Advocacy
Youth Work Ireland Advocacy
Youth Work Ireland’s advocacy is based on its experience of supporting 20 locally based youth services led by local people. We advocate based on day to day work and on research done on behalf of young people and those who work with them. We do this in a variety of ways and in partnership with others to improve the lives of those we work for. Consistent with our strategic plan we involve all our stakeholders with a particular emphasis on young people in the lead and we always seek to promote positive images. Please see below some of our work.
Our Head of Advocacy and Communications has, following nomination by the Government, being a member of the European Economic and Social Committee since 2015. The Committee is the treaty based consultative committee of the EU for Civil Society. This provides significant insights and opportunities relating to a variety of EU policies relevant to our work.
Our Head of Advocacy and Communications is a member of the Board of The National Youth Council of Ireland the representative organisation for the youth sector in Ireland. This membership ensures close co-operation in the youth sector and better alignment of the priorities and work of the two organisations.”
Policy submissions
We provide policy updates and papers on a variety of issues that impact on young people and those who work with them. These include those on major macro policy issues such as the budget, EU funding, and youth service funding. They also respond to policy issues across the field of Government such as health, education, justice, the environment and issues which cross all of these areas like the recent pandemic.
We also respond to numerous invitations to make submissions on areas relevant to our work. We produce a quarterly Policy Brief which updates all our stakeholders on relevant policy issues for their work.
Sectoral campaigns
We develop and support campaigns around issues that concern the entire youth sector or other areas. We realize that many other organisations share our priorities and it can be more effective to work in partnerships or networks to achieve our goals collectively.
These can be by way of memberships of networks or membership organisations or once off campaigns as issues arise or indeed a combination of these. Examples would be the National Youth Council of Ireland, The Children’s Rights Alliance, and The Wheel.
Similarly, we have engaged in bespoke campaigns such as maintaining a dedicated Department for Children and Youth and for improved budgetary allocations in the pandemic.
Working at EU and International Level
We know that the EU and international environment are critical for many policy issues. We work through our international affiliates and directly with the European Economic and Social Committee on relevant EU laws and policies. We have closely followed the new EU Youth Strategy, EU Youth Guarantee and EU Year of Youth in this way. We also ensure the involvement of young people directly in this work. Through our international work young people can interact with policy and decision making at this level too.
Youth Led Advocacy
We have a long and distinguished record of speaking out with and on behalf of young people, and those who work with them. We believe our duty to advocate with and for young people and their rights distinguishes our model and approach to youth work.
In recent years we have promoted a greater role for unmediated voices of young people directly in our advocacy work. Our National Youth Action Group thus facilitates youth led advocacy in the organisation and ensures young people are represented at the highest level on our Board of Directors.
Working at EU and International Level
We know that the EU and international environment are critical for many policy issues. We work through our international affiliates and directly with the European Economic and Social Committee on relevant EU laws and policies. We have closely followed the new EU Youth Strategy, EU Youth Guarantee and EU Year of Youth in this way. We also ensure the involvement of young people directly in this work. Through our international work young people can interact with policy and decision making at this level too.
Dealing with Decision Makers
Young people’s lives are shaped by decisions and often ones over which they have no control. We seek to bring young people close to decision makers through the policy making process whether that is in one-to-one interactions like our annual political briefing or on policy specific matters where we are making a submission or seeking to influence policy. Again, we seek to bring our expertise and that of our members to bear. We are registered on lobbying.ie and regular report our work there.
