Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 October 2021
399. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide information on the local creative youth partnerships of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50593/21]
View answerThe Creative Youth Plan was published by the government in December 2017 as one of the five pillars of the Creative Ireland Programme. The Plan sets out a number of measures designed to enable the creative potential of every young person, both within the formal education system and in informal or community settings. While the Creative Youth Plan is wider than the arts, it embraces the arts as a mechanism through which children and young people can experience creativity.
Implementation of the Plan is led by my Department in partnership with the Department of Education, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Arts Council. Significant progress on the delivery of its objectives has been achieved to date. Further details on the current range of initiatives and projects which are being supported under the Creative Youth Plan are available from the Creative Ireland Programme website (https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/creative-youth/).
One of the key community-based initiatives implemented under the Creative Youth Plan is the pilot Local Creative Youth Partnerships, which are co-funded by my Department and the Department of Education. Based within the youth service of participating Education and Training Boards, the first three pilots were established in Limerick Clare ETB, Laois Offaly ETB and Kerry ETB in 2019.
The key aim of these partnerships is to develop and strengthen local networks and relationships; to support collaboration with and between local youth services and settings and creative practitioners thereby bringing about better use of resources.
In addition to this primary focus, the funding provided by government also enables the partnerships to support the delivery of new local creative projects and initiatives – particularly targeted projects to include and engage those children and young people that are often seldom heard and least served.
The work of these pilot partnerships are guided by the key policy aims of Creative Youth, which is to expand young people’s access to creative initiatives and activities, focus on the inclusion of every child, and support positive and sustainable outcomes for children and young people through creative engagement.
Earlier this year, Minister Foley and I agreed to expand the initiative to include an additional three partnerships. These new partnerships – based in Cork ETB, Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB and Galway Roscommon ETB – are now being established and will add to the opportunities available locally for young people to engage with and reap the benefits of creative activities.
