Minister McEntee announces €498,000 for youth climate projects

Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee has today (14 July 2025) announced almost €500,000 in funding for ten youth-led climate justice projects happening across Ireland in 2025.

The Youth Climate Justice Fund helps young people aged 8 to 25 take part in projects that raise awareness and take action on climate issues. This year’s projects include:

• a hydrogen education programme providing an inclusive, hands-on approach to renewable energy learning for 100 young people
• a programme educating young people about the causes and consequences of water scarcity and pollution using workshops, member participation, and outdoor projects
• a climate justice debate series involving university societies and youth-led groups
• development of an innovative, games-based curriculum designed to educate and inspire youth aged 13-25 about climate change adaptation, empowering young people to design and implement local climate adaptation projects

The programme includes climate education, community events, awareness campaigns, and hands-on environmental activities.

Minister McEntee said:

Since 2020, the fund has supported youth projects with nearly €3 million in total investment.

The Youth Climate Justice Fund supports youth-led initiatives related to climate justice at community, regional and national level. The primary objective of the fund is to further the active engagement of young people in climate justice activities, initiatives and programmes that develop and support their knowledge, agency and empowerment in relation to climate justice.

“Opportunities for Youth, the National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services” was launched in September 2024. The strategy notes the priority placed by young people on climate issues and the second of its three strategic objectives is to ensure that “an equality and rights-based approach is embedded across all youth work services and supporting structures.” This objective means, among other things, that youth services and schemes should reflect and support Ireland’s commitments to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

All projects funded under the Youth Climate Justice Fund 2025 are being led by a national youth organisation funded under the Youth Services Grant Scheme of the Department of Education and Youth.

A total of ten applicants were successful in securing funding for this scheme in 2025.

The Kinia Hydrogen Education Programme advances the Youth Climate Justice Fund’s goal of empowering young people in climate justice education, action, and advocacy by providing an inclusive, hands-on approach to renewable energy learning. The proposed programme aims to provide opportunities for 100 young people to develop renewable energy awareness and skills for future careers. The programme is designed using Kinia’s learning framework ensuring scalable engagement, youth leadership, and practical climate action.

Foróige’s programme proposal aims to support climate justice initiatives to equip young people with the tools, knowledge, and platforms they need to become agents for change in their communities. The proposal will continue to ensure Climate Justice initiatives are at the core of the work Foróige does with young people, staff and volunteers throughout the organisation.

Ógras’ planned programme aims to develop an initiative to educate young people about the critical importance of access to clean water. Using workshops, member participation, and outdoor projects, young people will learn about the causes and consequences of water scarcity and pollution, with an emphasis on the disproportionate impact on marginalised communities. The project will emphasise Climate Justice by focusing on the link between clean water and other issues related to climate change.

For this project, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ireland plans to expand its Climate Justice Debate Series, hosting five university-based debates in partnership with local chapters, university societies, and youth-led groups. These events will empower young people to challenge climate norms, propose solutions, and build skills in advocacy and public speaking. The series aims to educate and inspire a new generation of climate leaders, aligning with JCI’s mission and the goals of the Youth Climate Justice Fund.

The “Y-Adapt” initiative, developed by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, is an innovative, games-based curriculum designed to educate and inspire youth aged 13-25 about climate change adaptation. By integrating Y-Adapt into IRC's youth programmes, the organisation will enhance climate justice education through non-formal, interactive methods, while empowering young people to design and implement local climate adaptation projects. The project aims to foster broader community impact through youth-led initiatives that drive meaningful change.

VSI’s proposed programme includes both in-person and online workshops using creative, participatory methods to explore climate justice from a human-centred, inequality-focused perspective. Participants will gain the skills to become climate justice advocates, create a social media campaign, and deliver their own workshops. The project supports youth-led activism aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aims to inspire ongoing engagement in climate action.

The Youth Climate Justice Fund supports SpunOut in developing a high-quality Climate Hub that includes up-to-date, supportive and accurate information on climate issues. This content is guided by youth volunteers, validated by experts and proofread by young people. The project will focus on three key areas: climate justice and mental health; promotion of climate hub content; and climate action statement.

Three awards were made to groups of organisations applying as a consortium:

The ECO-UNESCO consortium programme has been honed since 2021 and has evolved into a model which has successfully engaged young people, youth leaders and local communities.

• National Youth Council of Ireland (lead), YMCA Ireland, Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service, Gaisce – The President’s Award and Concern Worldwide:

This consortium’s Future Generations Project highlights the systemic and human rights issues related to the climate crisis. NYCI adopts a global approach to work and focuses on issues at personal, local, national, and global levels.

YWI’s project proposes a partnership connecting Irish youth with peers in the Global South to explore and advocate for Climate Justice; expansion of the Youth Climate Assemblies model, enabling youth-led local climate conferences; support for local groups through citizen science, training, and funding to research; and to present policy innovations at local, regional, and national levels.

The below table provides a summary of funding for the ten successful applications: