National Youth Arts Showcase 2013
National Youth Arts Showcase 2013 Highlights Importance of the Arts for Young People
On the 3rd of July, The National Youth Council of Ireland, with the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras, Children’s Books Ireland, National Association for Youth Drama and Young Irish Film Makers ran this year’s Youth Arts Showcase. Officially opened by Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, the annual event aims to showcase the exceptional quality of youth arts activity happening throughout Ireland and celebrate the contribution of youth arts to the lives of young people and to Irish society. It also gives young performers the opportunity to speak directly with politicians and policy makers on the benefits they have found from being active in the arts.
Although the Minister described all the performers at the showcase as “living proof of why young people should have access to the arts”, he didn’t have any good news on the State funding front.
“Funding will not be demolished but it will be reduced,” he warned, urging groups to look for alternative sources of income.
In a recent article printed in The Irish Times, the NYCI are credited with providing as much access to the arts as possible. It is proven that creative pursuits offer teens solace and enduring pleasure, but access to the arts is patchy, and with the Minister’s comments and our ongoing economic situation remaining downcast, increasing this access will remain to be a problem.
“The National Youth Arts Showcase allows us to share and celebrate a small proportion of the massive contribution young people make to our rich cultural heritage,” said Anne O’Gorman of the NYCI Youth Arts Programme, speaking at the event.
