Announcement: Schools Selected for 2025 BLAST Arts in Education Residencies and Creative Clusters

Department of Education and Youth
4 July

Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee has announced details of initiatives which will support pupils and students to have more opportunities to be creative, including announcing schools who will take part in two Creative Youth Programmes and launching a new data mapping tool to empower greater engagement with creativity.

Minister McEntee announced the names of the 429 schools who will take part in the 2025 BLAST Arts in Education Residencies, as well as details of 43 Creative Clusters which will involve 151 schools nationwide. Both programmes are part of the Creative Youth Plan 2023 – 2027.

See BLAST and Creative Cluster Schools 2025 here: gov.ie/en/department-of-education

In addition, Minister McEntee launched a new interactive data mapping tool which will chart the engagement of schools and Youthreach centres across the country with Creative Youth initiatives and highlight areas where additional support may be beneficial.

Minister McEntee said:

“It is so important that students and young people have an opportunity to be creative, to have fun, all while working and learning together. By creating an environment which encourages creative learning, teachers can help their students to express themselves, develop teamwork skills and further their sense of social responsibility, resilience and empathy”

To read full press release, see gov.ie/en/department-of-education