Politicians to attend forum on inner city youth services

A public forum to discuss “The future of Youth Services in the North Inner City” will be held in the,  SWAN Youth Service St Agatha’s hall, Dunne St, D1 on Wednesday 26^th of June from 6.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m.  The meeting has been organised by six different projects from the north inner city including the Adventure Sports Project, Ballybough Youth Service, Bradog Regional Youth Service, Lourdes Youth and Community Services, SWAN Youth Service and the Wexford Centre Project.

The meeting will be an opportunity for Youth Service organisations from the North Inner City to showcase what they do and to highlight the detrimental impact of proposed further government cuts to budgets. SIPTU activist Ashling Golden, a youth service worker from the SWAN Centre explained: “Some projects have already lost over 30% of their budgets, are running with no programme budget and have lost workers too, yet demand for youth services has never been higher. This meeting will give the communities most affected by austerity an opportunity to discuss with local TDs and councillors what future there will be for the youth services in their area.”

The meeting will be chaired by UCD researcher and author of the book ‘Sins of the Father’, Conor McCabe, and will also hear contributions from Anastasia Crickley, the Head of the Department of Applied Social Studies in Maynooth and from local young people, parents and youth Workers.TDs who have already confirmed their attendance are Mary Lou McDonald, Paschal Donohoe and Maureen O’Sullivan, while a number of other councillors and representatives from various community and political groups are also expected to be present on the night.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Darragh O’Connor, urged people from the local communities affected to attend on the night.

“The future of youth services is at stake here. Funding cuts are having a major impact on service delivery, and the sector is being de-professionalised by the imposition of part time hours, and fixed term contracts. The right to representation by our members is at the core of many of these issues because to date the voices and concerns of community workers have been ignored by this government,” he said.