/Speak%20to%20the%20World%20country%20report%20-%20Ireland

Ireland Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people Contents Section 1: Introduction page 1 Section 2: Key findings page 4 Section 3: Understanding page 5

Section 4: Desire to be involved page 6 Section 5: Experiences of participation page 8 Section 6: The best international participation process page 10 Section 7: Evaluation page 11

Section 1: Introduction The children’s consultation event on ‘Children’s views on engaging in European and international decision-making’ was organised in Ireland by the Children’s Rights Alliance (the Alliance) in partnership with the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU). The Alliance is a coalition of over 90 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working to secure the rights and needs of children in Ireland, by campaigning for the full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The ISSU is the national umbrella body for second-level school student councils aimed at giving second-level students a voice in their education and issues that affect them.

The consultation event, Your World – Your Say, was part of the European Commission funded project ‘Children’s views on engaging in European and international decisionmaking’, exploring children and young people’s views and experiences of their involvement in European and international decision-making. This project was coordinated by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) and was carried out with partners in Austria, Estonia, Ireland and Romania and associate partners in the Republic of Moldova and Russia. The project comprised several elements, including a survey of European NGOs, a literature review and consultation events with children and young people in partner countries.

‘We are the future!’

This is a report on Your World – Your Say, the consultation event in Ireland. Separate reports have been published on the consultation events held in the four other partner countries. The findings and recommendations from the country consultation events have been incorporated into the main project report, Speak to the World: Children’s views on engaging in European and international decision-making.

The consultation took place on 17 November 2010 to coincide with International Students’ Day and to mark the week of the 21st anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

With financial support from the EU’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme

Children’s views on engaging in European and international decision-making

Ireland

Event preparation

Young People Defending their Arguments

Profile of children 101 children aged between 12 and 18 years from across Ireland registered for the event. 56% of participants were female and 44% were male. The dominant ethnic background of the participants was White Irish with a minority of the children being of Eastern European, African, Asian or South American origin.

In organising the event, a conscious effort was made to encourage the participation of children from marginalised groups with fewer opportunities. They were assisted in taking part in all aspects of the event to ensure that they were able to voice their opinions at every opportunity – those with physical disabilities were accompanied by personal assistants and/or language support assistants. Children from marginalised groups present at the event included: five children (including two Roma children) linked with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (an organisation that runs a range of services in communities across Ireland to support children); four children from Pavee Point (an organisation that supports human rights and provides services, education and training for Irish Travellers, a nomadic Irish ethnic group); four children from the Youth Advocate Programme (a support model to help keep young people in their communities and out of care or custody); three children from Enable Ireland (an organisation that provides services for children and adults with disabilities as well as their families). There were also five participants present from Youthreach. Youthreach Centres provide courses for young early school leavers aged between 16 and 18, aimed at encouraging them to return to education and to prepare them for employment.

During the week leading up to the event, participants were sent the programme for the day, an outline of the event and its purpose, and a copy of the children’s guide. This children’s guide is a document developed by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) and is used to support children to understand the range of mechanisms in place at European and international levels to engage children in decision-making.

A training session was held for the facilitators in advance of the consultation that included a presentation from European Movement Ireland; a run-through by the Alliance and the ISSU of the purpose of the event; the programme for the day; the background of the participants; the methodology to be used; and the information that would be gathered for the final report.

Format of the day The one-day event took the following format: approximately 100 children were divided into 10 groups around 10 tables. The groups were carefully formed to ensure that all groups included, as far as possible, a diverse range of geographic, social, ethnic, gender and age backgrounds. Each group was assigned a name relevant to European and international decision-making to draw participants into the theme of the event as soon as they had arrived (for example, G8, European Parliament, UN Human Rights Council).

A peer facilitator was appointed to each group to lead the participants in following the set programme for the day. These peer facilitators were young people in their late teens and early twenties with experience in youth leadership and working with other young people through the ISSU or European Youth Parliament.

The programme for the day included various interactive and fun activities aimed at capturing the views of the participants. Each activity was allotted a specific amount of time in the programme and was introduced by one of the Masters of Ceremonies (Jillian van Turnhout, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance and Leanne Caulfield, President of the ISSU). The facilitators then guided their groups through the activities providing additional explanation and encouragement where necessary.

Activities included: • Storyboards

Hi, everyone!

• Mind-mapping • Wall of participation • Knowledge cafés • Our say, our way.

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Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people

Methodology and themes The methodology used in the activities included the participatory appraisal method through the drawing of storyboards, the visual participatory method of mindmapping, peer information sharing through world knowledge cafés and the focused conversation and consensus decision-making methods through the group work.

Adult participants In addition to the peer-led facilitators, there were also staff members of the Alliance and representatives of the ISSU on hand throughout the event to provide logistical support. Guest representatives from the European Commission Representation in Ireland, European Parliament Representation in Ireland, UNICEF Ireland and European Movement Ireland were also present during the event to observe and engage with the children and to act as reference points for the peer facilitators and as a further source of information for the participants.

Children from Co. Meath with Leanne Caulfield, ISSU, Tim Hayes, European Commission, and Jillian van Turnhout, Children’s Rights Alliance

The European Parliament in Ireland had organised a special welcome video message from Irish MEPs. There were messages from: • Liam Aylward MEP, East Constituency, Fianna Fáil, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) • Proinsias De Rossa, MEP, Dublin Constituency, Labour Party, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament • Jim Higgins, MEP, North West Constituency, Fine Gael, European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) • Seán Kelly, MEP, South Constituency, Fine Gael, European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) • Gay Mitchell, MEP, Dublin Constituency, Fine Gael, European People’s Party (Christian Democrats).

These videos represented the only speaking time afforded to adults and, for the rest of the day, there were no adult speakers. This was to ensure that the event was as childcentred as possible and fully participatory throughout.

Report development This report is based on the materials produced by the participants during the consultation. This includes material generated from the story-boards, mind maps and personal statements. Feedback was also provided through the participant evaluation forms, comments from a vox pop with participants (recorded interviews) and the facilitators’ verbal feedback. This report was produced by the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union with feedback and editing from the Children’s Rights Alliance.

Enable Ireland participants meet Emma McKinley, Project Co-ordinator, Children’s Rights Alliance

‘Yes children should be involved in international decision-making because I think children’s views should be listened to as well as adults.’

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Ireland

Section 2: Key findings Key findings: • There was a broad awareness among the young people of the European Union, but not of the European decision-making bodies and processes and the differences between them • There was a wider knowledge of European decision-making bodies and processes than there was of those of the UN

Young people talking to Francis Jacobs, Head of the European Parliament in Ireland

• The majority of the young people think that young people should be involved in decisionmaking processes, and want to be involved themselves, but many feel that young people should only be involved in making decisions that are relevant to them • A number of the young people felt that they should only be involved in decision-making on a national level, and that European and international decision-making processes are too broad and not directly relevant to young people • Many of the young people had taken part in decision-making processes on a local and national level but only a few had taken part in decision-making processes on a European or international level • Experiences of participation in the European Youth Parliament and Model United Nations were said to have been positive with the young people who had been involved in them feeling as though they may have influenced decision-making

The European Economic and Social Committee table meets a real member of the same Committee, Jillian van Turnhout

• A lack of awareness of the opportunities to engage, and a lack of respect for young people’s views on the part of the Government and decisionmaking bodies, were cited as the main barriers to young people’s engagement in European and international decision-making processes • If young people were in charge, they would raise awareness of opportunities to encourage other young people to engage • If young people were in charge, the participation process would look different in that there would be a tiered representative structure for young people (local, provincial and national) and there would be a Model Children’s Government that could also liaise on a European and international level.

Yes for Young Adults!

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‘It’s the future of children that’s being affected.’

Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people

Section 3: Understanding of European and international decision-making Main findings: • The majority of the young people had heard of the European Union but were not well-informed about its various decision-making bodies or processes • A large number of the young people had heard of MEPs but were unclear about the role of the European Parliament in decision-making • There was very little knowledge of the decisionmaking bodies and processes of the UN with many only being able to associate the UN with its Convention on the Rights of the Child.

How informed are children about international and European decision-making processes?

The majority of the young people were aware of the European Union but many were not informed about the different decision-making bodies and processes of the European Union. For example, a case study relating to EUwide mobile phone roaming charges was used to allow participants to explore the relevant decision-making bodies involved in setting and reducing these charges. Some of the young people drew pictures of people ‘complaining to the EU government in Brussels’ and decisions being made in the ‘House of Brussels’ while others showed a ‘Big meeting in the EU’ where ‘All the EU leaders met up to discuss roaming charges’ and the decision being voted on by everyone in Europe at the ‘EU polling station’ and by ‘public vote in Brussels’. This lack of awareness can also be seen in a comment made by one of the facilitators: ‘They didn’t know any of the institutions and that there was a difference’.

Of the young people who had a slightly deeper knowledge of the decision-making bodies, the European Parliament was the most well-known amongst them with the majority of the young people having heard of MEPs. Despite many of the young people having heard of MEPs, there was still a lack of understanding of their role and that of European decision-making bodies. This was depicted in one of the storyboards, which had a caption reading: ‘MEPs were outraged by the high prices. They called up leaders e.g. the EU. The EU thought it was necessary to lower prices [of mobile phone roaming charges]’. A small number of those who had heard of the European Parliament knew that it holds its plenary sessions in Strasbourg, but the majority had the impression that all meetings are held in Brussels.

A minority of the young people had heard of the European Commission and even fewer had heard of the Council of Europe. Most of these thought that all decisions are made by the European Parliament and that it is the main decision-

making body of the EU. The majority was unaware that there are Europe-wide consultations conducted on certain issues, but a large number was aware of the existence of European treaties, particularly the Treaty of Lisbon. Knowledge of any of the European Courts was minimal, with a couple having heard of the European Court of Human Rights but almost none having heard of the European Court of Justice.

The minority group who had a good general understanding of the decision-making bodies and institutions at a European level were those who had participated in the European Youth Parliament.

There was almost a total lack of awareness of the decisionmaking bodies and processes of the UN. The feedback given by the facilitators was that the majority of the young people had heard of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, having learnt about it in school, but none were aware of any bodies of the UN or had heard of UN Special Sessions and Days of General Discussion. A couple of the young people cited climate change as something that they had heard the UN was working on. In terms of the complaints mechanisms of the UN, the most that the young people said was that they thought that people and organisations like Amnesty International could complain to the UN about human rights abuses.

Participants on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child have a laugh with Barney Shiels, UNICEF Ireland

‘I would not like to take part in decision-making but I think a young person with interest should be involved because they could have good ideas.’

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How do children find out about international decisionmaking processes?

The participants said that they find out about European and international decision-making in the following ways: • Election posters • Politicians calling to their doors • Booklets and other publications that they get through the door • Media – television, radio and newspapers • Religion – human rights issues • School – through CSPE (Civic, Social and Political Education is a subject taught at secondary school to junior cycle students, aged 12-14 years), but that information can be easily forgotten; optional extracurricular activities such as debating; and charity work focusing on human rights issues.

What do children think are the best ways to find out about international decision-making processes?

The best ways to find out about decision-making processes according to the young people are as follows: • Participation in youth programmes such as the European Youth Parliament or through youth organisations such as the ISSU • Through student councils – young people should be equipped with more information relating to the EU • School – the CSPE curriculum should be adapted and made more current by including issues that are relevant that year; politicians should visit schools more often; schools should have more compulsory debates and discussions on these issues • Text/SMS alerts – the Government should send text alerts regarding new laws and political updates • Through people that appeal to young people such as bands or celebrities • Short, catchy, fun and memorable TV adverts, videos or podcasts • News – there should be a dedicated news channel/ programme for young people • Colourful, short and to the point monthly newsletters, features in young people’s magazines; a dedicated newspaper for young people • Social networking websites.

‘Children are up to date with what is going on in the world therefore we should be consulted on issues of the world.’

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Section 4: Desire to be involved in European and international processes Key findings: • The general consensus among the young people was that young people should be involved in decision-making processes, but many felt that young people should only be involved in decisionmaking on a national level. Many felt that young people have a greater awareness of national issues that are more directly relevant to them than issues decided on at a European or international level • A minority of the young people thought that they should not be involved in decision-making for reasons such as a lack of understanding of, or interest in, the issues affecting young people • The majority of the young people want to take part in decision-making processes. However, of the minority that do not want to take part, many of those said that they would like other young people to be able to take part • It was largely felt that young people should only contribute to decisions on issues of direct concern to them such as education, community facilities, public transport and health etc.

Do children think that they should be involved in international / European decision-making?

A large majority of the young people think that they should be involved in European and international decision-making.

The reasoning given for this was largely that children are best placed to know what is best for them, ‘by consulting children more the government/EU will better understand our wants/needs’; that children have a right to a say, ‘Yes children should be involved in international decisionmaking because I think children’s views should be listened to as well as adults’; that they can contribute positively to decision-making, ‘children are up to date with what is going on in the world therefore we should be consulted on issues of the world’ and that they should have a say in their future, ‘it’s the future of children that’s being affected’.

A minority of the young people thought that young people should not be involved in European and international decisionmaking as they believe that children do not know enough about the issues: ‘No – some people don’t fully understand the topics that are being decided on’, and that many of them are simply not interested; ‘No, some people aren’t interested and aren’t mature enough to make a well thought-out choice’.

Some of the young people were also of the opinion that they should only be involved in decision-making processes on

Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people

a national level as national issues are more directly relevant to young people: ‘A large percentage of what is discussed and debated at EU and international level is not related to children’s lives and it would therefore be difficult for a child to have an informed opinion on the subject’. They said they know less about issues on a European level and so participation would be less effective and wasteful: ‘Yes, children’s opinions should be taken into account regarding all the issues in their own area/country but sending children to the EU to make decisions for the entire continent is unhelpful and a waste of time and money’.

Also, please see pages 10-11 for more detail on the processes that children said they like to participate in.

Do children want to take part in international and European processes? If so, why? If not, why not?

• Children may have fresh and innovative ideas

A resounding ‘yes’ was the answer to the question as to whether young people want to take part in European and international decision-making processes. Many of them want to participate for the same reasons that they think young people should be involved – they believe that young people can contribute positively to decision-making: ‘We’re as much a part of the world as others. I would participate. Young people also have a lot to say in decisions’. Many want to have a say in decisions that affect them: ‘I think children want to do that because decisions affect them as well as adults’.

Many want to have a say because they believe that they should have a say in their future: ‘Yes, because decisions today affect young people in the future. We are the future!!’.

• Better, more rounded, decisions, based on shared experiences and inclusive of all groups in society

Of the minority who said that they would not like to participate, many said that they would like other young people to be involved: ‘I would not like to take part in decision-making but I think a young person with interest should be involved because they could have good ideas’. Overall, it seemed that the young people would like to be listened to and to have a say, but do not want to be burdened with the stress of difficult decisions: ‘Let a child be a child under 16 – get their opinions but that’s it.’ This was also shown in a summary given by one of the facilitators: ‘They were unanimous on the thought that whilst they wanted to be consulted for decision-making and have a say, they did not want to have the responsibility of making tough decisions themselves. They believed and agreed that adults had more sense of the world and knew what was right for them but they would still like to be listened to’.

What are the benefits of involving children in international and European decision-making?

The benefits identified from involving young people in European and international decision-making were: • The Government will know how to deal with young people’s issues better • Fulfilling democracy, by taking into account all of the population’s wants, needs and opinions • Idealism is reintroduced to politics

• Increased political awareness and activity as young people get older.

Young people expressing their views

Are there particular international and European processes which children would like to participate in?

Of those who wanted to participate in European and international decision-making processes, the majority said that they thought children should be involved in all types of decision-making processes but a number of young people said that they thought that they should only be involved in decisions on issues concerning young people: ‘Where children are involved e.g. education, social and family affairs, divorce and adoption laws, healthcare and insurance affairs, transport and local issues’.

Wall of Participation to find out if children want to take part in European and international decision-making processes – the answer was a resounding ‘Yes’!

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Section 5: Experiences of participation Main findings: • The majority of the young people had taken part in decision-making processes on a local or national level but only a minority had engaged with European or international decision-making processes

Yes please, we want to be involved more!

• Those who had taken part in European or international decision-making processes found it to have been a largely positive experience but there was pessimism among some as to whether they had actually influenced the decision-making processes • Young people who are encouraged to engage with decision-making processes at home or at school, young people from urban areas and young people from better-off socio-economic backgrounds, are more likely to participate, according to feedback given by the young people • Barriers to participation identified by the young people include a lack of awareness of the opportunities to become involved, a lack of confidence in the attitude of the Government to young people’s opinions and views, a lack of understanding of the decision-making processes and issues at hand, and a lack of interest.

Have children taken part in international and European processes? If so, what have they participated in? How did they take part?

Young people from Enable Ireland at the consultation event

Young people explain their points to their peer-led facilitator

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A large number of the young people had taken part in decision-making processes at a local and national level through the student council in their school, Comhairle na nÓg – local youth councils, Dáil na nÓg – the national youth parliament, the ISSU or other youth organisations.

However, only a minority of the young people had taken part in European or international decision-making processes. A couple of young people had taken part in decision-making on a European level through the European Youth Parliament and had experienced international decision-making processes though the Model United Nations.

Those who had participated in the European Youth Parliament attended meetings on a regional and national level with other young people from across Ireland discussing set issues of importance both nationally, and on a European level. They were required to prepare speeches in advance and some were then selected to represent Ireland at events on a European level with delegates from other European countries. This was quite a formal means

Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people

of youth participation as the sessions were conducted in a very professional manner and the youth delegates were expected to dress in business attire at all times.

What prevented children from engaging / engaging fully in international and European processes? What do children think could be done to overcome these barriers?

The handful of young people who had participated in the Model United Nations had done so through their own school, where they discussed and debated various issues.

The young people then had the opportunity to apply to be part of the Irish delegation to an international Model United Nations conference where youth delegates from all over the world took on the role of diplomats to discuss issues and come up with solutions.

The majority of young people said that a lack of awareness of how to go about getting involved, and where to get this information from, prevented them from engaging in European and international decision-making processes: ‘there is a feeling that the organisations are there but young people don’t know about them’. The majority also said that young people do not get involved as they feel that they will not be listened to or taken seriously: ‘Young people simply aren’t respected by the government institutions’. A large number also identified as barriers the fact that young people were not identifying with the processes and with a language that was too bureaucratic. A minority of the young people also said that little or no interest was a barrier to young people engaging with decision-making processes. A barrier cited for many of the young people who have been involved in decision-making processes at a local and national level, but not at an European or international level, is that young people are only interested in national issues: ‘No real interest in politics outside a national level. National is enough to think about’.

Was this a positive or negative experience? Did children think they had influenced the process / decisions made?

The children largely found it to be a positive experience as they had the opportunity to discuss important issues, share knowledge with others, gain an insight into the decision-making process and learn new skills, such as speech-writing and public speaking. In general, those who had participated in the European Youth Parliament thought they had influenced the decisions being made.

Those who had participated in the Model UN were a little more pessimistic with the view that their ideas may be taken on board by the UN but that they were unlikely to be taken seriously.

Are some children more likely than others to engage in international and European processes? If so, who?

Why do children think this is?

It was felt that children who come from a family in which the parents are interested in current affairs, and encourage their children to take an interest in watching the news and reading newspapers, are more likely to engage in European and international processes as they are familiar with the topic from a young age. Children who go to schools which encourage engagement in decisionmaking processes are also more likely to participate as they see it as part of their education and if they are: ‘linked with people involved’ i.e. if their friends and other young people from school are involved, then they are more likely to participate and find it interesting. A number of the young people also felt that children in urban areas have more opportunities to participate as they have access to more facilities and because most regional and national events are held in cities. Teachers were also seen to be important. A number of the young people also mentioned that children from more well-off backgrounds have more opportunities to participate: ‘more upper class kids – have more opportunity’, with the Model UN and European Youth Parliament being described as ‘elitist’.

The point was also made that young people who are involved in anti-social behaviour and who therefore may have a “bad reputation” are less likely to participate as a result of this reputation.

In order to overcome these barriers, there should be more information provided to young people on how to get involved, such as representatives from youth organisations coming in to schools. Decision-making processes should be made more accessible to young people and interactive education should be provided to help young people identify with the decision-making processes – language should also be simplified to increase understanding: ‘make it seem relevant, explain why it’s relevant to young people, make terms less confusing’. There should be a mandatory module on Ireland and the EU and how they relate to each other in Transition Year. The Transition Year happens in year four of six years at secondary level school (age 12-18 years). It is a one-year, school-based programme between the junior and senior cycles. It was felt that there should be guest speakers in schools in all areas but an effort should be made to visit schools in lower income areas, and links should be created between schools in different socio-economic areas to collaborate on discussions on EU issues.

‘By consulting children more the government/EU will better understand our wants and needs.’

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Section 6: The best international participation process Main findings: • If the young people were in charge of engaging children in European and international decisionmaking processes, they would ensure that student representative bodies were improved, that education in the area was up-to-date and that negative views surrounding young people having a say in decision-making were eliminated

Leanne Caulfield, ISSU introduces the next session

• If young people were in charge, the participation process would be different as there would be a democratic, tiered representative system for young people and more opportunities for young people to have their say on all levels, including lowering the voting age to 16 years.

If children were in charge of engaging children in international and European decision-making, how would they do this? What would the participation process look like?

‘I want to be more involved’

If children were in charge of engaging children in European and international decision-making, they would ensure that student councils were improved: ‘Student councils aren’t listened to. Students [are] elected but next level [is] not listening (staff & schools)’ and that the school system was improved to encourage engagement through more interactive learning and through making CSPE more youth focused: ‘revise and update the CSPE course – currently inadequate’. They would make sure that young people learn about what goes on in the world through the media and social networking sites and through guest speakers in schools. They would create more awareness of the means to participate that do exist, such as the European Youth Parliament and other youth organisations. They would try to do away with the negative connotations that surround young people being given a voice: ‘It [the EU] is so alienated from young people’s lives that we don’t know what to participate in’ and instead, give examples of how EU legislation has impacted on young people.

For those who have been involved, what would they change about how and when they are asked for their views?

Jillian and Leanne, MCs, listen while an Irish MEP wishes participants well

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The young people believe that the participation process would be different if they were in charge as children, in that they would actually be listened to through better student councils and a tiered (local, provincial, national) representation system for all young people in the country – there would be a democratic, youth-run

Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people

model children’s government that could be consulted both nationally and internationally. There would be more forums for young people to become involved by having more youth workshops and consultations, and by providing funding for ISSU to further develop its student council network. The voting age would be lowered to 16 years and an online voter registration system introduced.

Younger people would be enabled and empowered to become involved in the EU and run for election to the European Parliament so that representatives were not as out of touch with young people. They would put in place a facility whereby all policy could be reviewed online prior to implementation so that the public could submit their comments on it. Child delegates would be sent to the EU and UN to speak on certain policy issues. Young people would definitely be involved in decisions that affect them.

Many of the young people have been involved locally with the student council in their schools and said that they would like student councils to be improved so they were taken more seriously and listened to more, to ‘make student councils work better’. This was also reflected in feedback from one of the facilitators: ‘They raised the issue of student councils as an example. They explained how their Principal and teachers wanted and encouraged them to set up student councils and then didn’t listen to their views once set up’.

‘We’re as much a part of the world as others. I would participate. Young people also have a lot to say in decisions.’

‘There is a feeling that the organisations are there but young people don’t know about them.’

Section 7: Evaluation All but one of the participants felt that the consultation event provided them with an opportunity to share their views on their involvement with European and international decision-making processes. Opinions on which activity best enabled them to share their views and opinions were varied with a roughly equal amount of the participants preferring each individual activity, that is, the storyboards, mind mapping, wall of participation, knowledge cafés or the Our Say, Our Way session. (Please note that there is a description of these activities on pages 6-7 of the Alliance’s External Evaluation (at event)). This is true of all activities, other than the knowledge cafés, which a slightly higher number of participants thought provided them with the best opportunity – this shows that young people enjoy sharing their views and experiences and hearing from others through peer-to-peer learning. A comment that was made by a lot of the participants was that working with, and taking part in, discussions as part of a group allowed them to share their views.

This report shows that working in small groups proved to be successful. While there was also an open forum with a questions and answers session for 40 minutes, still, roughly 10% of the participants felt more interaction with all of the participants present would have been a positive addition to the event. This could have been achieved through presentations by each group to the entire room or debates with the whole room involved.

Although the event was made accessible to those with special needs, and they were supported to participate in the event and assisted in having their say in each activity by personal assistants/language support assistants, one of the participants felt that there should be more space for the views of those with special needs. A larger number of participants with special needs would have been welcomed should they have applied to attend,

Young people reading the children’s guide

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but perhaps it would be a good idea to promote further similar events among more special needs interest groups.

The majority of the young people said that they approved of the venue and comments were made about how well organised the event had been by both participants and facilitators.

A small number of the participants voiced opinions on the topic of the consultation – they felt that such an event should focus more on involving young people to a greater extent and on ways through which young people can become more involved with European and international decision-making rather than just talking about young people’s views on the actual decisionmaking processes themselves. This is something which could be taken on board and considered at a European or international level for future events or consultations.

Several of the young people praised the event saying that they had enjoyed the experience, had learnt a lot and had formed new ideas. Many also said that they hoped there would be further similar events in the future, perhaps with even more young people in attendance.

‘No, some people aren’t interested and aren’t mature enough to make a well thought out choice.’

‘I think children want to be involved because decisions affect them as well as adults.’

‘Young people simply aren’t respected by the government institutions.’

‘Our teacher couldn’t tell us what it was about.’

Participants from Pavee Point

‘How can we really actually MAKE a difference and not just talk about it.’

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