Indecon report: €1 invested in youth work saves €2.22 in the long run

Ireland: 4th highest number of NEETS in EU
– Assessment of the Economic Value of Youth Work  launched –

Investing in youth work makes economic sense. That’s according to the Assessment of the Economic Value of Youth Work report published today (15.11.12) by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI). The study by Indecon International Consultants is the first of its kind, and was commissioned by NYCI to provide a comprehensive and rigorous economic assessment of youth work.

“We know that youth work makes a real difference in the lives of young people and the communities they live in, but this report now provides hard evidence that youth work is also value for money and makes economic sense,” said Senator Jillian van Turnhout, who formally launched the report.

The results of the cost-benefit assessment of the economic value of youth work presented in the report indicate that public funding provided by the State for youth work services represents value for money.

Download the Full Report (PDF)

Key findings include:

• For every €1 the State invests in youth work-it saves €2.22 in the long run 
• Ireland has 4th highest number of young people not “in education, employment or training” (NEETS) in 2011, 18.4% here compared to average of 12.9%
• 26% of young people in Ireland participate in youth club or organisation – the highest in the European Union

“Youth work services are already working to support young people impacted by the current economic recession, and with sufficient resources could make a much greater contribution to addressing youth unemployment, social exclusion and poverty. As Indecon outline in the report the youth work sector is substantial in both scale and reach, with almost 383,000 young people benefiting from a wide range of programmes and services, with a majority of participants coming from areas which are deemed ‘economically and socially disadvantaged’” said Mary Cunningham, NYCI Director.

“While we understand the pressures on public spending, we also believe that decisions must be informed by independent and rigorous evidence which suggests that investment in youth work has the capacity to meet the needs of young people impacted by the recession. Further cuts to the youth work budget are not only socially unfair but also economically unsound,” concluded Ms Cunningham.

ENDS

For further information, or advance copies of report, contact Daniel Meister, NYCI Communications Manager: 087 781 4903, 01-478 4122 or e-mail communications@nyci.ie

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