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I am delighted to have been asked to be a part of this new venture with Foróige's first interactive online Annual Review. Foróige's track record has always been innovative and progressive and relevant to young people's lives and I am certain that this will prove to be a very valuable and popular initiative.

I wish to congratulate Foróige once again on another eventful and successful year. 2012 has been a signifi cant year as you celebrated 60 years of expertise in youth work and it gave me great pleasure to have been a part of this and to avail of the opportunities it gave me to meet with all involved from Foróige and with the young people of this country. I want to commend all of those involved in the organisation for their commitment of time and energy, for their passionate belief in the awe inspiring potential of every young person and for carrying on a tradition that has served Irish society so faithfully for so long.

There is an even greater need for innovative measures to respond to the needs of children and young people today. The work of my Department is always to endeavour to connect children's and young people's services locally, while ensuring the quality and consistency of services at a national level. As such, my Department is developing and supporting cross-departmental and interagency activities to further improve their wellbeing and quality of life. I am confi dent that the National Quality Standards Framework (NQSF) will be effective in providing support and enabling development while establishing standards in the practice and provision of youth work.

Ireland's holding of the EU Presidency has given us a window of opportunity to further advance the work of youth policy at national and European level by providing us with an international stage to bring together young people and policy-makers across the EU. It is imperative that we make full use of this excellent opportunity to build further on existing strengths as well as improving youth work provision to make our work more effective and relevant to the lives of our young people.

Finally, I am pleased that my Department, despite these challenging times, has been able to continue to provide fi nancial support to assist the growth and development of Foróige. My belief is that it is important that we continue to build on the valuable work already being carried out by youth work organisations such as Foróige and as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I assure you of my continued support for your work.

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