Issue 31: March 2001 - Youth Work Ireland

Policy & FundingNEW INITIATIVE LAUNCHEDTO TACKLE EDUCATIONALDISADVANTAGEOn 12 February, The Minister for Education andScience, Dr Michael Woods, TD, announced a newstrategy to tackle educational disadvantage. Thestrategy has three main elements:1 A new, statutory Educational DisadvantageCommittee,1 A larger Forum to Address EducationalDisadvantage1 The appointment of acting Director of Programmesto tackle disadvantage in the country's 3,200 primaryschools.The Educational Disadvantage Committee willadvise the Minister on policies and strategies to beadopted to identify and correct educationaldisadvantage. Professor Aine Hyland, Vice­President and Professor of Education, UniversityCollege Cork will chair the new EducationalDisadvantage Committee. The Committee willinclude in its membership a number of people fromvoluntary and other bodies, which have objectives orexperience in the area of tackling disadvantage.The Minister is also setting up a larger Forum toaddress educational disadvantage. This Forum willhave a much broader representation than theCommittee, will meet twice a year, and will have animportant role in advising the minister andDepartment on broader issues relating toeducational disadvantage and exclusion from the fullbenefits of education.Ms. Maura Grant (currently co-ordinator of theBreaking the Cycle Pilot Project) will be actingDirector of Programmes to tackle disadvantage inprimary schools. She will be assisted by anexperienced support team, who will aim to helpteachers involved in the, Giving Children an EvenBreak by Tackling Disadvantage programme whichaims to develop teaching styles suitable for smallerclasses.This team will pioneer facilities for pre-schoolpreparation and early childhood education forchildren in greatest need and will be responsible forforging and maintaining initiatives for a range ofsupports including school meals, work with parents,reading initiatives, the use of Music and Art andensuring that all children have a fair chance ofsuccess at school.For further information contact:De partment of Education and Science,Fax: 01 /6354001Hawkins House,Hawkins Street,Dublin 2.Tel: 01 /6354000Website: www.doh.ieMINISTER LAUNCHESNEW ALCOHOLAWARENESS CAMPAIGNOn 15 February Minister for Health, Mr Martinlaunched a new National Alcohol Awarenesscampaign. The campaign will continue for threeyears, with funding to the tune of £500,000 a year,and will target three separate groups of youngpeople; 12 - 14 year olds, 15 - 18 year olds, and 18- 24 year olds.The campaign will use a mix of videos and televisionadvertising, and include information for youngpeople of alternatives to alcohol. In announcing thecampaign attention was drawn to three new relatedsources of data, which reveal the extent of theproblem with regard to alcohol use in Irish society.1. A new EU Survey to be released soon, which willshow Irish young people as the heaviest drinkers inEurope.2. New figures from the Central Statistics Officereveal that spending on alcohol in Ireland hasincreased by almost 70 per cent since 1990. £3.2billion was spent on alcoholic drinks in 1999,compared to £2.2 billion in 1990.Irish YouthWork Scene 11March 2001