More money needed for Laois Offaly youth services under 'huge strain'

More than 100 voters in Laois and Offaly have called on TDs and Laois Offaly to back a campaign to get the Government to allocate more mone for youth services which they claime are struggling to survive.

They have written a letter to Government TDs Minister Sean Fleming, Charlie Flanagan and Barry Cowen as well as Brian Stanley of Sinn Féin and Carol Nolan, Indpendent.

In it they say that youth work organisations report that deprivation among young people they work with is on the rise.

"The need for youth services is growing dramatically as young people and their communities feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.  

"Youth workers are often a lifeline for young people, particularly for those who have the least. The wide range of activities provided by youth organisations support young people in their personal and social development, positive mental health, physical wellbeing, job skills and much more.   

"The rising cost of living is also placing a huge strain on youth work organisations themselves. A recent survey by the National Youth Council of Ireland revealed that nearly three in five organisations struggle to deliver vital youth work services because of inflation," says the letter.

Letter in full

Dear Deputies Cowen, Flanagan, Fleming, Nolan, and Stanley

We are constituents from Laois and Offaly, who are calling on you to support young people in Budget 2024 by investing €9.4 million in young people and youth work. 

It is a hard time for young people. COVID-19 impacted their mental health and social connections, and now, the cost-of-living crisis means many are struggling financially. 

Youth work organisations say that deprivation among young people they work with is on the rise, and the need for youth services is growing dramatically as young people and their communities feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.  

Youth workers are often a lifeline for young people, particularly for those who have the least. The wide range of activities provided by youth organisations support young people in their personal and social development, positive mental health, physical wellbeing, job skills and much more.   

The rising cost of living is also placing a huge strain on youth work organisations themselves. A recent survey by the National Youth Council of Ireland revealed that nearly three in five organisations struggle to deliver vital youth work services because of inflation. 

The Government must provide the necessary resources for these organisations to meet the growing needs of young people in Laois and Offaly, and to provide an Ireland where young people can live, grow, and flourish. 

That is why we are supporting the National Youth Council of Ireland in calling on the Government to invest an additional €9.4m in youth work services in Budget 2024, to provide more supports and activities for young people and meet the needs of our growing youth population. The NYCI and its members across the country believe this increase is needed to help ensure the sustainability of the sector, and deal with current challenges facing many services. 

We request that you act on this call and use whatever avenues available to you to ensure that we see a Budget 2024 that invests in our young people. 

Your constituents, 

Linda Uí Aimheirgin
Aoibheann Ní Fhaoláin
Caroline O'Donoghue
Tanya Fitzgerald
Michael Stapleton
Fiona O'Donnell
Hugh Mc Ginley
Maura Mansfield
Hugh O'Rourke
Rabiat Muhammed
Sophie McCarter
Emmanuelle Galisson
Valerie Driscoll
Teresa Coughlan
Siobhan Connolly
Patricia Chambers
Conall Broughan
Pauline Vanwijk
Laura Starnes
Adetayo Johnson
Marie Holland
Fiona Delaney
Margaret Delaney
Elizabeth Wilson
Cora Shelly
Joan O'Hara
Sheena O'Hara
Ismail Nosiru
Kesenthra Murphy
Maureen Murphy
Olga Murphy
Aoife Molloy
Aileen Mcleod
Anna Mc Wey
Alessia Kearns
Grace Hughes
Molly Hickey
Josie Guinan
Helen Conran
Siobhan Connor
Joe Begley
Michelle Tuohy
Elizabeth Quinn
Rona Pears
Lister Ncube
Ann Marie Maher
Mel Lloyd
Catherine Kenny
Claire Kelly
Josie Jones
Val Jones
Louise Dunne
Niall Dunne
Majella Doyle
Amalia Doody
Eilish Burke
Breda Breen
Jackie Allen
Kate Wood
Denis Ryan
Eileen Ryan
Joan Ryan
Caroline Page
Eileen Nash
Valerie Case
Emer Calt
Siobhan Bowe
Archie DW
Breda Flynn Murphy
Pauline O' Donovan
Dermot McLoughlin
Miya Matsushita
John Whittaker
Matthew Salisbury
Susan McDonnell
Carmel McCaffrey
Linda Mc Donagh
Finuala Heffernan
Caroline Brickland
Barbara Boumenjel
Nathalie Beaudelot
Moira Sheppard
Sinead Fennessy
Maud Cunniffe
Annette Coughlan
Ita Wrafter
Jo Rodgers
Tina Parsons
Jennifer O Neill
Steve Grasham
Mary Fìachra
Nesrin Elazaly
Clara Brennan
Michael Bracken
Margaret Willis
Teresa Norman
Mary Mythen
Gavin Murphy
Annette Molloy
Carmel Meacle
Anne Hoctor
Jo Gannon
Noreen Galvin
Joe Cooper
Kathleen O Connor
Ailbhe Cahill
Damian White
Marie White
Bernadette Spain
Caitriona Smith
Elisangela Silva
Melanie Rabie
Lillie Quinn
Helen Nunan
Mary Jane Mahon
Martina Lynam
Sean Hynes
Joseph Dwyer
Mary Dwyer
Mary Bryan
Rachel Ward
Bernie Daly