Building on the success of the first Creative Youth Plan 2017-2022, this new Plan aims to provide everyone from birth to 24 years with more opportunities for creative engagement in every aspect of their lives. Across seven strategic objectives, the Creative Youth Plan will ensure children and young people retain a key voice in decision-making on its implementation and will prioritise those that are seldom heard and most at risk of disadvantage. Parents & caregivers, educators, artists, and creative practitioners will be supported to recognise the centrality and value of creativity to their lives.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Education Norma Foley TD and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman TD announced the launch of the new Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 at a youth-led event that took place in the National Gallery of Ireland on 28th March 2023. The launch was supported by a panel discussion between the Ministers and four young creatives with a music performance from Music Generation and a spoken word performance organised through Creative Schools.
Since 2017, Creative Youth has had a significant impact nationally which has included:
• Support for over 2,000 schools and Youthreach centres to enrich their students experience through a range of creative programmes such as Creative Schools, BLAST (Bringing Live Arts to Schools and Teachers) and Creative Clusters.
• Access to programmes such as: creative writing; youth drama; music; and creative technology including animation and podcasting expanding in communities, and the establishment of six Local Creative Youth Partnerships in 6 Education and Training Boards.
• Support to educators to embed creativity into their professional teaching practice through continuous professional development.
• Cruinniú na nÓg, the flagship national day of free creativity for children and young people, delivering over 2,800 events in partnership with all 31 local authorities since 2018.
• The expansion of Music Generation’s Local Music Education Partnerships.
Under the new Creative Youth Plan, these programmes will further develop, alongside new opportunities reaching tens of thousands of children and young people.
