Drum Roll Please! Finally the moment we all have been waiting for...the winner of the Foróige National Christmas Raffle is Sean Cooper from Rathmines in Dublin 6.

And the winner is - Jumping Jellybeans! The Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award at the Ireland Involved Awards has been won by Conor Malone and Conor Kavanagh in Milltwn Foróige Youth Club.

This resource is an initiative of The One Foundation and its portfolio of youth and youth mental health organisations. It has been compiled by Headstrong with input from staff and volunteers from Fóroige, BeLonGTo and ReachOut.com.

What a rollercoaster it’s been! After months of regional finals, filming, rehearsals, shirt ironing and hair straightening, Ireland’s Top Teens have finally been an announced!

With the excitement building around the Ireland’s Top Teens show coming up on the 30th October and 6th October at 6pm on TV3, we have had several enquiries from people who are interested in setting up Foróige groups and citizenship programmes in their local area.

Check out the first publication of Speak Out, attached below!!!

Minister Frances Fitzgerald, who was guest of honour the 41st Annual Foróige Leaders Conference on 9th April in Kilkenny, was greeted with loud applause as she announced the addition of youth affairs to her ministerial title. The announcement that the Minister will henceforth be known as the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs marks the strong commitment of Government to Ireland’s young people, who will finally have their voice heard at the cabinet table.

The Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, is calling for young people to get involved in the consultation process for the National Children’s Strategy 2012 – 2017 from 4th to 8th of April. The purpose is to find out the issues of real importance to children and young people all over the country in order to inform the strategy. It will give them the opportunity to have their voices heard in relation to matters that directly affect their lives.

Friday 11th March 2011: Youth Groups from the county are now invited to enter the 2011 ‘permanent tsb Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards’, which recognise young people who are doing their bit for society and working to make their communities a better place. The awards are all about positivity and energy, and are an opportunity for local youth groups to showcase the valuable work they do in the community. As well as being involved in Regional Awards and a National Citizenship Awards Event in the Helix in Dublin, a number of groups will have the chance to be profiled in a two-part TV series called ‘Ireland’s Top Teens’ which will be aired on TV3 later in the autumn.

Foróige Launches Youth Manifesto Foróige, Irelands leading youth organisation, launches its youth manifesto ahead of the general election today calling on all parties to commit to a programme to maximise the potential of Ireland’s young people as a key strategy to support Ireland’s economic and social recovery.

A new survey examining attitudes to young people reveals that young people are generally perceived positively by society, but are treated unfairly or harshly by the media. Almost seven out of 10 people (66%) polled say that they view young people in a positive light. However, when it comes to the representation of young people by the media, a similar two in three (68%) strongly agree the media feeds on negative stories, as negative news gets more attention. Half say that media reporting is often unbalanced and selective and fails to report good news stories about the youth of today.

It has arrived! Foróige is a progressive youth organisation that has proven time and again its ability to lead the way for young people in Ireland and for youth work internationally.

Autumn 2010 will see the nationwide celebration of young people and their active citizenship achievements with the first ever Foróige TV show.