Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I do not normally take ten minutes. Less is more, as they say.

I welcome to the debate today with regard to the national Youth Justice Strategy 2021–2027. It is a good document but as with any document, its implementation is the most important thing.

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, on the community approach regarding the misuse of scrambler motorbikes in particular areas. There is particular problematic issue around scramblers where I live. A holistic approach that turns an antisocial activity into a prosocial activity is a very good strategy. Hopefully, it works out. I know a number of young people who have put in an application regarding funding. They are very enthusiastic and when that happens, they bring other young people in with them.

This all depends on resources. The strategy of dealing with legacy issues such as marginalisation, inequality and disadvantage was not in the document. That is a different remit. Those kinds of cutbacks were very evident in the economic crisis of 2008-10 and afterwards. I believe more than 50% of cuts were made to youth services over that time, and still, to this day, youth services are trying to recover from those cuts. They have clawed back a good percentage of them but there are still huge legacy issues. If we do not have the resources then it is going to be very difficult to engage with young people.

Lucan has one of the biggest youth populations in Ireland, if not Europe. This is a huge demographic. There are many young people and a lot of new houses have been built in the last ten to 15 years. The resources for agencies are just not there, however. They have a small amount resources but they cannot do what they are professedly trained to do, which is to engage with a lot more young people. If we do not engage with young people then the outcomes are not good.

It is the same in Newcastle which, again, has a lot of new builds and many young people who want things to do. We were all young once. Young people sometimes gather in places where they should not be gathering but, generally, they want to do things. They do not want to do bad things; they want to do good things. If we have things for them to do, however, then the outcomes are very good. This is seen not only in Ireland but in Scandinavia where, rather than taking a criminal justice or policing approach, the best approach is through youth work, diversion and so forth.

That is the way to tackle certain issues around young people.

I read with curiosity about the Greentown initiative, which I had never heard about. It is a good critique of how young people are drawn into serious criminality. I can tell the Minister it is a losing battle, especially in the areas I know. It is depressing to see people as young as 12 or 13 years being drawn into criminality, generally around the distribution of drugs. It works like clockwork. These kids are groomed by adults. Money is provided and these young people are used for the distribution of drugs. As I said, that battle will be very difficult to win. Can it be addressed? It can. I probably will not have time to address all of the issues but the issue of 12-year-old children selling crack cocaine to adults is one I and most people find abhorrent. It is unbelievable. I would have known these young people from different activities. We want to do something about it but that is up to the authorities and the relevant people.

These are issues this strategy is trying to address. It is not perfect, by any means, but it will have better outcomes for young people. Engaging with young people leads to better outcomes for them, their parents and siblings. The Garda youth diversion project is a very good one. It diverts young people from engaging in activities they should not engage in and is worthwhile. Midnight leagues football is a brilliant project. Community gardaí tell us it diverts young people from activity they should not be engaged in. Engaging in other activity leads to a better outcome.

This is about resources. The majority of the aspirational aspects of this strategy can be resourced but, again, is all about outcomes. We need to engage with young people in the right way and avoid speaking down to or demonising them, as happens in society, especially in the media. We have to try not to demonise young people. If people are told they are stupid or smelly, that will get into their heads and they will think that way. If we tell young people they are good and do good things, the outcomes will be good for them and society as a whole.

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