SDLP youth chair Cllr Matthew McDermott has criticised the Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his proposal to sell off the Student Loan Book in the proposed list of assets to be sold off and warned that the review into student fees must not reflect the wishes of Vice Chancellors but rather represent the needs of students, particularly our most vulnerable.

Matthew said, ‘ Gordon Brown has proposed selling off government assets to offset the budget deficit. While this is an approach we would generally welcome to avoid severe cuts, we can’t support the selling off of the student loan book. Selling this off will undoubtedly lead to higher interest rates for students in the future. It is a shortsighted move that is ill thought out and does not represent the wishes of the vast majority of students.

‘ Add this to the fact that University UK (UUK) the body representing UK Vice Chancellors has called for a rise in fees to about £5 000 per year and the CBI has called for ‘restricted’ maintenance grants and this equals a bad deal for students. 

‘ The government will be reviewing all this in November and we will be asking our SDLP MP’s to make representations to the government opposing these moves and join the Labour Backbenchers organising against any increase in fees.

Continuing Matthew said, ‘ SDLP Youth will also be stepping up a student awareness campaign across our universities calling on the Student Loan Book to remain in public ownership, no fee hike and no tampering of the maintenance grants.

‘ If the government goes ahead with any of these moves we are heading for a situation whereby University will only be for societies most wealthy and exclude young people from poorer backgrounds. A situation that is unsustainable.

SDLP Youth Campaigns Officer Kyle Boyd has condemned the recent attacks on the Romanian families in South Belfast.

Kyle said: “I live on the street where these attacks have happened. They are disgraceful and a shock to the whole South Belfast area.

“I see these families everyday and they are the friendliest and warmest people you could meet, and to think that they have been attacked due totheir nationality is beyond me.

“This attack has brought the wider community together and shows that no-one in today’s society will let this stand and are fully behind the parents and their young families.

“SDLP Youth were at the anti-racist protest on Monday evening to show our support for the Romanian community. I also want to condemn the youths who threw bottles and hurled abuse during the protest, and I would appeal to anyone who has any information about this to contact the PSNI immediately and bring justice to whoever did this.”

SDLP European Election candidate Alban Maginness MLA has welcomed children from all over Europe to Stormont on Tuesday.

SDLP European Election candidate Alban Maginness MLA has welcomed children from all over Europe to Stormont on Tuesday.

Mr Maginness MLA greeted the group of young children from Spain, Italy, France and Wales as they enjoyed a tour of Parliament Buildings at Stormont.

He said: “It is wonderful to see such a delightful mix of European cultures here today as part of the Comenius Project.

“Comenius seeks to develop knowledge and understanding among young people and educational staff of the diversity of European cultures, languages and values.

“It is hugely beneficial as it helps young people acquire the basic life skills and competences necessary for their personal development, for future employment and for active citizenship.”

SDLP Youth are continuing to campaign for an end to homophobia and all hate crimes. Today, Sunday 17th May, is the International Day of Action against Homophobia (IDAHO).

SDLP Youth Chairperson Peter Armstrong said “IDAHO is a fantastic opportunity to highlight homophobia in our society and work towards making it history. We can also use this day to highlight inequalities and to address all hate crimes.

“In particular, we are working to address inequalities in our health system, such as the fact that a large percentage of our population cannot give blood simply due to their sexual orientation. The health service, are continually seeking donors due to blood shortages. However the National Blood Service will not accept any blood donations from any man that has ever had sex with another man. This does not take into consideration any part of their sexual history or health.

“The ban can no longer be justified and the health service should adopt a policy that is based on actual risk and not sexual orientation. This policy is clearly discriminatory considering the fact that more heterosexual men than gay men are newly diagnosed with HIV each year.

Concluding Peter said “SDLP Youth have requested to meet with Minister for Health Michael McGimpsey. We will meet with representatives from his department in the next few weeks, and we will be urging them to launch a full review of the MSM blood ban.”

SDLP members of the Youth Services Committee of the Belfast Education and Library Board today opposed the Board’s budget proposals for 2009/20010 which will mean St Theresa’s, Clonard and John Paul II Youth Club will all lose their second youth workers.

The SDLP was the only party to oppose these cutbacks.

Cllr Tim Attwood said: “Yet again, we have witnessed front line youth services in areas of need being cutback. The responsibility for this dreadful situation lies with the Department of Education. The real losers in this situation are the young people in Belfast.”

Cllr Pat Convery said: “Year on year the youth services budget has been reduced. Since 2005/06 the youth allocation from DE has been reduced from £3,172 million to £3,059 million in 2009/10. However, the needs of young people grow year on year. Instead of cutbacks in youth services, we need to greater in investment in youth services and youth workers.”

SDLP Youth Chairman Peter Armstrong has called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin to intervene and prevent Irish humanitarian supplies bound for Gaza from being returned to Ireland by Egyptian authorities.

He said: “There are four containers full of humanitarian supplies including medical equipment and clothing which may be returned to Ireland as the Egyptian authorities are not accepting the documentation.

“The shipment was organised by the Palestine Children’s Appeal in Galway. The shipment includes donations from across Ireland, including an operating table donated by Letterkenny Hospital and over 100 duvets and pillows donated by Galway Radisson Hotel.

“SDLP Youth are urging Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin and the Irish Ambassador to Egypt Gerard Corr to intervene and ensure the supplies are delivered to Gaza.”

Gerry Conlon from the Guildford Four will join Breege Quinn at an SDLP event in Newry on Wednesday evening called ‘Justice Denied: A Public Discussion’.

Mr Conlon, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 15 years, will join the panel alongside Mrs Quinn from Cullyhanna, whose son was beaten to death 18 months ago. Also speaking will be Anne Morgan, whose brother Seamus Ruddy is one of the Disappeared, and justice campaigner Raymond McCord. SDLP Justice Spokesperson Alban Maginness will address the gathering too.

The meeting will offer an opportunity to hear the personal experiences of people who have suffered from miscarriages of justice or have had justice denied to them.

Speaking ahead of the event, Gerry Conlon said: “Thankfully we are now living in more peaceful times. However, for many people, the events of the past still cast a shadow over their lives, and more needs to be done to correct wrongs and bring closure.

“I’d encourage people to come along to this meeting to hear from the experiences of people who have been denied justice, and to share their own stories. This will be a powerful, yet very interesting event.”

Breege Quinn added: “We intend to keep our campaign going until we get justice for Paul, so we welcome every opportunity to speak on any platform to get that message across, especially to his murderers. We have a lot in common and a lot to learn from other families that have lost members by murder.”

The public meeting will take place in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry at 7.30pm on Wednesday 22 April. Admission is free and anyone can attend.

SDLP Leader and Foyle MP Mark Durkan MP and Newry and Armagh Assembly Member Dominic Bradley have expressed their sadness after learning of the death of Paddy O’Hanlon, a founder member of the party.

Mr O’Hanlon passed away tonight in Dublin’s Mater Hospital following a short illness. Funeral details will be announced later.

Mr Durkan said: “With the sad death of Paddy O’Hanlon we have lost a real champion of civil rights, justice and reconciliation.

“Paddy was one of the best orators of his generation, powerfully reflecting deep democratic convictions.

“He was part of that leadership class which choose non violence to challenge the injustice of the old Stormont regime, who rejected the violence of paramilitaries and repression of the state and who consistently espoused partnership as the only basis for sharing a peaceful future.

“Even when standing well back from the political frontline his compelling political insight, and the integrity of his commitment to social justice was apparent in all the activism and advice he offered.

“In the legal vocation which he found he was able to give particular expression to his sense of justice his instinct for challenge and his love of able argument.

“So much of Paddy O’Hanlon’s character and contribution epitomizes and the debt which this society owes to the activists and leadership of the civil rights movement who never deviated from non-violence and who sustained the quest for a new agreed democratic order.

“Paddy was a man of great warmth as well as worth. He was sharp in his observation and straight in his counsel whether in his private conversation or public speaking he always impressed with the purity of his principle and the clarity of his case and the sincerity of the advice he offered.

“On behalf of the SDLP I offer my condolences to Paddy’s family and our sympathy to those colleagues who toiled and were tested with him in a crucible of tumultuous times. Not just they but all Irish democrats have lost a special friend and true stalwart.

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The main political youth wings in Northern/North of Ireland have united to campaign and lobby for an effective youth mental health strategy (YMHS).

Young political activists have been working together in the past months, alongside St Columbs Park House in Derry, to bring the broad issue of mental health to the fore, particularly targeting suicide prevention and drug and alcohol awareness.

The group comprising youth from Sinn Féin, SDLP, Green Party, Alliance, UUP and DUP launched their campaign for a youth mental health strategy at Belfast City Hall today (Monday 6th April).

Spokesperson for the youth wings, Karly Greene said,
“The youth wings have been working closely together over the past number of months, identifying the key issues of mental health, and drawing up a plan on how we can best tackle these issues from a youth perspective, ensuring it is relevant and effective.”

“We have written to every Assembly member, and are arranging a meeting with the Health Committee, we have also engaged with a number of voluntary and community groups who are at the coalface in dealing with mental health. We are also arranging for our members to undertake the ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) programme, and are producing a short film, that will be launched at a youth forum on mental health. The youth forum aims to bring young people from all communities together, spark debate and formulate ideas on how to deal with this common issue.”

“Mental Health affects everyone regardless of age, race, sex and religion, and it is a progressive step forward that the young political activists are demonstrating unity and leadership to other young people on such an important issue.”

Political Youthwings
Youth Mental Health Strategy
ymhs08@hotmail.co.uk
http://youthmentalhealthstrategy.blogspot.com/
http://www.bebo.com/YouthMentalHealth
http://twitter.com/ymhs08
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=70475191760&ref=ts

SDLP Youth have commented on NSPCC figures released today that reveal 347 children called ChildLine offices in Northern Ireland who were considering committing suicide.

Peter Armstrong, Chair of SDLP Youth said: “ChildLine are providing an invaluable counselling service 24-hours-a-day from their offices in Belfast and Derry. It is good news that young people are using this service to seek help with life’s problems, but it is also a great concern that the number of young people thinking about suicide has increased significantly.

“Young people are facing overwhelming pressures in life and sometimes feel they have nowhere to turn to when they need support. Suicide accounts for one-in-three deaths among young people.

“Both teenagers and younger children need to know they have close friends and family who care for them. They need to know they are never alone and there is support available for them - from friends, family, schools and telephone counselling.

“SDLP Youth call upon the government to dramatically increase investment in suicide awareness and prevention.

“While there has been some funding made available over the past three years, it was overdue and much more is now required.

“I would encourage any young person who is in distress or despair to seek help from friends, family, or professional counselling services such as ChildLine and LifeLine. They are available 24/7 and are completely confidential.”

ChildLine: (under 18s) Telephone 0800 1111

LifeLine: Telephone 08088088000