Galway East TD and Minister for Rural Affairs Seán Canney has welcomed allocations totalling nearly €465,000 under the Youth Climate Justice Fund.
The grants will benefit 14 projects proposed by 23 national youth groups either as solo or consortium applications.
Minister Canney said: “To bring about Climate Change, we need creative thinking and ideas from all sections of our society, particularly our younger people.
“I welcome the initiative shown in these applications, many of which have taken into account the context of the COVID-19 crisis.
“A wide range of youth organisations will benefit from the funding, including Macra na Feirme, Foróige and Youth Work Ireland.”
The fund, which is in its inaugural year, will close with an Outcomes Conference organised by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
The conference will be led by the young people involved in the activities supported by the fund and will inform its future development.
For more information, contact Minister Canney on 086-2513639
June 20 2020
Notes for Editor:
Grants to youth organisations
Grants are being awarded to three ‘consortium’ applications including bids led by ECO-UNESCO (with SpunOut.ie, Young Irish Film Makers, No Name Club, Irish Girl Guides and the Girls’ Brigade as partner organisations);
Church of Ireland Youth Department (with the Girls Friendly Society as a partner organisation); and
National Youth Council of Ireland (including Macra na Feirme, Involve and Young Men’s Christian Association as partner organisations.)
Other grants are being been made to Catholic Guides of Ireland, Crosscare, Feachtas Óg-Ghluaisteacht Gaeilge, Foróige, Gaisce, Junior Chamber International (Ireland), Localise Youth Volunteering, Ógras, Scouting Ireland, Youth Theatre Ireland and Youth Work Ireland.
The Youth Climate Justice Fund
The Youth Climate Justice Fund was announced in February 2020 with a closing date of 15th May. In 2020 the Fund total is €497,000 and it has been open to applications from all national youth organisations funded under the Youth Service Grant Scheme and from Gaisce.
The Youth Justice Climate Fund was established following the United Nations focus on youth engagement as part of the global response to climate change. Applications to the Fund were asked to propose projects which would achieve one, or more, of the following key goals or actions:
Raise climate justice awareness among young people
Educate youth groups and clubs on climate justice, including supporting development education organisations to work with young people
Empower young people to influence, effect and sustain local, regional or national climate justice change, creating dialogue with people outside of the youth sector
Deliver practical climate justice initiatives by young people in their communities, including supports to facilitate the participation of young people with fewer opportunities
Develop youth related activities to embed climate justice communications, network building and deliberative capacity that connects with, and leverages, local youth and community activities
Strengthen youth practitioner capacity to integrate climate justice education into their youth work practice
Participate in and influence local public and private policy formation aimed at environmentally sustainable development and management of climate action.
