National Youth Council of Ireland – Youth Arts Programme

The National Youth Arts Programme is a strategic partnership of The National Youth Council of Ireland, The Arts Council and The Dept of Children and Youth Affairs. It is dedicated to the development and advancement of youth arts in Ireland.

The Programme aims specifically to realise the potential of young people through good quality youth arts practice within youth work organisations and the non-formal educational sector, and to develop appropriate policies and activities at local, regional and national level.

Its vision is an Ireland where all young people can take part in excellent youth arts practice which is life enhancing. Its mission is dedicated to the development and advancement of youth arts which supports young people living in Ireland to realise their potential through participation in high quality youth-centred arts practice within youth work organisations and the non-formal education sector.

To better ensure that all young people can take part in excellent arts practice the Youth Arts Programme will concentrate on four strategic goals over the lifetime of its new strategy 2018 - 2022:

Goal One: Optimise the capacity and quality of youth arts provision amongst youth workers, volunteers and arts practitioners to enable young people to engage with youth arts in a way that is both meaningful and life enhancing

Goal Two: Optimise sustainable youth arts provision by supporting knowledge transfer and information exchange between youth workers, volunteers, arts practitioners and young people.

Goal Three: Optimise policy development and implementation that values the purpose and importance of high quality youth arts in supporting young people to develop the skills and confidence to fully participate as active citizens in an inclusive society.

Goal Four: Optimise the capacity of the Youth Arts Programme to successfully realise this Strategy