Addressing racism and homophobia amongst young

Dear sir - Addressing hundreds of volunteers linked to Ireland's largest youth organisation, Foróige, to celebrate the charity's 60th anniversary, President Michael D Higgins has described suicide through racism and homophobia as 'an appalling blight on a society'. Speaking at the 42nd Annaul Foróige Leaders' Conference in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, Dublin, the President said: "Both the positives and negatives of our contemporary lives come from emotions. The negative emotion of racism, the appalling, destructive reality of homophobia which I really feel people should speak about more often. The idea that any young person would be driven not just to lower self-esteem, exclusion, isolation, loneliness but self destruction itself is an appalling blight on a society. So we have to ask, therefore, about how racism gets going, how homophobia does its destructive work, how isolation tears at a person's wanting to exist, how important every person is. These are important issues, they are not merely emotional issues." The Foróige Annual Leaders' conference also heard contributions from Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Westlife star and Foróige alumnus Kian Egan. In addition, inspirational stories were told by young Foróige members and past members from the last six decades. 60 years ago the first ever Foróige Youth Club was established in Kilkenny. Since that day, the 14th of March 1952, the charity has mushroomed. It is now Ireland's leading and largest youth organisation working with almost 57,000 young people and 5,125 adult volunteers annually, through a network of 534 youth clubs, 126 targeted projects and national programmes such as Entrepreneurship and Leadership. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald TD said she had been greatly impressed with the fantastic and innovative range of youth work activities being provided by Foróige clubs, local youth services, development projects and youth cafés. It is clear that this multi-faceted approach has served Foróige very well in meeting the developmental and educational needs of young people in a holistic way and providing targeted interventions where and when required, she added. Yours, Sean Campbell, CEO, Foroige.