Brendan Smith on youth education, Youthreach and community engagement

Thank you very much. Like colleagues, I just want to welcome you here today and thank you for your very powerful contributions. The breadth of your work is very impressive and you are dealing with the people who are disadvantaged, young people in care or about to go into care, and some migrants as well, and particularly people with so much education and underachievement. It is so disappointing that in this day and age when there should be such opportunities in regard to education at second level and going on to further education and training, that we still have so many people leaving formal school settings without any particular skills, and it is so disappointing because, as we all know, by and large there are good job opportunities throughout our island today and elsewhere as well, and as we all know, the best way to engage people is to engage people is to have them gainfully employed for the long term. You mentioned there as well about 837 young people have completed the programme since your start a few years ago. When young people complete the programme, do you still contact with them to see if they have gone on to training, have they gone into employment? I remember being slightly involved with the wider horizons programme some years ago, the international fund for Ireland, and in my own constituency in Cavan Monon. It had a great collaboration through the vocational education committees at the time, which are now our education and training boards, through the youth reach programme. The youth reach programme with us is a second chance education. We have seen people who did not complete their formal second level education and went back. In many instances, I know many instances, I know many of them, but I know many of them have been involved in the future. I have been involved with the wider horizons programme, and I have been involved with the wider horizons programme some years ago. It was funded with the international fund for Ireland, and it had been in my own constituency in Cavan Monon. It had a great collaboration through the vocational education committees at the time, which are now our education and training boards, through the youth reach programme. The youth reach programme with us is a second chance education. We have seen people who did not complete their formal second level education and went back. In many instances, I know many of them have been involved with the wider horizons programme. I know many of those individuals who thankfully completed youth reach programmes and went on to further education. Some of them have gone on to further education, and some of them have gone on to further education. I know many of them have taken their primary degrees and postgraduate qualifications as well, so it shows what can be done if you get people engaged. You know, I spoke about teaching children who come from homes where education was not a priority, maybe unfortunately, but I think we cannot emphasise enough the need for people to attain education qualifications and training. And you might revert to me, if you can, if you have some case studies of some young lady or some young man, do you know that you follow their path in life subsequent to them losing your programmes? Because I remember at times seeing just the case of youth reach programmes, and again, I go to the graduation programmes every year, and I always find them uplifting from the point of view of our political work. Some of the guest speakers on the day would be students who have gone through youth reach that might have now completed their degree programme, and they are back saying they are teaching now, or implied otherwise. I think the role model is important, I think, for young people, so it is. And similarly with graduations in colleges of further education as well, it is always uplifting as well to see children who we know have come from houses, homes that may have been dysfunctional, and who did not get many advantages in life, to see those people attain that education qualification. And it impacts not just on the person themselves as we know, but on their family and indeed the wider community as well. I think it has such a positive impact in a community when young people do well in areas where there are disadvantaged. Do your programmes then, do you have any particular linkage with local employers or with statutory agencies? Because I think, you know, in many instances we do not use the leverage that should be used in regard to companies that could take in young people for training or give them even work experience during the time they are doing a particular programme. You, Debbie, you have put in very stark terms the mood in the community, in the loyalist communities, and as Senator Niall Blaney, my colleague, has said in other members, it is very worrying, so it is. You know, the regression that you talk about, and we have seen around the time of the election all the emphasis on the protocol, etc. But I have to say that, you know, I think you mentioned that we want no truck with the Irish government or no policy of non-engagement with the Irish government. You know, no community in this country north or south has had to interfere from the government here or the public service here or the political system here. We want to work, and it is mutually beneficial for us all. The more progress can be made in society, everyone benefits from it. And, you know, I always think, in fairness, successive governments here over the years have made an effort to put investment into communities. I was at the official opening of the Scannis Community Centre, Resource Centre in East Belfast on the day former First Minister Peter Robinson and the former Deputy First Minister, the late Mark McGuinness, performed the official opening. And I think if you look at the funders there, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund is one of them, I think, from memory. I was in other community centres, resource centres throughout Belfast and elsewhere, where you will see plaques or some message, you know, who the funders were. And in many instances, it will be our Department of Foreign Affairs making a contribution. So I think, and to my knowledge, and none of us in this committee can speak for the government. We don't speak for the government, but I think there is a willingness there to continue to invest in human infrastructure and physical infrastructure. And the investment in the human infrastructure is more important now than ever, and the human resource, I should say, rather than infrastructure. Investing in people, I think it is so important. But I think we need to get the message as well that we want to continue to work. And I don't know how, but I welcome your comments, Debbie, and you were just saying that that policy is out there. It is very disappointing if that is the message that is coming down to communities and to people working with youth groups. What about, you know, often as a country, we were insular thinking, God, we have to be more outgoing. And I think there is generosity out there wanting to engage and wanting to assist, because the broader picture is an Ireland of peace, and communities in every corner of our country doing well will benefit us all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.