Minister Dara Calleary opens 2025 Rural Youth Assembly
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From: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
- Published on: 24 September 2025
- Last updated on: 24 September 2025
- Minister Calleary today welcomed young people to the 2025 National Rural Youth Assembly
- The Assembly is an initiative of Our Rural Future, Ireland’s national rural development policy, and aims ensure the voices of rural young people are heard by Government
- This year’s Assembly forms an important part of the consultation process for the next iteration of Our Rural Future
The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, has today (Wednesday, 24th September) opened the fifth sitting of the National Rural Youth Assembly.
The Assembly brought together 65 delegates aged 12-25 to discuss the challenges, benefits, and opportunities for young people living in rural Ireland. Young people travelled from across the breadth of the country, including from the Donegal and Kerry Gaeltacht areas and the Islands to make recommendations for consideration by policymakers across Government.
The Assembly is an initiative of Our Rural Future 2021-2025, the Government’s national rural development policy, and was proposed by young people themselves during consultation for the policy. The Assembly provides policymakers with the opportunity to listen to the views of young people from across rural Ireland, and ensure their voices are heard.
This year’s Assembly serves an important forum to consult with young people on the development of the next iteration of Our Rural Future, which will take effect from 2026. The recommendations agreed by the young people today will help inform policies and programmes across Government over the duration of the next Our Rural Future policy.
Minister Calleary said:
“I am delighted to welcome the young people to today’s Assembly. I thank them for their contributions, but also for their willingness to give up their time to engage with us and their clear desire to make their rural communities better places in which to grow up.
“It is hugely important that our young people have a voice in decisions which affect them. Their input can help shape policies and initiatives that support rural areas that offer young people a future that sees them remain in, or return to, their local communities to live, work or study.”
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley TD, congratulated the National Rural Youth Assembly and said:
“Young people in rural areas are key contributors to their communities and to the local economy. I am proud to support the National Rural Youth Assembly because it helps young people in rural communities to have an active role in shaping their future.
“It is remarkable that we are entering the fifth Rural Youth Assembly, and I look forward to the recommendations from today’s assembly being reflected in the new Our Rural Future policy.”
Minister Calleary added:
“Youth organisations across the country work tirelessly on behalf of young people in our rural communities and I would like to thank them for their continued work.
“Through the National Rural Youth Assembly, we can ensure that young voices are heard in the development of the next Our Rural Future policy and remain at the heart of rural development.
“I would like to thank the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for supporting today’s Assembly, and the National Participation Office for all their effort and assistance in making the event a success.”
Notes
Our Rural Future
Our Rural Future 2021-2025 is the whole-of-Government framework for the sustainable development of rural Ireland. It offers a blueprint for a thriving and inclusive rural Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The Programme for Government commits to development of a new Our Rural Future policy for the period from 2026. The next iteration of Our Rural Future will build upon the achievements of the 2021-2025 policy, while also addressing new issues of importance for people in rural Ireland.
A widespread consultation process has been underway throughout 2025 to inform development of the new policy. This has included an online open survey, in-person consultation events across the country, numerous stakeholder meetings, and an open written consultation process which is planned later in the year. This comprehensive process will ensure all stakeholders have the opportunity for their voices to be heard during the policy development process. Further detail on the written consultation will be made available in due course.
National Rural Youth Assembly
The National Rural Youth Assembly is an initiative of Our Rural Future 2021-2025 and was proposed by young people during the consultation process for the development of the policy. The Assembly provides policymakers with the opportunity to listen to the views of young people from across rural Ireland, and ensure their voices are heard. It has been incorporated into the wider programme of the National Youth Assembly of Ireland supported by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
The fifth Rural Youth Assembly saw approx. 65 young people aged 12-25, from communities across the country, attend the event in Dublin.
National Youth Assembly of Ireland
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) established the National Youth Assembly of Ireland to act as a consultative youth forum on topics of national interest.
The National Youth Assembly plays a significant role in including the voice of young people in implementing public policy and prioritising actions for Government. It convenes up to two more times a year and provides young people with an opportunity to make recommendations directly to Government to inform public policy.
National Participation Office
The National Participation Office (NPO) was established in 2021 DCDE to manage and coordinate the activities of Comhairle na nÓg (youth councils), Dáil na nÓg (youth parliament), the Comhairle na nÓg National Executive, The National Youth Assembly of Ireland and other related youth participation initiatives and structures.
The NPO operates under the guidance and oversight of DCDE and has responsibility for overseeing and implementing the Comhairle na nÓg Five Year Development Plan, which aims to strengthen and develop Comhairle to be the leading youth participation structure in Ireland. DCDE directs, oversees and supports the work of the NPO and collaborates with the Office on cross-Government engagement with Comhairle na nÓg and other participation structures, stakeholder engagement and relationship building.
DCDE, in partnership with the National Participation Office (NPO), collaborates closely with oher government departments to convene Youth Assemblies on specific topics.
For instance, DCDE collaborates closely with the Department of Rural, Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG) to convene the annual Rural Youth Assembly.