Comhairle na nOg

Cork County Comhairle na nÓg: Young people having a say in decisions affecting the local authority of Cork County.

Cork County Comhairle na nÓg is one of 31 child and youth councils in each of the local authorities, which give children and young people the opportunity to be involved in the development of local services and policies in the Republic or Ireland. County Cork Comhairle na nÓg is currently facilitated by YMCA Ireland.

How was the need for the project first identified?

30 years ago the United Nations General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. The Irish State ratified it the convention 28 September 1992 and therefore committed itself to promote, protect and fulfil the rights of children, as outlined in the UN Convention. Comhairle na nÓg were established to provide a structure that enables the child's right to participation, as laid down in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

What are the project's objectives for 2019?

• Coordinate and facilitate monthly Youth Council meetings and subgroup/ project support meetings as required.

• Devise and implement a work plan in consultation with Youth Council.

• Provide young people with opportunities to voice their views on other relevant bodies .

• Organise and accompany members of the Youth Council to Regional & National events deemed relevant.

• Increase the profile of Comhairle na nÓg through outreach work and regular monitoring and maintenance of Comhairle na nOg Social media pages in collaboration with the Youth Council members.

• Develop links to decision making bodies and agencies.

What were some of the highlights for the programme during the past year?

AGM 2019 took place on 7 November and focused on the theme of Children’s Rights to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child on 20 November 1989.

The group’s work topic for 2019-2020 is ‘Building resilience around Stress and Pressure in Young People’. Members have been working on a stress management resource i.e. PEACE (Pause, Evaluate, Act, Connect, Expectations) and complimentary short movie resource

Alicia O’Sullivan is the group’s representative on the Comhairle na nÓg National Executive 2018-19 who have been working on the theme of Equality with a specific focus on equality in a school setting. They are focused on two key actions on this topic: Individuality and Student Voice. Student Voice: they are developing guidelines for school management and teaching staff on how to improve the participation of young people in decision-making in the school system. The guidelines will be part of an interactive web-based resource. Individuality: an online campaign calling for individuality in schools #TeachMeAsMe.

Comments from young people involved in the project.

“I learned so much about politics and government from my time involved with Comhairle. A brilliant platform for young people in Ireland.”

“Comhairle was the official beginning of my activism journey! If you’re looking for somewhere to start. Comhairle has given me many things and I hope I did the same in return. It brought alive my passion for fighting for change and gave me endless opportunities. Thank u to everyone I’ve met.”

“This is an amazing opportunity that I was part of for two years as the role of an ordinary committee member and also as Chairperson! Comhairle gives young people a platform to express their views and change the landscape of their local society!”

“Check this out if your looking to make change in your community. Amazing experience with the best people!!”