Irish Language group meets DUP Education Minister Paul Givan

Fóram na nÓg, the Regional Voluntary Youth Organisation representing the Irish Medium Youth Work sector, met with the Minister for Education, Paul Givan, on Monday, 14th October 2024 at Stormont. Established in 2009, Fóram na nÓg has been at the forefront of supporting and promoting youth services through the medium of Irish across the North.

As the Regional Voluntary Youth Organisation dedicated to this sector, it represents 36 member groups and is uniquely positioned to provide strategic leadership, targeted training, operational guidance, and practical support to local Irish medium groups. The organisation’s primary aim is to improve the educational and social experiences of young Irish speakers by delivering innovative and high-quality youth services to Irish medium school communities across the north.

Following the meeting, Fóram na nÓg Director Orliath Mhic Leanáinn commented:

“Today’s informative meeting with the Minister for Education, Paul Givan, was a critical step in advancing the future of the Irish Medium Youth Work sector. Over the past three years, we have developed an increasingly positive and constructive engagement with the Education Authority which has resulted in significant progress and a considerable increase in resources for our sector. We brought some of our young people to the meeting who outlined the transformational and essential role that Irish medium youth services play in their lives. We highlighted the need for a long-term and sustainable funding framework that matches the increasing demand for Irish medium youth services which is in line with the burgeoning growth of Irish medium education across the north.

‘We stressed the need to retain and mainstream the current regional funding opportunities being provided to us by the Education Authority which are making such a difference in the lives of young Irish speakers who were previously denied informal youth socialisation opportunities in their language of choice. As the fastest growing youth sector in the north, we also underscored the urgent need for flexible and creative funding arrangements at a local level which allows our fledging youth clubs, all of whom are based in substandard accommodation, to build capacity and reach their potential as Irish medium youth clubs."

The point was also emphasised by Fóram na nÓg’s south Derry based Youth Apprentice, Ruairí Ó Mianáin who stated:

‘Fóram na nÓg’s new EA funded apprenticeship scheme, has made a huge difference on the ground in communities like my own in Carn Tochair, South Derry. Not only have I been given brilliant training opportunities to build my skills as a youth worker, but I’ve also been supported to work one night a week in our youth club to build relationships with the next generation of young Gaels in my community. The problem is that it only covers four hours a week and we have 150 young people who attend the youth club 3 nights a week and we get no local funding from the Education Authority. The growth of the Irish language in mid-ulster has been phenomenal in recent years since our post primary, Gaelcholáiste Dhoire was recognised in 2014. We need proper long-term resources to help us flourish in the time ahead,’