Cassells wants arts class vouchers for all children

Senator Shane Cassells and his Fianna Fáil colleagues on the Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport, and Media, are calling for the state to develop a voucher scheme for 2022 that will allow every child and young person (between the ages of four and 18) to access an approved series of classes in art, music, dance, drama or a creative activity.

They are also asking that the budget increase in funding to the Arts Council last year by €50m be at least maintained for 2022.

The Fianna Fáil group on the committee includes the chairperson, Deputy Niamh Smyth, Deputy Christopher O’Sullivan, Senator Malcolm Byrne, and Senator Shane Cassells.

Senator Cassells said: “In my home town of Navan, I have seen the benefit of having the Solstice Centre, a top class theatre and arts centre that acts as a beacon to the world of artistic development – however, introducing children to that world does not always happen as naturally as it does in the world of sport or other areas, so this voucher scheme could give children the opening into a creative world that they might not enjoy otherwise.

“Giving children that gift of a voucher could turn out to be the gift of entering an entirely new world altogether.”

The group are proposing that vouchers would be provided through schools (and youth training facilities for those who have left school early) for use at approved arts and music education providers. It would be a matter for each child or young person to choose how they would use the voucher.

A scheme with a €200 voucher provided for and used by each of the c.560,000 primary school children and c.365,000 second level students would cost about €185 million. This resource will support the local creative sector in all communities and classes and businesses that have been under pressure over the last 18 months.