Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 May 2019
30. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which adequate supports remain available to children and teenagers who for one reason or another find themselves isolated from their peers; the extent to which this continues to be available to offer support in such circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22252/19]
View answerBoth I, and my Department, are committed to ensuring that every young person in Ireland has access to the transformational power that participating in youth services can bring, and to that end we have invested €63.6M in current and capital funding in clubs, services and young people 2019. €35.18 million of which is for the Targeted Youth Funding Scheme.
The overall mission of the Targeted Youth Funding Scheme is to provide out of school supports to young people in their local communities to enable them to overcome adverse circumstances and achieve their full potential by strengthening their personal and social competencies. Young people aged 10 to 24 years of age who are described in the National Youth Strategy as marginalised, disadvantaged or vulnerable will be the primary target group for services available through the new scheme.
A further €11m is allocated to 30 national and major regional voluntary organisations through the Youth Service Grant Scheme. Among the recipients of the Youth Service Grant Scheme is SpunOut.ie which provides a youth information website created by young people, for young people. SpunOut.ie provides a space for young people to have their voices heard and to share their life experiences with other young people. I understand that their reach is more than 140,000 active readers each month.
In addition to this, 21 Youth Information Centres have been allocated €1.4m in 2019 to continue to provide young people with access to information on rights, opportunities, health, welfare and other matters.
