Youth services in Athlone received a boost this week with the news that the offices of the Midlands Regional Youth Service (MRYS ) on Church Street is to get a grant of just under €5,000.
It is expected the Athlone grant of €4,651 will go towards essential refurbishment of the premises to attract young people and provide them with a comfortable and safe setting in which to meet and engage with services.
Elsewhere in the region, Roscommon Foroige received a capital grant of €180,000 to develop its first ready-made youth centre for at risk young people in the town.
These monies have come as part of a package of nationwide grants worth a total of €2.3m under the Regional Youth Initiative.
This was announced by John Curran TD, Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy on Wednesday last (September 24 ).
This initiative, which was given the green light earlier this year, will provide capital funding for the development of dedicated youth facilities in Regional Drugs Task Force (RDTF ) areas not covered under the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund (YPFSF ). Applications were invited from the 10 RDTFs for suitable community-based and youth-focussed proposals which will link into the overall drug prevention strategy for the particular area.
It is hoped the 16 projects announced this week will play a meaningful and ongoing role in diverting young people away from the dangers of drug use.
"I am delighted to announce these allocations today,” said Minister Curran.
“We must work to provide alternatives to drug misuse for young people, to give them the opportunity to participate in society in a more meaningful way and to heighten the awareness of young people about the real dangers of drugs and drug addiction. The development of facilities for young people across the Regional Drugs Task Force areas will contribute greatly to this effort".
