Minister Browne pays tribute to Youth Action project in Mayo
THE Minister of State with responsibility for Youth Justice, James Browne, witnessed for himself the success story that is Youth Action Ballina.
Based in Millview Crescent Community Centre, YAB is one of three Youth Diversion Programmes (YDPs) managed by North Connaught Community Youth Service (NCYCS) and one of 30 YDPs under the wider Youth Work Ireland umbrella.
YAB covers the entire Ballina area as well as encompassing Foxford, Knockmore, Swinford and Belmullet.
Minister Browne, accompanied by Ballina-based Deputy Dara Calleary, met with staff and local gardaí as well as children on the project, and their parents, as he made an on-site visit to see how the project is going.
According to the team leader at YAB, Pat Forde, the project has been a major success locally.
“It has been operating locally since about 1999,” he explained. “The object is to divert young people away from criminal behaviour and if you talk to local gardaí, they say the numbers coming before the children's court now is drastically reduced. It has been and continues to be a success.”
YAB, as with all Youth Diversion Projects, engages with vulnerable young people through a range of supports, including education, training and employment support, social enterprise initiatives, as well as personal development and supports such as mentoring and personal development activities.
It's a community-based, multi-agency crime prevention initiative which aims to help young people move away from behaving in a way that might get them or their friends into trouble with the law.
The project can also help young people develop their sense of community and social skills through different activities.
YAB offers a wide range of opportunities for education, employment, training, sports, art, outdoor pursuits and other activities.
Earlier this year, Minister Browne announced just under €6.7m in funding allocations for over 50 YDPs nationwide.
He said: “Having visited many Youth Diversion Projects across the country during my time as Minister of State, I have seen first-hand the positive impact they have on both the young people who they welcome through their doors and the wider communities in which they are based.
“I am delighted to see such a significant allocation be dispersed to projects right across the country.
"This money will help some projects extend their work into neighbouring communities, it will help some projects to devote specific resources to harder-to-engage children and it will help some projects to appoint new or additional family support workers.”
Minister Browne added that one of the objectives of the Youth Justice Strategy is to have full YDP coverage in all parts of the country.
“This funding goes a long way to making that possible as it will allow for current YDPs to expand their boundaries, and a further €780,000 is also being set aside for the establishment of new YDPs.
“It is my and the department’s stated ambition to ensure that the provision of YDP services is available to every child in the state who would benefit from it within the next two years.”