Galway does not need more youth cafés but better funding is needed in order to employ more staff so that these “valuable services” for young people can stay open longer.
This is the view of Green senator, Niall Ó Brolcháin, who is calling on the Government to invest in people and not buildings when it comes to providing funding for youth cafés.
“The latest funding should concentrate on providing valuable youth workers to assist young people, rather than simply covering the rent for expensive properties,” he says.
Sen Ó Brolcháin says Galway city and county has up to 10 youth cafés which “have important drop-in facilities” and provide “a valuable service to the young people in the community”.
However he said if the cafés are not properly managed, the service may no longer be available on a consistent basis.
“The expense of high rents can lead to youth cafés opening for just a short time each week, in some cases for only one hour, as there is little money left for a proper service,” he said. “Funding should focus instead on staff and the people who provide the service.”
Sen Ó Brolcháin has called for a more structured approach to the support for youth cafés and wants to see strong local involvement as well as involvement from Youth Work Ireland and Foróige.
