Youth organisations have an opportunity to apply for Government funding to support climate action projects.
Galway East TD and Minister for Rural Affairs Seán Canney is urging local organisations to seek funding from the €500,000 Youth Climate Justice Fund that has been launched by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
Minister Canney said: “2020 is the inaugural year of the fund which has been set up to support youth-led action and innovation on Climate Justice at community, regional and national level.
“It is important that we harness the creativity of our young people to tackle climate change and we are determined to do so in spite of the challenges presented by COVID-19.”
Applications to the fund should propose projects which will achieve one or more of the following key goals and/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.
The deadline for applications to the fund is Friday May 15 2020. The fund is open to applications from all national youth service grant scheme organisations and from Gaisce – the President’s Award.
All eligible organisations have been provided with application forms.

For more information, contact Minister Canney on 086-2513639
April 27 2020