117 Longford Westmeath constituents sign open letter calling for investment in young people and youth work in Budget 2024
OPEN LETTER
Dear Deputies Burke, Clarke, Flaherty, and Troy,
We are constituents from Westmeath and Longford who are calling on you to support young people in Budget 2024 by investing €9.4 million in young people and youth work.
It is a hard time for young people. Covid-19 impacted their mental health and social connections, and now, the cost of living crisis means many are struggling financially.
Youth work organisations say that deprivation among young people they work with is on the rise, and the need for youth services is growing dramatically as young people and their communities feel the effects of the cost of living crisis.
Youth workers are often a lifeline for young people, particularly for those who have the least.
The range of activities youth organisations provide support young people in their personal and social development, positive mental health, physical wellbeing, job skills and much more.
The rising cost of living is also placing a huge strain on youth work organisations themselves. A recent survey by the National Youth Council of Ireland revealed that nearly three in five organisations struggle to deliver vital youth work services because of inflation.
The government must provide the necessary resources for these organisations to meet the growing needs of young people in Westmeath and Longford, and to provide an Ireland where young people can live, grow, and flourish.
That is why we are supporting the National Youth Council of Ireland in calling on the government to invest an additional €9.4m in youth work services in Budget 2024, to provide more supports and activities for young people and meet the needs of our growing youth population.
The NYCI and its members across the country believe this increase is needed to help ensure the sustainability of the sector, and deal with current challenges facing many services.
We request that you act on this call and use whatever avenues available to you to ensure that we see a Budget 2024 that invests in our young people.
Your constituents,
Margaret Thompson
Sheila Patridge
Princess Olatunji
Janet McWeeney
Sinéad McWeeney
Marie McCauley
Amn Mccarthy
Geraldine Stewart
Joanna Pearman
Raimey O’Boyle
Vick Muhongo
Sarajane McNaboe
Helen Maguire
Bryan Lenehan
Trish Kennedy
Shena Kearney
Linda Greaney
Deborah Swaris
Seán Mulroy
Mary L K Monger
Roberta Horgan
Eric Ehigie
Paul Devine
Anne Browne
Margaret Baxter
Ann Smyth
Tina Reddy
Martina Quinn
Keith Nolan
Mark Noble
Lily Moore
Caroline Monks
Nicola Fagan
Helen Dolan
Helen Carty
Sharron Bushy
Micheal Wall
Verona Gray
Pamela Coy
Niamh Cox
Jane Flanagan Kenny
Gill Dawson Stanley
Angelica Magana-Arias
Vera Farrell Rock
Paddy O’Callaghan
Kerrie Ní Chasaide
Rita Craney Barr
Kara Richardson
Ed Bermingham
Jimmy Swarbrigg
Jurgita Stuckaite
Joan Mulvihill
Louise McCormack
Grainne Gillespie
Mairead O’Connor
Mary Mulligan
Miriam Macmsnus
Maria Flanagan
Younis Fakhfakh
Catriona Corcoran
Rose Wallace
Louise Tiernan
Sheila Rebollo
Emma O’Brien
Imelda O’Brien
Dorothy Obikoya
Aisling O Neill
Georgina McMahon
Catherine McEntee
Eileen McArdle
Dolores Ledwith
Grainne Kiernan
Mandy Kerroum
Kathleen Devaney
Lucia Chawana
Louise Buckley
Mary Barrett
Maureen Ahearne
Amamda Wilton
Ciara O’Hara
Londiwe Ndlovu
Tony Murray
Carmel Murphy
Martina Murphy
Mary Murphy
Fiona Molloy
Ursula Meehan
Carmel Mckeon
Mary Lennon
Adrian Larkin
Veronica Larkin
Irene Hislop
Marion Hannon
Rosie Greene
Carmel Gargan
Maryann Feehan
Miriam Ethell
Annette Cleary
Deirdre Clarke
Jennie Butler
Deirdre Bigley
Trevor Bannon
Petrena Aughey
Jackie Walsh
Evelin Varga
Huda Safaa
Elaine Reidy
Miriam Price
Anna Nolan
Michelle Nagle
Mariana Mirea
Pam Hogan
Britta Flynn
Deirdre Fagan
Patricia Dunne
Niamh Clery Hogg
Trish Daly