Ms Lorraine Gilligan:

These are huge social issues. From our perspective in Léargas, they are a bit beyond our brief in some ways. However, in response, I can reinforce what was just said in relation to youth work, as well as in relation to the relationship building that happens between youth workers and young people, especially in communities that experience challenges from criminality, drug use or other antisocial behavioural issues.

We have quite a significant uptake from youth workers and youth organisations who are working in support of those communities. They take part in Erasmus activities and they engage many of their young people in their exchange activities, their international activities and the activities that they do at a very local level. We see the progression of the on-the-ground work, as well as the investment that goes into that relationship building with teachers, youth workers and tutors. It comes into our programme at a certain point. However, it does take a long time. It requires that investment and funding is in place to cover the additional costs and the additional work and additional hours that need to be invested for that progression to happen and for those organisations to deliver on the work that they are doing.

From our perspective, we can speak to and show evidence of our actions in inclusion and diversity. We have a dedicated staff member who works with organisations and who engages with organisations well before they ever get involved in Erasmus activities or in European solidarity core activities. This is to help them to figure out what that progression route might be for them and for their young people. That is an investment that we make with our own resources and it works really well. I can happily report that in the previous Erasmus programme, we were able to record an average - across all of the different areas of the programme that we can record - of 45% of the participants in the programme were young people or those with fewer opportunities.