Press release
Minister Zappone announces €61 million in youth funding for 2020
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone TD, has today confirmed that €61.791 million in funding has been made available to support the provision of youth services nationwide in 2020.
Over €38.7 million has been made available in targeted funding which will form the basis of the new UBU - Your Place, Your Space targeted youth funding scheme which was launched in December.
UBU - Your Place, Your Space aims to provide services that support young people to develop the personal and social skills required to improve their life chances. This includes services covering health, education, employment and social connectedness. The scheme will target young people who are marginalised, disadvantaged, or vulnerable. UBU - Your Place, Your Space opens this year, streamlining and strengthening previous targeted youth funding arrangements.
Minister Zappone stated:
“I am delighted to be in a position to announce this funding allocation for youth projects and services. I am committed to supporting and reforming our youth services. As in previous years, I am confident this funding will assist in delivering quality services to the benefit of all young people involved. I and my department have enormous respect for the value of youth work and are fully aware of the transformative effect it can have. Youth work engages with young people as they experience what is probably the most dramatic phase of change and growth in the cycle of human development.
“I know that investment in youth work makes economic sense, and promotes equity, inclusion and social cohesion. It benefits young people and benefits society as a whole. That is why increasing the overall budget for youth services remains a key priority for me and my department.”
National Youth Organisations will benefit from over €11.5 million in universal funding for 2020. The work carried out by the national youth organisations, through volunteer led groups and clubs, is transformative for young people. These organisations provide exceptional engagement for children and young people who are members nationwide. The funding ensures the continued promotion, growth and development of these organisations for young people.
Funding of over €4.1 million has been made available to the sixteen Education and Training Boards (ETBs) around the country through youth work function allocations and technical assistance funding to support their work and engagement with young people. The technical assistance funding provided to ETBs in 2020 will enable them to continue to provide administrative and other supports to youth officers and enable them to focus their full attention on the assessment of the needs of young people within their ETB area.
Funding of over €2.1 million has been made available for the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme this year. This scheme supports youth work activities at a local level by providing small grants to youth clubs and groups.
The remaining funding supports a number of smaller initiatives throughout the youth sector.
ENDS
Targeted Youth Funding – is youth funding that targets disadvantaged young people with evidence informed interventions and services that will secure good outcomes. Beginning this year, targeted youth funding will be provided through the new national targeted youth funding scheme, UBU- Your Place, Your Space.
Youth Service Grant Scheme – funding is made available on an annual basis to 30 national and major regional voluntary organisations. The continued funding of voluntary youth organisations through the Scheme is intended to ensure the emergence, promotion, growth and development of youth organisations with distinctive philosophies and programmes aimed at the social education of young people.
Youth Work Function – funding provided to Education and Training Boards to assist with the cost of their statutory youth work function. ETBs support the provision, co-ordination and administration of youth work services.
Technical Assistance – Funding provided to ETBs to enhance the work of youth officers by assisting ETBs to provide administrative and other supports required by youth officers in each ETB area.
Local Youth Club Grant Scheme - supports youth work activities at a local level. These grants are made available to all youth clubs and groups through local Education and Training Boards.
UBU - Your Place, Your Space – this new national targeted youth funding scheme was formally launched on 16 December 2019.
Young people aged 10 – 24 years who are described in the National Youth Strategy as marginalised, disadvantaged, or vulnerable will be the primary target group for services available through UBU - Your Place Your Space (https://ubu.gov.ie/). This includes young people who live in communities with high concentrations of families/individuals who are dependent on social welfare or have low incomes; experience intergenerational unemployment; have high levels of addiction; and come from one parent families. It also includes young people who come from situations of family breakdown and low educational attainment, including young people who live in communities with a deprivation score of below minus ten.
Summary of Targeted Youth Funding Scheme (January – June 2020) and indicative funding envelopes for UBU - Your Place Your Space (July – December 2020)
This year is a transition year from the previous funding streams, amalgamated under the heading of Targeted Youth Funding Scheme (TYFS), to the new UBU - Your Place Your Space scheme which was launched in December 2019.
The application process for UBU - Your Place Your Space is expected to be completed by end Q2 2020. The overall envelope for the year is presented here to reflect this transition.