The Foróige Youth Citizenship Programme: Evaluation Report

The interest in the concepts of civic engagement and citizenship have been fuelled by a perceived decline in connectedness in society as a result of the primacy given to economic rather than social imperatives over recent decades. There is a desire to ensure that modern diverse societies can find common meaning and purpose and ensure that the needs of all citizens are understood and addressed. In this debate, there has been a particular focus on how young people can be encouraged to engage in active citizenship. Policy and academic interest in the concept of youth civic engagement has been motivated by a range of different influences and concerns. For some, the key issue of concern relates to the threat to democracy posed by declining levels of civic engagement in society in general and among young people in particular. Others are motivated by a desire to realise the rights of children and young people to participate as full citizens of society. There is also a strong belief in the role of youth civic engagement as a means to promote the positive development of young people. Promoting young people’s sense of belonging and connection to the communities and societies of which they are part is also an important rationale for the promotion of such programmes. Civic engagement programmes are seen to have potential for the inclusion of young people who have been excluded from society for reasons of class, disability, race or socio-economic issues. Foróige is a national youth organisation which aims to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their own development and the development of society. Foróige established its Citizenship Programme in 1968. The programme requires young people to explore their community’s needs, look at creative ways of meeting these needs and find out whether their efforts have made an impact. The programme is based on the belief that each young person can make a difference to the world around them and to the lives of others. The programme aims to enable young people to make a positive difference in their communities. According to the programme manual, |on completion of the programme and their projects young people will be able to:

• Define what citizenship means to them
• Research their community’s needs
• Illustrate ways in which to benefit their community
• Plan a project to meet an identified need using a planning model
• Organise and manage their project
• Evaluate the effectiveness of their project
• Demonstrate improved communication skills, collaboration and civic responsibility
• Receive positive recognition from their community 

The programme is run through youth clubs and projects throughout Ireland and entry into the programme is voluntary. Over 2,000 young people take part in the programme each year. Projects are exhibited at regional conferences held throughout Ireland each year and ten projects are selected to take part in a national event.

In recent years, the Citizenship Programme has undergone some development. Firstly, through financial support from permanent tsb, the programme has seen an increase in resources, volunteering and promotion throughout Ireland. Secondly, through the work of the Foróige Best Practice Unit, a programme manual has been written to support leaders in facilitating the programme. The manual and associated training has been‘rolled out’ among staff, volunteers and young people since 2009.