Youth group wins Investing in Children award
YOUTH NEW ROSS has been chosen by Tusla for the Investing in Children’s Award – the first project in County Wexford to win the accolade.
Investing in Children (IiC) is a UK initiative which promotes the human rights of children and young people. Over the last 21 years, IiC has developed a range of different ways in which children and young people are supported to say what they want to say – and help to improve services used by them – by discussing their ideas with the adults who run the services.
The award recognizes and celebrates examples of imaginative and inclusive practice. This is done through a focus group with current and past young people engaging in the service.
Some of the feedback given by the young people include: ‘ They have listened and help me with problems and got me onto the right college programs I want to do.’, ‘ they developed individual courses and opportunities for us and this is because they listened to our ideas and make things happen like the lifting and safety course.’, ‘ when people turn eighteen, they still try and keep people out of trouble and get them into training.’ and ‘Youth New Ross gives young people a say in what we want to do and most of it’s just planned around our ideas.’
Claire Power of Youth New Ross said: ‘As a community based organisation receiving this award means so much to us, because everything we do is for the young people and led by young people. Knowing that it was the young people’s opinions that won us this award is validation that we listen to them and that we provide a professional, good quality service.’
Youth New Ross Treoin Project is co funded by the Irish government and the European Social Fund as part of the ESF Programme for employability, inclusion and learning 2014 – 2020 while Youth New Ross Family Project and SPY Project are funded by Tusla and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.