Ensure centralised data collection on emigrants to inform the development of a policy response.
• Launch a campaign to promote foreign languages at second level and third level education.
• Department of Social Protection, and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to collaborate in the creation and maintenance of a portal site which would function to map and direct the user to existing websites providing information at a local level.
• Promotion of Internships, Work Placements or Employment Opportunities Abroad.

“Following the high level of interest in the report, we were delighted with the invitation to attend this Oireachtas briefing. It’s a valuable opportunity to share ideas and keep the issue on the agenda. We now look forward to further engagement with politicians and policy makers, in order to make the recommendations in the report a reality,” said James Doorley, deputy director at the NYCI.

The NYCI report on youth emigration ‘Time to Go?’ is available here: http://www.youth.ie/youth_emigration

ENDS

Contact: Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI: 087 781 4903, 01-478 4122 or communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

National Youth Council of Ireland

The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of 54 voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.

*Source of figures: NYCI Poll conducted by Red C, October 2012. 1003 interviews were conducted and 931 of those interviewed were Irish citizens providing a sample error of + or – 3%.

Full report ‘Time to Go?’ available here (PDF): http://www.youth.ie/youth_emigration

RECOMMENDATIONS ARISING FROM THE RESEARCH

Based on and informed by the research and consultations with young emigrants, NYCI proposes 7 recommendations it considers important to implement in order to adequately and appropriately meet the needs of young Irish emigrants.

The recommendations are categorised under the headings:

• Policy recommendations for Government.
• Practical support measures to respond to the needs of prospective emigrants and/or new emigrants,

These recommendations, if fully implemented, would help to support many young Irish emigrants who are considering emigrating or who have already emigrated to be as prepared as they can be for the challenges they may encounter as emigrants.

Policy Recommendations for Government

Recommendations

1. Appoint a Minister with responsibility for emigration policy and for responding to and connecting with the Irish abroad.

The research highlights the need for Government to ensure that greater connections are made and sustained with young Irish people who are leaving the country at the present time. There are a number of tangible ways of doing this which Government need to consider. Emigrants suggested one way of responding to the needs of the Irish abroad was by appointing a Ministry or Government Department to respond to and connect with the Irish abroad.

This Ministry would have responsibility for the development of a long-term strategy to attract emigrants back to Ireland when the economy recovers and for policy planning to respond to the needs of returning emigrants in the future. The department would have specific responsibility for ensuring long-term planning in the development of public policies, responding to the needs of Irish emigrants, and liaising with key public employment services to facilitate return migration to fill gaps in the Irish labour market as they arise in the future.

2. Develop and adopt a strategic approach to meet the needs of young Irish emigrants.

Government needs to develop and implement a strategy for emigrants. The strategy requires an action plan, and the necessary supports to take account of the diversity of needs and provide structural supports at home to provide information and assistance to young people who are emigrating. The strategy and action plan needs to include ways of incentivising Irish emigrants to return to Ireland when the economy recovers.

It is vital that Government invests in a strategy to attract emigrants back to Ireland in the medium to long term to fill gaps in the Irish labour market. Government must also plan for returning emigrants in terms of the future provision of social services and facilities.

3. Fund an existing agency that operates in the Republic of Ireland to provide assistance to prospective emigrants intending to emigrate.

As profiled in the report the existence of a centralised one stop shop to support emigrants (in the form of I/CAN) was found by emigrants in Canada to be of tremendous value. Many felt that such a resource would have benefited them greatly had it been available in Ireland prior to their departure.

NYCI calls on Government to fund an existing agency in Ireland to provide assistance to prospective emigrants. The agency would offer advice and support services for Irish people intending to emigrate. It would function to assist emigrants by providing them with information on everything from accommodation to health care, insurance, and visa advice. It is envisaged it would help potential emigrants to link into agencies and networks in the country they are emigrating to. The agency would also provide help and support to emigrants to prepare for and resolve any potential problems they may encounter in their host country in advance of their departure from Ireland.

4. Centralised Data Collection on Emigrants

To date there has been an absence of reliable data on who is emigrating and where they are emigrating to. Such data collection and profiling is integral to future policy planning and the maintenance of good links with our citizen’s aboard.

The UCC study ‘emigre’ promises to generate data on the profile of contemporary emigrants including their age, educational qualifications, profession, emigration destination, and intention to return to Ireland. As NYCI’s research reveals such data is essential to inform the development of policy to respond to the issue of emigration.

NYCI recommends Government uses the ‘emigre' data to inform the development of a policy response to emigration, and supports the continuous collection of data to profile and track emigrants from Ireland.

5. Launch a campaign to promote foreign languages at second level and third level education.

Launch a campaign to promote foreign languages at second level and third level education to enhance the skill set of Irish people and equip them with the linguistic skills to compete nationally and internationally. Such skills would make Irish employees more attractive to employers from non-English countries.

Practical support measures to respond to the needs of Prospective Emigrants and/or New Emigrants

6. Department of Social Protection, and Department of Foreign affairs & Trade to collaborate in the creation and maintenance of a portal site which would function to map and direct the user to existing websites providing information at a local level.

The research identified the need to provide more information via the World Wide Web to support and facilitate young people to access essential information on internships or work opportunities abroad.

Given there are already many websites and social media pages which provide very good information on employment opportunities, advice and tips on interview technique, and contact details for support organisations abroad, NYCI believes there is a need to assist young emigrants to access these sites via a website portal. The portal would ensure the user could easily navigate through the website portal to access the information on their intended destination.

In the event that there is inadequate information available for a country, the Department of Social Protection, and Department of Foreign affairs & Trade should address the information deficit by supporting the creation and maintenance of a website for that country.

7. Promotion of Internships, Work Placements or Employment Opportunities Abroad.

The research highlighted that many young emigrants were not aware of existing opportunities in relation to internships, work placements or employment opportunities abroad. Many felt that there was limited promotion of such initiatives in Ireland and suggested that prospective emigrants would benefit from such knowledge prior to their departure from Ireland.

The Department of Social Protection currently advertises opportunities of this nature available in Ireland. NYCI recommends that they extend such advertisements to include the promotion of internships, work placements and employment opportunities abroad through the use of national newspapers, universities or institutes of technology or through other forms of social media targeted at young people. An example of a good way of disseminating such information to young people is through the development of an application containing relevant information on opportunities abroad that could be downloaded for free.

Kind regards,

Daniel Meister

Communications Manager

National Youth Council of Ireland
3 Montague Street, Dublin 2
T: 01-478 4122

F: 01-478 3974

Direct line: 01-425 5955

M: 087 781 4903
www.youth.ie

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook

The National Youth Council of Ireland is the representative body for national voluntary youth work organisations in Ireland. It uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.
Registered Charity No. CHY 6823. Company No. 588214.

Focus on youth work and youth unemployment key

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) has welcomed the greater recognition of youth work and non formal education in the policy positions adopted at today’s (16.05.2013) EU Council of Youth Ministers meeting in Brussels, as part of the Irish Presidency of the EU. NYCI has also welcomed the commitment made by Youth Ministries to address youth unemployment.

“Youth unemployment is possibly the greatest challenge for the current generation of young people.  Youth work and youth organisations in Ireland are uniquely positioned to support those most affected by the economic crisis – those young people not in education, training, or employment – and therefore NYCI welcomes, in particular, the move towards greater recognition of and support for these young people, and the commitment to tackle youth unemployment,” said Mary Cunningham, NYCI director.

“These policy documents support what has been in practice in Ireland for many years, and youth work will continue to play a pivotal role in helping young people to develop the skills, confidence and competencies required to support their futures and help them out of this current youth unemployment crisis,” continued Ms Cunningham.

“NYCI, together with its member youth organisations, looks forward to working in partnership with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Minister Frances Fitzgerald in further exploring the new EU policy positions and how these can be developed to ensure that youth work in Ireland continues to enhance the lives of young people and works to tackle the youth unemployment crisis,” concluded Ms Cunningham.

ENDS

Contact: Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI: 087 781 4903, 01-478 4122 or communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

National Youth Council of Ireland

The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.

EU Council Conclusions
The Council of Youth Ministers has formally adopted two sets of EU Council Conclusions on:

• Maximising the potential of youth policy in addressing the goals of the Europe2020 Strategy
• Contribution of quality youth work to the development, well-being and social inclusion of young people

See documents here:

http://www.youth.ie/nyci/Contribution-Quality-Youth-Work

http://www.youth.ie/nyci/Maximizing-Potential-Youth-Policy

Youth work
Youth work was given formal statutory recognition in the Youth Work Act 2001, which defines youth work as:

A planned programme of education designed for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young people through their voluntary involvement, and which is complementary to their formal, academic or vocational education and training and provided primarily by voluntary youth work organisations.

The National Youth Council of Ireland’s (NYCI) report ‘Time to Go?’ launched today (09.05.13) in the National Library of Ireland, Dublin 2, is the first qualitative study exploring the experience and impact of emigration on Ireland’s youth over the past two years. The results provide an insight into the opportunities and difficulties faced by young emigrants in Canada, the UK and beyond.

The main findings from the research include:

Reasons for emigrating

• Many young Irish emigrants are moving abroad to experience new horizons and access greater opportunities.
• Limited employment options and lack of opportunities at home were cited as a determining factor prompting their decision to leave.

Use of ICT

• Skype, free web apps and other ICTs were regarded by research participants as essential for keeping in touch with home in a cost effective way, and many stated that they spoke more frequently to their parents now than when they lived in Ireland.

Adjustment problems and challenges

• Emigrants still encounter significant adjustment problems and often struggle with periods of intense homesickness, stress over financial concerns, accommodation, and job searching.
• But many young people stated that their emigration was much harder for their parents, than it was for them.

Plans for the Future

• The vast majority of participants interviewed expressed the intention and desire to return home after a period of time provided they could get a job.

“In the past 2 years over a quarter of our population has been affected by the emigration of a close family member, and half of our 18 – 24 years olds have said they would consider emigrating themselves, so it is vital that this issue is given the consideration it deserves, and that a dedicated Government policy response is developed to support our young emigrants and tackle the challenges they face,”* said Marie-Claire McAleer, Senior Research and Policy Officer at NYCI.

Recommendations as a result of this report include:

• Appoint a Minister with responsibility for emigration policy and for responding to and connecting with the Irish abroad.
• Government should develop and implement a strategy for emigrants.
• Fund an existing agency that operates in the Republic of Ireland to provide assistance to prospective emigrants intending to emigrate.
• Centralised Data Collection on Emigrants to inform the development of a policy response.
• Launch a campaign to promote foreign languages at second level and third level education.
• Department of Social Protection, and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to collaborate in the creation and maintenance of a portal site which would function to map and direct the user to existing websites providing information at a local level.
• Promotion of Internships, Work Placements or Employment Opportunities Abroad.

Officially launching the report, Ms Marian Harkin, MEP said:
 “This is a particularly valuable piece of research in that it doesn't simply document the phenomenon of emigration, it also examines appropriate policy responses that need to be put in place both before and after people emigrate. However "Time to Go?" focuses on people as much as policy and indeed the policy responses have their genesis in the collective responses of our emigrants”.

Download the full report (PDF)

ENDS

Contact: Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI: 087 781 4903, 01-478 4122 or communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

National Youth Council of Ireland

The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of 54 voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.

*Source of figures: NYCI Poll conducted by Red C, October 2012. 1003 interviews were conducted and 931 of those interviewed were Irish citizens providing a sample error of + or – 3%.

Vote@16 campaign successful in convincing Convention

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) today (27.03.13) welcomed the Constitutional Convention's formal submission of its report to the library of the Houses of the Oireachtas. The report confirms the Convention’s recommendation that the voting age for all Irish citizens in elections should be lowered to 16 years of age, and the Government must now respond with a debate in the Oireachtas within four months.

“We are delighted with the recommendation that the voting age be lowered, as the Youth Council has led the campaign on this issue since 2009.

“Young members of the NYCI Vote at 16 Campaign group campaign presented their arguments for a lower voting to the Convention in January. It was heartening to see that their arguments were taken on board, and that the work of the campaign has paid off,” said James Doorley, NYCI deputy director.

“This is part of a global and European momentum towards extending the right to vote to young people at 16 and 17 years old, so it is to be welcomed that Ireland is showing leadership on this rather than following in the wake of our neighbours,” added Mr Doorley.

“It is high time that young people had a voice in the decisions that affect them,” concluded Mr Doorley.

For information on the Vote@16 campaign see youth.ie

ENDS

Contact: Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI: 087 781 4903, 01-478 4122 or communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:
National Youth Council of Ireland
The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of Irish voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people. www.youth.ie

The EU affairs committee will meet today (21.03.13) to discuss the European Youth Guarantee.

The Oireachtas Committee will be addressed by James Doorley of the National Youth Council; James Higgins of the European Youth Forum and Dermot Stokes, formerly of Youthreach.

A meeting of EU social affairs and employment ministers chaired by Minister for Social Affairs, Joan Burton in Dublin last month reached agreement on a Youth Guarantee scheme, which, if adopted by a European Council of EU Heads of Government, will require each member state to ensure under-25s are offered employment, education or training within four months of becoming unemployed.

“The NYCI has been a long time advocate of a youth guarantee – which would ensure young people on the live register for four months or more will automatically be directed into employment, education or training,” said James Doorley, NYCI deputy director.

Presentation:

Responses to questions from the Committee:

“The youth guarantee scheme is not a panacea, but it is an important first step - it could work in Ireland, if a number of conditions are satisfied,” continued Mr Doorley.
 

ENDS

For further information, please contact Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

**

Download Presentation to Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs (MS Powerpoint)

** NYCI Infographic Factsheet : Youth Guarantee

http://www.youth.ie/sites/youth.ie/files/NYCI_051_A4_accessible.pdf

National Youth Council of Ireland

NYCI is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.
www.youth.ie

“Young people have named employment as fundamental to being included in society and highlighted the transition from education to employment as a particularly vulnerable time,” stated Fergus O’Dowd TD, Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. The Minister was speaking at the closing plenary of the EU Youth Conference, which brought together some 150 young people and 100 policy-makers from all 27 EU Member States.

The Minister noted that seven thematic areas, drawn from the results of national consultations in the 27 Member States, were explored at the Conference. Young people and Ministry officials from the 27 Member States have jointly defined a set of 21 conclusions. These will inform a Council Resolution on Social Inclusion at the end of the 18-month consultation cycle with young people. They will also inform Council Conclusions on the contribution of quality youth work to the development, well-being and social inclusion of young people to be proposed by Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, under the Irish EU Presidency to the Council of Youth Ministers in May 2013.

Minister O’Dowd added: “I am impressed by the power of the EU Commission’s Structured Dialogue process, which provides opportunities for young people and youth organisations to input their views to the formulation of the policies that affect them. I can see the potential for ‘structured dialogue’ in many policy fields. I will follow with interest the development of this powerful mechanism to include the views of young people in the design and implementation of the policies that affect their lives”.

Images from the conference:

Ms Chiara Gariazzo, Director for Youth and Sport, European Commission said: “In addition to unemployment there is a need to address the wider social consequences of the current crisis on young people: the theme, “Social Inclusion”, of the EU Youth Conference is therefore particularly relevant. This is an issue where youth work can make a difference and the Commission welcomes the proposal of the Irish Presidency to focus the exchanges among Directors-General for Youth on this theme.”

Peter Matjašiè , President of the European Youth Forum stated: ‘’We are pleased to see that the joint discussions of young people and policy-makers at the EU Youth Conference reflect the social inclusion needs of young people today; especially regarding the transition from education to employment with quality career guidance counseling and paid internships. The conclusions emphasise the role youth organisations play in the social inclusion of young people and should be recognised for their contribution. It is very important that there is agreement that young people should always have a decisive role in shaping youth work''.

In addressing the issue of social inclusion, Mary Cunningham, Director, National Youth Council of Ireland noted: “Social change is possible when we start working together and, as the inspirational young people from Hi-Rez Youth Centre reminded the conference yesterday that tackling social exclusion is everybody’s business. Youth organisations have a key role to play in helping young people change the way they feel about social exclusion and in showing how all young people can be included and be comfortable being themselves - whoever they are”.

“During the three days of this conference more than 700 babies will have been born in Ireland - too many of these will be counted among the socially excluded now and in the future. To effect real change we must address the structural issues that sustain this reality and ensure that ‘social inclusion’ becomes the central piece in the social policy jigsaw puzzle both here in Ireland and across the EU,” she concluded.
 

ENDS

For further information contact Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

The joint conclusions are available on the DCYA website

National Youth Council of Ireland

NYCI is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.
www.youth.ie
 

EU Youth Conference

The EU Youth Conference is an element of the Structured Dialogue process which brings together young people and policy makers across the European Union to jointly discuss and inform the development of youth policy at national and European level. The Structured Dialogue process was established by the Council of the European Union in its Resolution for a Renewed Framework for cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018). The Structured Dialogue process is an important instrument to ensure that the opinions and views of young people are taken into account in the formation of policies in the youth field.

For the 18 month cycle (1 January 2013 – 30 June 2014), the Trio Presidency, Ireland, Lithuania and Greece, in cooperation with the European Commission and the European Youth Forum have agreed that the theme of the Structured Dialogue process throughout the cycle is Social Inclusion. This was subsequently endorsed by the Council in a Resolution adopted in November 2012.  Each of the three consultation phases will reflect this thematic priority, with the results from each phase informing the next phase, leading towards a collective outcome at the end of the cycle.  Presidency specific priorities will contribute to the overall thematic priority of social inclusion.

The Irish EU Youth Conference is the first conference within the Trio Presidencies of Ireland, Lithuania and Greece, highlighting the theme of the social inclusion of young people. Seven thematic areas drawn from the results of national consultations provided by 27 Member States and 10 International Non-Governmental Organisations were explored at the Conference via joint workshop sessions. Young people and Ministry officials from the 27 Member States have jointly defined the following conclusions. These will inform a Council Resolution on Social Inclusion at the end of the 18 month cycle. They will also inform Council Conclusions on the contribution of quality youth work to the development, well-being and social inclusion of young people to be proposed by the Irish Presidency to the Council of Youth Ministers in May 2013.

Youth Council launches ten-part video series exploring what young people and youth workers have to say about equality and inclusion.
 

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) launched a 10-part video series today (07.03.13) on equality and inclusion in youth work. It looks at issues such as working with Travellers; how young people can support others around mental health; the experiences of LGBT young people, minority ethnic young people, young parents and more.

 
“Anyone working on or interested in these issues will find the video shorts offer a fresh perspective and a creative way of engaging young people with issues of inclusion and equality,” said Anne Walsh, NYCI Intercultural and Equality Project Officer.

Each short clip in the issue-based video series, supported by the Equality Authority, can be used as a standalone resource to raise discussions within youth groups, or in conjunction with the free online resource Access All Areas: A Diversity Toolkit in order to embed diversity within youth groups.

The first video, released today, looks at ‘equality’ – and asks young people what it means to them. It can be viewed  on www.youth.ie/act_on_inclusion where a new video will be posted each month over the next 10 months.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

National Youth Council of Ireland

NYCI is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.
www.youth.ie

• but warns it’s not a panacea
• number of young people in Ireland at work down almost 10%

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) has welcomed the agreement on the proposed Youth Guarantee scheme reached at the EU's Council of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers today (28.02.13).

“The NYCI has been a long time advocate of a youth guarantee – which would ensure young people on the live register for four months or more will automatically be directed into employment, education or training,” said James Doorley, NYCI deputy director.

“The youth guarantee scheme is not a panacea, but it is an important first step - it could work in Ireland, if a number of conditions are satisfied,” continued Mr Doorley.

“Firstly, it needs to be properly resourced to ensure we have sufficient high quality education, training and job experience places.

“Secondly, the Government will have to provide incentives to employers to take on young people who have participated in the scheme.

“Thirdly, we need additional measures to support young people who are long-term unemployed - who make up almost half of the young people on the live register - to avoid the weaknesses identified in the scheme in other countries where it already exists, including Finland and Sweden,” added Mr Doorley.

Number of young people in Ireland at work down almost 10%

“CSO figures released yesterday indicate that employment increased by 0.1% in 2012. However, while there were increases in employment in older age groups, these were offset by the significant decreases recorded in the 20-24 (-12,800 or -9.3%) and 25-34 (-8,900 or -1.7%) age groups,”* said Mr Doorley.

“So it is clear that we need to address youth unemployment with practical solutions, sooner rather than later. A positive first step would be the successful implementation of the youth guarantee,” concluded Mr Doorley.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

* CSO: Quarterly National Household Survey (Quarter 4 2012), released 27.2.13:

http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/labourmarket/2012/qnhs_q42012.pdf

** NYCI Infographic Factsheet : Youth Guarantee

http://www.youth.ie/sites/youth.ie/files/NYCI_051_A4_accessible.pdf

National Youth Council of Ireland

NYCI is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.
www.youth.ie

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) has welcomed the announcement by Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence that 25 additional staff will be redeployed to the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU).

Olive Ring, NYCI National Child Protection Manager said:

“We voiced our concerns to the Minister when delays in vetting reached up to 12 weeks at some stages last year, so it is good to see action being taken on this now.

“We welcome the additional staff allocation for the Garda Central Vetting Unit, and hope that this will be sufficient to both meet increased demand, and reduce waiting times for youth organisations looking to vet volunteers and employees.”

“We look forward to receiving clarification on the starting date of the newly deployed staff. It will be important that waiting times for vetting are kept under review, to ensure that the National Vetting Bureau continues to have adequate capacity to meet increased demand,” concluded Ms Ring.

The NYCI Vetting Consortium - which helps youth organisations around Ireland with vetting applications to the GCVU - processed over 2,800 applications in 2012 and expects to see a further increase on this in 2013 following the introduction of the National Vetting Bureau Act.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

National Youth Council of Ireland

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.

NYCI Child Protection Programme
The NYCI Child Protection Programme works with youth work organisations and others in assessing and addressing the child protection needs of the youth work sector.
The Child Protection Programme (formerly known as the Child Protection Unit) was established in late 2004 as part of the implementation of the National Youth Work Development Plan.