The news that services at the Phoenix Youth Centre in Ballaghaderreen look set to restored from Monday has been welcomed.
Fianna Fail TD Eugene Murphy has said:
“I have continually raised this issue with Minister Katherine Zappone since the funding issues with Youth Work Ireland emerged in December and tabled parliamentary questions on the matter. I also attended a recent special meeting of the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) in Roscommon Town for Oireachtas members when CEO David Leahy confirmed that the organisation will now provide services on an interim basis for six months and there will be a complete analysis carried out on the provision of youth services in the Roscommon and Ballygar areas. I understand that the Tuam based, West Trav will deliver outreach to young Travellers in Ballygar while Youth Work Midlands will provide information services to young people in Roscommon and Galway for the medium term.
“We need to guarantee that there is not a watered down or diluted provision of services to young people who really relied heavily upon the existing services.
In the region of 120 young people a day used the services of The Phoenix Centre in Ballaghaderreen while the youth diversion project and the youth information centre in Roscommon Town was also very popular. I understand that Foroige has come on board for the Ballaghaderreen project and I welcome the positive attitude of the CEO of GRETB towards this new arrangements and I hope that the same quality of services and facilities will be available to young people throughout the region,” concluded Deputy Murphy.
