Youth Leadership in the GAA is about many things but ultimately boils down to the following:

• Creating opportunities for young people to play our Games at a level that is appropriate for them
• Engaging the Youth Voice
• Empowering young people to contribute and lead in the promotion of Gaelic games, the development of policy and the evolution of the organisation
• We do this through the current organisational structures at National, Provincial, County and Club level and the establishment of fora and positions through which the youth voice can be amplified

At National level we have the Youth Committee, the Youth Representatives and the Youth Forum as well as our various programmes as follows:

• Dermot Earley Youth Leadership
• TY Future Leaders
• Junior Cert Wellbeing
• Leaving Cert PE

Non-Games Based Player (Person) Education

As the core unit of the organisation the Club is where we ultimately want to engage the youth voice and empower our youth members to contribute and take leadership roles in the promotion of our games and the organisation of activity.

To facilitate this we ensure that each of the current programmes we organise provide for and promote links to the local Club, specifically as follows:

DEYLI - The aim of the Programme is to develop our Club leaders of the future

Senior Cycle - The Leaving Cert PE Programme includes a project which we encourage participants to carry out within Club structures

Future Leaders - The aim of the Future Leaders Programme is to develop our Club leaders of the future

Junior Cycle - The Junior Cycle Wellbeing Programme includes a specific emphasis on physical activity through Gaelic games and endevours to encourage participants to join their local Gaelic Games Club

Primary School - Our Primary School Programmes promote the values of the GAA and endeavour to provide a positive experience of the GAA to all children to promote continued participation and membership.

Additionally we are currently in the process of developing a series of Club based workshops and initiatives for our youth members.

Our aim is to promote implementation of the United Nations Rights of the Child and in particular Engagement of the Youth Voice across all programmes to support implementation of the relevant elements of the GAA Player Development Framework.

We endeavour to do so in partnership with our sister Associations, the Camogie Association and the LGFA and through developing partnerships with expert and youth lead organisations across the island.