Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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512. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures currently in place to promote youth awareness of politics and current affairs. [5731/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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There are a range of measures that promote students' awareness of politics and current affairs in our primary and post primary schools.

At primary level, the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme provides pupils with an awareness of individual and community rights, as well as an understanding of the concepts of personal, local, national, European and global identity. These themes are further developed in SPHE at post primary level.

My Department also supports the Blue Star programme for primary school students. This programme, which is funded through the Department of the Taoiseach, seeks to foster pupils' better understanding and knowledge of the European Union and how it affects the lives of Irish citizens.

Education about active citizenship is an integral component of the new Framework for Junior Cycle. For example, one of the 24 'Statements of Learning', that encompass the key knowledge and skills that students will be expected to develop during their junior cycle, requires that all students will "value what it means to be an active citizen with rights and responsibilities in local and wider context". In addition, the 8 key skills which underpin the new Framework for Junior Cycle, include "working with others" whereby students should realise and experience how they can "contribute to making the world a better place".

A new short course in Civics, Social and Political Education (CSPE), which has been developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), is available, since last September, to schools to implement, should they wish to do so, as part of their junior cycle programme. The short course aims to inform, inspire, empower and enable young people to participate as active citizens in contemporary society at local, national and global levels based on an understanding of human rights and social responsibilities. Or, for this academic year, schools may choose to offer the existing CSPE syllabus.

In my proposal for Junior Cycle last November, I have included "wellbeing" as a core element of the reformed Junior Cycle. This will include CSPE, SPHE and PE.

Post primary schools who offer Transition year (TY) have the flexibility to design their own TY programme, consisting of 'Transition Units', in accordance with an overall framework set out by the DES. Among the 'Transition Units' that have been developed to date are peace studies, politics, European studies, and gender studies.

One of the programmes that is implemented as part of TY is the Young Social Innovators Programme. This programme helps to develop social awareness and activism amongst young people in the 15-18 year age group. Participating students working in teams, attempt to address a social issue that they have identified as important at either local, national or international level. The projects are showcased in an annual event each year, with an award scheme.

The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) includes a 'Social Education' Module which provides opportunities for the students to examine and explore issues and topics related to contemporary social, economic, political and cultural issues.

My Department is also currently planning to introduce 'Politics and Society' as a new optional Leaving Certificate subject. It is intended that this new subject will be trialled in a number of schools in the 2016/2017 school year.