Two new National Youth Council of Ireland Local Champions for Carlow and Kilkenny have been announced today.
Franek Dobronski and Róisín Kehoe from Carlow and Kilkenny have been selected as Local Champions for the region, and will work with local politicians and representatives to further youth issues and agendas in the area.
On top of this, the Local Champions will share their personal stories and utilise social media to raise awareness of the importance of social work, and lobby for supports to be included in this year’s budget.
The representatives Local Champions in Carlow-Kilkenny are engaging with include Deputy John McGuinness, Deputy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Minister Malcolm Noonan, and Deputy John Paul Phelan.
Franek Dobronski and Róisín Kehoe said: “We’re really looking forward to meeting our local representatives and sharing some of the amazing experiences we’ve had with Comhairle na nÓg and Carlow Regional Youth Service. There’s so much important work happening in our area to support young people, and we want to ensure our local representatives carry that message to the national level, so that youth work in our area and beyond gets its fair share come budget time.”
The Local Champions initiative, will involve engaging with policymakers, sharing personal stories, and using social media to raise awareness and mobilise support. Through these efforts, NYCI and the Local Champions aim to create a broader understanding of the significance of youth work and its positive impact on society.
These initiatives are part of NYCI’s broader campaign ahead of Budget 2025 on 1st October 2024, to ensure that young people and youth work receive the necessary investment and support they deserve. The Local Champions initiative is supported by the Community Foundation Ireland.
Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland added: “Empowering Generations is central to our mission as a philanthropic hub for Ireland. To achieve that goal we’re delighted to be partners with NYCI. The Local Champions network aims to amplify the voices of young people and showcase the transformative power of youth work. It is bringing together an inspirational group of young people, and we look forward to seeing them connecting with their local representatives to share how youth work changes lives.”
To learn more about the Local Champions Initiative and NYCI’s efforts to advocate for increased investment in youth work, please visit youth.ie
