Uploaded February 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On Tuesday, January 31st, Southeast Local Authority Axis Project in association with Waterford Youth Arts, launched Youth Arts
Now, a report by researcher and consultant John O’Brien examining the position and development of youth arts in Ireland.
The event at Smock Alley included actor Demi Isaac Oviawe (The Young Offenders) and young people involved in youth arts
across a spectrum of disciplines. The research was commissioned by the local authority Arts Services of Kilkenny, Carlow,
Wexford, and Waterford together with Creative Ireland Waterford and facilitated by Waterford Youth Arts.
To view the full report, visit: waterfordyoutharts.com
Video by Garry McHugh of Young Irish Film Makers
The partners in the southeast have been working in collaboration since 2018 on advocacy and professional development of
youth arts, with the aim of identifying the challenges that affects youth arts practice in Ireland. The partners seek to support the
precariousness of youth arts in Ireland; ultimately changing Ireland's youth arts landscape – leading to a National Youth Arts
Policy, dedicated Youth Arts funding stream, and a Youth Arts network.
If we are to make practical and meaningful recommendations around youth arts practice, policy, and funding, if we are to lobby
and advocate effectively at both a national and a local level, it is vital that we understand what this gap is and why it persists.
Researcher O'Brien found that Youth Arts funding tends to be small, project-focused, and not guaranteed across time; it is
treated as an input into other policy objectives and not a "sector" in its own right, creating a dependency on volunteerism. At a
national policy level, there needs to be more priority given to the idea of young people as artists.
Youth arts accounts for approximately 4% of combined Arts Council and local authority budgets, but young people (aged 10 -24)
account for approximately 20% of the population.
Recommendations from this research include the issuance of a manifesto that positions the practice of youth arts as a distinct
and professional practice and collaboration with tertiary education providers in each region to develop professional training and
accreditation for youth arts professionals. Furthermore, local authorities, relevant agencies, and departments should be tasked
to make policy and budget commitments to develop and support a universal youth arts provision model.
All Youth Arts policies and funding must be based on a universal model of access in acknowledgment of all citizens' creative and
cultural rights.
On Tuesday, January 31st, Southeast Local Authority Axis Project in association with Waterford Youth Arts, launched Youth Arts
Now, a report by researcher and consultant John O’Brien examining the position and development of youth arts in Ireland.
The event at Smock Alley included actor Demi Isaac Oviawe (The Young Offenders) and young people involved in youth arts
across a spectrum of disciplines. The research was commissioned by the local authority Arts Services of Kilkenny, Carlow,
Wexford, and Waterford together with Creative Ireland Waterford and facilitated by Waterford Youth Arts.
To view the full report, visit: waterfordyoutharts.com
Video by Garry McHugh of Young Irish Film Makers
The partners in the southeast have been working in collaboration since 2018 on advocacy and professional development of
youth arts, with the aim of identifying the challenges that affects youth arts practice in Ireland. The partners seek to support the
precariousness of youth arts in Ireland; ultimately changing Ireland's youth arts landscape – leading to a National Youth Arts
Policy, dedicated Youth Arts funding stream, and a Youth Arts network.
If we are to make practical and meaningful recommendations around youth arts practice, policy, and funding, if we are to lobby
and advocate effectively at both a national and a local level, it is vital that we understand what this gap is and why it persists.
Researcher O'Brien found that Youth Arts funding tends to be small, project-focused, and not guaranteed across time; it is
treated as an input into other policy objectives and not a "sector" in its own right, creating a dependency on volunteerism. At a
national policy level, there needs to be more priority given to the idea of young people as artists.
Youth arts accounts for approximately 4% of combined Arts Council and local authority budgets, but young people (aged 10 -24)
account for approximately 20% of the population.
Recommendations from this research include the issuance of a manifesto that positions the practice of youth arts as a distinct
and professional practice and collaboration with tertiary education providers in each region to develop professional training and
accreditation for youth arts professionals. Furthermore, local authorities, relevant agencies, and departments should be tasked
to make policy and budget commitments to develop and support a universal youth arts provision model.
All Youth Arts policies and funding must be based on a universal model of access in acknowledgment of all citizens' creative and
cultural rights.
