Youth Participation in the Republic of Ireland - Youth Work Ireland

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created separate ‘virtual’ sites within which a distinctive youth culture exists and indeedflourishes.The current generation is somewhat unique in Ireland insofar as that they are ‘TigerCubs’; the offspring of the mush vaunted ‘Celtic Tiger Economy’ that has transformedthe Irish socio-economic landscape. Unlike previous generations they have grown up in arelatively affluent society and have a high disposable income relative to these previousgenerations. Issues such as mass unemployment and emigration which bedeviled policymakers for decades have receded and are perceived as ancient history by most teenagers.This affluence has fed into the overall rise in consumerism and has also raised concernsabout the growth in substance use amongst young people. These concerns appear to bewell founded; research published in the Journal of American College Health showed thatamongst college students Irish young people came in as the highest drinkers with 57% offemale and 49% of male being classified as heavy binge drinkers (Examiner, 24/10/06).Heavy drinking remains a feature of Irish cultural life with the pub occupying a centralsocial space. Consumption patterns are changing yet according to National Geographic(November 2006) Ireland is second only to the Czech Republic in beer consumption, withan average of 127.4 litres per person being quaffed by the population.Youth Work Ireland has criticized Government policy in relation to young people andalcohol, claiming that;“It is probably the worst policy in the world” (McLoughlin, in theExaminer, 30/11/06).The situation regarding illicit recreational drug use has come to be viewed as perhaps thesingle gravest youth issue requiring attention today. Responses targeted primarily atworking and welfare dependant class areas are coordinated by ‘Local Drugs Task Forces’and typically seek to engage ‘at risk’ young people viii in youth service measures.Participation in socially acceptable activities is viewed as a key aspect in counteringparticipation in activities perceived as deviant by society (National Drugs Strategy Team,1999).16
Youth participation in various counter-cultures is a feature of Irish society; some of thesecultures are viewed in a mildly disproving manner (such as skateboarding) whilst othersare deemed (potentially) more threatening. Car modifiers are coming under increasingscrutiny in this regard and the construction of these young people as ‘boy racers’illustrates the manipulation of language to connect these young people (usually male)with the high road traffic accident rate in Ireland. Christy O’ Neill, a youth worker withthe Cashel and Emily Diocesan Youth Service, operates a project with car-modifiers andrefutes this suggestion by arguing that given time, money and energy these young peopledevote to their vehicles in would make no sense whatsoever for them to risk their cars inhigh speed antics (O’Neill, 2006).Youth participation in mainstream artistic endeavors (such as cinema, dance, music,drama and painting) has been stimulated over the last decade by the adaptation of anumber of National Arts Plans and the creation of a National Youth Arts Programme.Although art plays a significant role in most youth organizations everyday activities thearea remains somewhat peripheral in terms of structures and mechanisms;“There is still no infrastructure at national, regional or local level tosupport sustainable growth in the youth arts sector despite ongoingexpansion at grassroots level” (Coughlan, 2004, p.7).Grassroots expansion has occurred and not necessarily with the assistance of youthservices or other agencies. A group of Cork skateboarders have produced a short filmentitled ‘Anti-Typical’. In this film the young people are shown skating at variouslocations around Cork City (including the courthouse; this is in itself interesting, theyoung people revealed that this location was safe due to the police presence). Theexperience and activities of these young people is revealing as it represents an interfacebetween cultural activities within the city. The approbation of youth culture by societalinstitutions is also evident in this regard. The University’s prospectus for 2006 featured apicture of a skater ‘tricking’ on the campus. The ironic reality behind this photograph isthat skaters are constantly being chased of the campus as the activity is not permitted yet17
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Page 29 and 30: Bibliography;• Allen, K., (2000),
Page 31: • O’Neill, C., (2006) Placement

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