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Minister Naughton launches YouthMap Ireland, a new national interactive map of youth services
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Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, has today launched YouthMap Ireland, a new interactive online map designed to help young people, families and communities easily find youth clubs, services, projects and organisations in their local area.
Launching YouthMap Ireland from Youth Work Ireland’s Tuam Youth Services in Galway, Minister Naughton said:
“Every young person should be able to easily find out what opportunities and supports are available to them in their local community. Youth work plays an incredibly important role in supporting young people to build confidence, develop new skills, make connections and have their voices heard, but we know that people cannot access services if they do not know they are there.
“That is why I am delighted to launch YouthMap Ireland, a new national resource that brings information on youth clubs, projects, services and organisations together in one accessible and easy to use platform.
“This map will make it easier for young people, parents, families and communities to discover the opportunities available locally, whether that is a youth club, a youth information service, an Irish-language youth group, Scouts or Guides, or a service providing more targeted supports.
“Improving the visibility of youth work is a priority for my Department. YouthMap Ireland, alongside initiatives such as Oíche na hÓige, which will take place on 13 November this year, provides an opportunity to showcase the incredible range of work taking place in communities across the country and to highlight the positive contribution of youth workers and volunteers.
“It is particularly fitting that we are launching YouthMap Ireland during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Ireland has an important role to play in shaping the future of youth policy in Europe, including through leading the 12th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue and hosting the EU Youth Conference.
“By making youth services more visible and accessible, YouthMap Ireland is another practical step towards ensuring that young people can find opportunities to connect, participate and thrive in their own communities.”
Developed by the Department of Education and Youth, YouthMap Ireland is the first comprehensive national map of youth work and related services in Ireland.
The platform was developed with input from young people through consultation and user testing, helping to ensure that it is accessible, user-friendly and responsive to their needs.
The publicly accessible platform allows users to search for youth clubs and youth services nationwide and provides information including service locations, contact details, websites, facilities and accessibility information.
The launch of YouthMap Ireland delivers a key commitment under Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028, and aims to improve awareness, visibility and accessibility of youth services for young people across the country.
The map includes a broad range of youth work and youth-focused services, including Youth Clubs, UBU Your Place Your Space services, Youth Information Centres, Scouts and Guides, Irish-language youth clubs, National Youth Organisations, Comhairle na nÓg, and Targeted Youth Employability Support Initiative (TYESI) projects.
Traveller and Roma youth services are also included through a dedicated search functionality.
For the first time, YouthMap Ireland brings information on youth clubs and youth services operating across Ireland together in a single, accessible online platform.
YouthMap Ireland is intended to be a living resource. Arrangements are in place to facilitate updates, corrections and additions, allowing the map to evolve as new services emerge and existing services develop.
The map is available at: www.youthmapireland.ie
Notes to Editors
Background
YouthMap Ireland delivers Action 9 of Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028, which commits to mapping the availability and distribution of youth work and wider youth services and facilities throughout Ireland.
In 2024, the department conducted a nationwide survey of both funded and non-funded youth organisations, youth services and youth clubs. The survey gathered information on service locations, facilities, service provision and contact details, creating the first comprehensive national dataset of youth work provision in Ireland.
Following the transfer of youth affairs functions to the Department of Education and Youth in 2025, work continued on the development of the mapping project, culminating in the launch of YouthMap Ireland.
Benefits of YouthMap Ireland
YouthMap Ireland will:
- Increase awareness and visibility of youth clubs and youth services nationwide.
- Help young people, parents and guardians identify local opportunities for participation and support.
- Improve accessibility of information relating to youth services.
- Support greater inclusion by highlighting services for Traveller and Roma young people, Irish-language youth services and other targeted supports.
- Strengthen awareness of youth services available in rural communities.
- Support young people's wellbeing, participation, personal development and community engagement.
The public-facing map has been designed for use across mobile phones, tablets and desktop devices, supporting a wide range of users and helping ensure that information about youth services is readily accessible.
Ongoing Development
YouthMap Ireland is intended to be maintained and updated on an ongoing basis. Information displayed has been provided directly by youth clubs, organisations and services, with primary responsibility for accuracy resting with those organisations.
The department will work with education and training boards, national youth organisations and other stakeholders to identify updates and newly established services. A dedicated feedback facility (YAUMapping@education.gov.ie) has also been established to allow organisations and members of the public to submit corrections or notify the department of additional youth services for inclusion.