Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 January 2013
189. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way Ireland's EU Presidency programme can contribute to creating solutions to tackle the issue of youth unemployment; if she will expand on the concept of the role of youth work in supporting youth employment and the importance of quality standards in youth work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3492/13]
View answerIreland’s EU Presidency Programme focuses on stability, jobs and growth and this includes a priority objective on tackling youth employment. A range of relevant responses to the employment challenge are being pursued at European level through Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) and the Education Committee.
Youth employment is a theme which I will be contributing to during my Presidency of the EU Council of Youth Ministers through focusing on the potential of youth work and young people's engagement in youth activities and the way that learning complements more formalised systems of employment, education and training.
There is growing recognition across Europe of the potential of youth work services to enhance employability of young people, in particular for those not engaged in education, employment or training. In particular, recent European policy developments suggest that youth work has the potential to do more and has a special relevance for those young people who are marginalised from traditional systems of education, employment and training.
Youth Work (in its many manifestations – recreational, sporting, learning, volunteering) engages young people over a relatively long developmental period from ages 10 to 24 and beyond. It works for young people at their own pace. I see quality youth work as a commitment to continually ensuring and enhancing the optimum youth work provision and practice for youth people so that young people derive maximum benefit from their participation in youth work.
Ireland’s Youth Presidency Programme is seeking to maximise the potential of youth policy in addressing the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy and aims to highlight how youth policy, as expressed through quality youth work and youth activities, can do more to enhance a range of life skills including employability.
This priority theme will be advanced through the EU Youth Working Party’s work programme. I will invite the EU Youth Council in May 2013 to adopt Council Conclusions on the contribution of youth policy to addressing the goals Europe 2020, in particular, youth employment. These Conclusions will also be informed by the outcomes of the EU Youth Conference and Directors’ General of Youth meeting which I am hosting in Dublin from 11-13th March.
I also plan to host an expert round table event on quality youth work and its contribution to Europe 2020 and youth employment (20–21 June 2013, Dublin).
My Department is also working closely with the Departments of Education, Social Protection, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to identify, in what ways, the youth sector can contribute to shared policy objectives to address youth employment.
