Press Release
Friday 7 October 2005
Council welcomes launch of Donegal Youth Council Survey
Following last nights successful launch of the Donegal Youth Council survey, Donegal County Council welcomes the findings of the survey and congratulates the Youth Council on undertaking this detailed survey outlining the challenges facing young people in Donegal.
Speaking after the launch Cllr. Dessie Larkin, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council said that “Donegal Youth Council was set up to represent the views of young people in County Donegal and to do this the youth council undertook this initiative to gain an insight into the lives of their peers, to identify the issues that effect them and to highlight to the service providers, such as Donegal County Council, what their needs are and how they should be addressed”.
Cllr. Larkin added that “this type of information will be invaluable to the Council in planning and further enhancing its services to young people. For example, the survey found that 73% of young people felt that the lack of youth friendly facilities led to anti social behaviour. This information can be used to inform and persuade policy makers at local and national level to focus resources on providing facilities for young people. The findings of this survey will go a long way in informing Donegal County Councils policies and action plans for areas such as play and recreation.”
Cllr. Larkin continued “in fact the prioritisation of a skateboard facility at Ballymacool in Letterkenny by Donegal County Council was first identified by the Youth Council as a need for young people in Letterkenny and is a practical example of how the Youth Council can influence decisions at local level.”
The Council look forward to considering the findings of the report in more detail and to working with the members of the youth council in addressing the issues that they have identified.
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