Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this important matter on the Adjournment. The Ballinrobe youth development project has made considerable progress in a short time and has been invaluable to the youth of Ballinrobe. This is a rapidly growing area with an increasingly diverse population, including a long-established and significant Traveller population and many newcomers. The schools strive to support second level students, many of whose families are marginalised. There is considerable concern among those families and in the community that their needs are not being adequately met.

The Ballinrobe youth development project was initiated at a local educational committee meeting in early 2005. The committee's remit is to identify issues in the community that impinge on children's learning in order to address those issues. Committee members represent a cross-section of the local community and include young people, parents, school and community representatives directly or indirectly involved in education. The committee identified the lack of activities and facilities accessible to young people in the area. Parents expressed considerable concern for and about their teenagers, particularly in respect of the lack of adequate facilities and activities. The wider youth population confirmed this in a survey it carried out in November 2005.

Once the objectives were identified, work to establish the much-needed Ballinrobe youth development project began. In January 2006, the project received welcome funding from the Department of Education and Science through the Mayo VEC, for which we thank the Minister. Young people in crisis in the Ballinrobe area had already come to the attention of the Health Service Executive. As there was no youth service in Ballinrobe, these young people had to access relevant support programmes in bigger towns. Ballinrobe youth development project aims to provide direct intervention for young people, aged between 12 and 18 years — second level students — who are at risk of experiencing personal, family, educational or social problems to enable them to grow and develop to their full potential and overcome adversity.

The project also aims to expand and develop a range of voluntary youth group activities for the broader youth population and particularly for young people not involved in youth activities. Ms Tara Gannon started work as the project's first youth worker in December 2006. She is a source of hope for the young people of the area. In her short time with the project, she has consulted widely with the youth, families, schools, wider community and related youth services, identifying key issues affecting young people to address through in-school and after school group activities and individual work. Disenfranchised and marginalised youth have found a voice at last and are already participating in educational programmes and activities which Ms Gannon has set up. She is actively empowering young people as evidenced in a recent open night which was organised and facilitated by young people from the area.

Funding for a contract of four months' full-time work with the project will cease this month. We are all extremely concerned about the implications of this for the young people of the area and for the future of Ms Gannon's work and the project. Her enthusiasm, energy and great dedication has meant that in her short time at the project she has set up considerable activities and programmes to run beyond the expiration of funding. Young people have big expectations arising from the work she has begun with them. The project urgently needs to secure further core funding. I urge the Minister of State to provide this so that young people can see these support programmes and Ms Gannon can build on the impact she has made on the young people of the area.

The management advisory committee has invested considerable time, effort and dedication in developing this much needed project, specifically for the purpose of empowering marginalised youth and young people of the Ballinrobe area. The committee members have invested their time and toil in this project. They have wonderful support from ForÓige, the employer of the youth worker, and ask that the Minister of State recognise the structures and strong links that have been established and support them to enable the project to continue its work on the behalf of youth of the area. Ongoing funding would allow the Ballinrobe youth development project to continue its work, which holds so much educationally, personally and socially for the young people of Ballinrobe. I hope the Minister of State can assist this valuable project and I thank the Ceann Comhairle most sincerely for allowing me to raise this issue.

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