“We want to provide opportunities for young people to come home.”
At a conference entitled, ‘Home is where the heart is’ in Dublin Castle organised by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) Minister for the Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan has said that he wants to provide opportunities for young people to migrate home.
Speaking about the new office he said, “It’s important that we demonstrate that this office is important and active and achieving something.”
The conference heard that in the year to April 2014 an estimated 33,500 young people aged 15–24 emigrated and that the numbers of young people who have emigrated over the last 5 years is 165,300.
It was outlined that as the economy starts to show signs of recovery, it’s time for the Government to consider strategies to facilitate return migration in the future. Deenihan added:
“We are beginning a conversation that would not have been possible a few years ago. We can now welcome home many of those from abroad. The return of our young emigrants is an issue of national importance – it’s achievable – let’s make it happen.”
You can read the full text of Minister Deenihan’s speech here