16th, 18th and 19th June 2020

In June 2020, a newly established Youth Advisory Group met for the first time with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to design a national consultation with young people on health and well-being as we learn to live with COVID-19. Members of the Youth Advisory Group come from across the country, range in age between 15 – 24 years and are nominated through a range of youth groups and organisations including Comhairle na nÓg, Foroige, Youth Work Ireland, Spunout.ie and the National Youth Council of Ireland. Comhairle members were selected from each of the four provinces with representatives from Cavan, Cork City, Galway City and Wicklow

Concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on young people have been increasing throughout the crisis with recent research, and findings from those in the youth sector, indicating that young people are one of the groups most impacted by the crisis and the related restrictions.

The work of the Youth Advisory Group will lead to a national online consultation with young people which will be hosted on spunout.ie later this month. The consultation will be a chance for young people who want to share their experience of COVID-19 to have their voices heard. This in turn will inform the supports being offered to young people, with the findings being used to inform service design and delivery.