Minister Zappone announces grants under the Youth Climate Justice Fund

Minister Zappone today announced grants to youth organisations under the Youth Climate Justice Fund. In total, Minister Zappone is making grants of almost €465,000 to 23 different youth organisations after accepting the recommendations of a specially convened Selection Committee that carefully considered all applications to the Fund.

The Youth Climate Justice Fund supports youth-led action and innovation at community, regional and national level. A total of 14 applications were received, including three ‘consortium’ applications, representing 23 different youth organisations.

This is the inaugural year of the fund which will close with an Outcomes Conference organised by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. This conference will be led by the young people involved in the activities supported by this fund and will inform the future development of the fund.

Minister Zappone commended the quality of the applications that were submitted, which is particularly notable given the COVID-19 restrictions that were in place during the application window. She also noted how the activities included in the applications take account of the likely restrictions that will continue to be in place in the second half of the year - reflecting yet again the youth sector’s ability to quickly adapt to recent challenges in order to best serve the children and young people that they work with.

Minister Zappone added:

ENDS

Grants to youth organisations

Grants are being awarded to three ‘consortium’ applications including bids led by ECO-UNESCO (with SpunOut.ie, Young Irish Film Makers, No Name Club, Irish Girl Guides and the Girls’ Brigade as partner organisations);

Church of Ireland Youth Department (with the Girls Friendly Society as a partner organisation); and

National Youth Council of Ireland (including Macra na Feirme, Involve and Young Men's Christian Association as partner organisations.)

Other grants are being been made to Catholic Guides of Ireland, Crosscare, Feachtas Óg-Ghluaisteacht Gaeilge, Foróige, Gaisce, Junior Chamber International (Ireland), Localise Youth Volunteering, Ógras, Scouting Ireland, Youth Theatre Ireland and Youth Work Ireland.

The Youth Climate Justice Fund

The Youth Climate Justice Fund was announced in February 2020 with a closing date of 15th May. In 2020 the Fund total is €497,000 and it has been open to applications from all national youth organisations funded under the Youth Service Grant Scheme and from Gaisce.

The Youth Justice Climate Fund was established following the United Nations focus on youth engagement as part of the global response to climate change.

Applications to the Fund were asked to propose projects which would achieve one, or more, of the following key goals or actions:

• raise climate justice awareness among young people
• educate youth groups and clubs on climate justice, including supporting development education organisations to work with young people
• empower young people to influence, effect and sustain local, regional or national climate justice change, creating dialogue with people outside of the youth sector
• deliver practical climate justice initiatives by young people in their communities, including supports to facilitate the participation of young people with fewer opportunities
• develop youth related activities to embed climate justice communications, network building and deliberative capacity that connects with, and leverages, local youth and community activities
• strengthen youth practitioner capacity to integrate climate justice education into their youth work practice
• participate in and influence local public and private policy formation aimed at environmentally sustainable development and management of climate action

Click here to view the video make to support this Fund.

Please note that the video was filmed prior to social distancing advice being issued by public health authorities.