Dear Deputies Feighan, Harkin, Kenny, and McSharry,
We are constituents from Sligo and Leitrim, 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 Sligo and Leitrim, 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,
| Andrea Whittington-Norris |
| Marie Corcoran Tindill |
| Phyllis McGuire-McEllin |
| Christine Clarke Mallee |
| Avryl Annastazia de Carteret |
| Sue Cruickshank |
| Mary O’Sullivan |
| Evelyn Mulkerrins |
| Martin McTiernan |
| Geraldine Mc Weeney |
| Ciara Gallagher |
| Teresa Stanford |
| Gerard Mc Garry |
| Carmel Loughlin |
| Linda Halsteaf |
| Trina Ferguson |
| Vicky Crawford |
| Mary Costello |
| Lucy Kiernan |
| Sheila Kennedy |
| Jean Gormley |
| Betty Duignan |
| Marzena Clinton |
| Joe Carroll |
| Jo Nestor |
| Treasa Nealon |
| Mary McNutt |
| Catherine McGagh |
| Una Knight |
| Faye Hayden |
| Michael Hayden |
| Mike Harris |
| Mary Glancy |
| Nova Fariss |
| Francis Doonan |
| Julie Dillon |
| Des Cullen |
| Mary Conlon |
| Amanda Azbill |
| Carol-Ann Ronan |
| Majella Peelo |
| Erika Marks |
| Sarah Marie |
| Mary Leddy |
| Pius Flynn |
| Rose Doyle |
| Mary Davis |
| Cora Byrne |
| Sarah Wood |
| Margaret Ward |
| Hazel Shaw |
| Deja Good |
| Babs Frow |
| Padraigini (Patricia) Chonghaile (Connolly) |
| Edel Feehily Melly |
| Mary Connell Lyons |
| Barra O Flanniagh |
| Clare Kelly-Lahon |
| Geraldine Fitzpatrick |
| Sandra Crean Healy |
| Niamh Barry Duffy |
| Mary Pat Mcloughlin |
| Trisha Cunningham |
| Catherine Whitehead |
| Tim O’Riordan |
| Geraldine Mullarkey |
| Olive Delahunty |
| Sandy Perceval |
| Sarah Mulligan |
| Tracy Monaghan |
| Colm Kilbride |
| Annemarie Kavanagh |
| Siobhan Hennessy |
| Fiona Hargadon |
| Padraig Hallinan |
| Terri Dunleavy |
| Mary Clare Conneely |
| Dorthe Sø Sonniks |
| Laura Scanlon |
| Caroline O’Brien |
| Kellie Mckenna |
| Anita McGarry |
| Naomi Mcbride |
| Jackie Leonard |
| Jane Higgins |
| Olga Higgins |
| Val Gibbons |
| Margaret Coleman |
| Marie Brennan |
| Rev Dr John P Brennan |
| Pamela Andison |
| Siobhan Surlis |
| Jason Rooney |
| Nancy Rooney |
| Nicky Newell |
| Lulu Neilan |
| Munk Nanjid |
| Denyse Murphy |
| Aiden Kielty |
| Carmel Gordon |
| Tommy Gordon |
| Mary Durcan |
| Martina Currid |
| Elaine Conroy |
| Féile Butler |
| Martina Walsh |
| Marina Swann |
| Jane Stagg |
| Olivia Seery |
| Brenda Quinn |
| Cecily Quinn |
| Susan Mahon |
| Shirley Lynch |
| Patricia Kelly |
| Sinead Jones |
| Beverley Henry |
| John Healy |
| Pat Forde |
| Rosaleen Foley |
| Enda Eames |
| Valerie Davey |
| Olivia Byrne |
| Ann Marie Burns |
| Emily Burns |
| Ailish Blake |
| Kate Ryan |
| Triona Hill |
| Gráinne Carr |
| Mohamed Nuh |