Foreword

The challenges facing our young people can often be immense. Therefore, I believe it is vitally important that our youth services be responsive to the changing needs of Ireland's young people and their communities. Foróige is very much to the fore in delivering innovative new
service models.

As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs I am delighted to contribute to Foróige’s 2011 Annual Review.

I wish to congratulate Foróige on another successful year of delivery for Ireland’s youth. During 2011 I had the opportunity to meet with many Foróige staff and volunteers and indeed with many young people involved with Foróige projects right around the country.

I have been greatly impressed with the fantastic and innovative range of youth work activities being provided by Foróige clubs, local youth services, development projects and youth cafés. It is clear that this multi-faceted approach has served Foróige very well in meeting the developmental and educational needs of young people in a holistic way and providing targeted interventions where and when required.

The challenges facing our young people can often be immense. Therefore, I believe it is vitally important that our youth services be responsive to the changing needs of Ireland’s young people and their communities. Foróige is very much to the fore in delivering innovative new service models and I wish to commend the entire organisation, led by your National Executive, National Council and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Seán Campbell.

As you will be aware, the Government formally established my new Department for Children and Youth Affairs in June 2011. My Department’s mandate is to put in place a unified framework of policy, legislation and service provision across the whole-of-government in order to improve outcomes for children and young people.

One of my Department’s immediate priority objectives is to prepare a high-level, overarching policy framework for Children & Young People, reflecting a coordinated,

seamless approach to the whole- of-childhood and youth. This will be followed by the preparation of three more detailed strategies for early years; middle childhood and youth.

I look forward to shortly launching a dynamic consultation campaign and I hope that Foróige clubs along with individual youth leaders and young people will make submissions and lend your voices and your ideas to the future direction of Irish youth policy.

The coming year will also see the ongoing progression of reforms to the youth work funding stream to ensure that youth organisations such as Foróige have the flexibility to refocus and prioritise, in particular in the context of the financial constraints facing us all.

2011 saw the opening of many new youth cafés, including by Foróige. I place a particular importance on the provision of youth cafés and the evidence I have seen from around the country proves the benefit of providing such facilities for young people, in particular given the increased focus by Government on providing healthy, alcohol-free venues. I have secured additional capital funding for both 2012 and 2013 to support the continued development of new youth café facilities.

Finally, I believe that by working together we can continue to support our young people to achieve their aspirations, to become active and responsible citizens and to create a society we can all be proud of.

I wish Foróige every success in your continuing good work and I look forward to working with your organisation and the broader youth sector in 2012 and beyond.

Frances Fitzgerald, T.D.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs