The report of the Youth Department was presented to General Synod by Mr Andrew Brannigan and Rev Ian Cruickshank. Proposing the Report, Mr Brannigan spoke of the work carried out by the members of the Youth Department's staff and drew
attention to particular areas of work including youth events, training opportunities and support for employed youth workers.

Of great encouragement was the deveopment and growth of diocesan youth ministry across the Church of Ireland, and Synod members were ecouraged to support this development in their dioceses and parishes, and to make use of the range of
resources produced by the dioceses that were now available for use in the parishes. Looking forward, a strategic plan for the Youth Department for 2012-2015 was in the process of completion and submissions into the strategy-setting process were encouraged.

The Rev Ian Cruickshank seconded the Report, extending the Youth Department's thanks to the RCB Allocations Committee, the Priorities Fund and the Office of Minister for Children and Youth for their allocations of funding. Referring to the importance of an integrated vision for any organisation, Mr Cruickshank spoke of the need for the Church's youth ministry to be guided by a vision of "equip[ping] young people for a life of mission and service".

Discussion of the Report picked up on the value of the Youth Department's work and the importance of encouraging the active involvement of young people in the life of the Church. The central structures of the Church were encouraged to consider how best to engage its younger members in order to encourage their participation. Recent funding reductions in areas including the "Jump" programme were noted as a point of concern, and the Very Rev Chris Peters, Dean of Ross, emphasised the importance of making the most of available resources in the current economic environment, while Mr Martin Montgomery (Diocese of
Dromore) stressed the importance of a "kingdom focus" and the need sometimes for sacrifice in order to achieve change. Captain Colin Taylor of the Church Army exhorted the Synod to prioritise resourcing for the Youth Department, and suggested that the Church of Ireland might hold a youth ministry forum where the Church could engage with its young people, and the Rev Canon Horace McKinley (Dublin and Glendalough) echoed the call for postive action in this area. The Rt Rev Kenneth Clarke, Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, spoke of the "catastrophic consequences" of failing to invest in the Church's young people, due to the lifelong importance of people's experience of the Church during their youth.