Steps Youth Cafe Limerick awarded €5,000 under national Arts and Youth scheme.
Limerick Youth Service’s Northside Youth Café ‘Steps’ was one of only 13 projects around the country to be awarded funds as part of the Artist and Youth Work Residency Scheme it has been officially announced today.
This scheme is managed by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) and funded by the Arts Council and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA). It supports youth organisations to run an arts project with young people in their local communities.
Steps Youth Café Limerick want to create an environment where drawing, painting and art are part of the experience of all the young people involved. They want to give every young person involved the chance to record their hopes and dreams, their daydreams and ideas, what they think they see and observe in words and images with artist Enda Griffin.
Anne O’Gorman of the NYCI said: “We are delighted with the calibre of this year’s successful projects. They demonstrate the quality and variety of ways in which young people are working creatively with each other and in their local communities.
The artist and youth work residency scheme is designed to promote innovative partnerships between youth groups, artists and arts organisations. Residencies might take the form of an artist in residence in a youth work setting or a youth group in residence in an arts setting.
Orlaith McBride, Director of the Arts Council said: “NYCI’s arts programme is well placed to ensure groups who apply to the scheme receive the support they need to begin to develop effective partnerships that foster dynamic arts practice in a youth work context.”
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone, TD, welcomed the announcement saying that the initiative “Demonstrates the principle of partnership, which is a key priority for my Department.”
According to the NYCI, the demand for funds from this scheme ran at almost three times the available fund, demonstrating a strong need for more funding for young people’s participation in the arts. The National Youth Arts Programme runs a range of other activities to promote and develop youth arts in Ireland see www.youtharts.ie for more.
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