A chance for Cork youth to speak out on issues

I am a student at Le Chéile Ballincollig and I’m a member of the local youth council Cork City Comhairle na nÓg.

Comhairle na nÓg is a network of youth councils all over the country that give young people aged 12-17 real input into policies on critical issues on a local and national level.

It is funded by the DCEDIY (Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth).

Article 12 of the United Nations’ convention on children’s rights gives young people “the right to be heard in all matters affecting them, to participate in all decision-making processes having a bearing on their lives, and to exert influence over such decisions”.

Comhairle na nÓg was set up in order to deliver on that right.

Cork City Comhairle na nÓg will be holding our Annual Youth Conference on October 22 at the Millenium Hall in Cork City Hall. The event is for any young person ages 12-17 in Cork city and will be held from 10am to 1pm.

The Annual Youth conference is held every year, organised by the young people of Cork City Comhairle na nÓg ourselves. The aim of the conference is to collect the views and opinions of all of Cork’s youth and to recruit new members onto the council.

This youth conference will focus on choosing the topic of our upcoming project.

Over the course of the day, Cork’s students will hear speeches from members of the council about the work that we’ve completed over the past two years, they will be given the chance to share their opinions on what issues are most prominent for young people, and finally they will vote on the most important topic.

We will use the information collected at this conference to begin working on a new project, a topic we will focus on for the next two years.

The attendees of the conference will also have the opportunity to apply to join Cork City Comhairle na nÓg. We meet fortnightly at City Hall or in the YMCA, to work on ongoing projects and to engage with other issues for young people, such as Palestine, Climate Justice and Youth Voice.

Comhairle provides members with a wealth of opportunities, experiences and connections while also giving them a platform to voice their opinions.

Our members are also given the chance to represent Cork city in national conferences and consultations such as The National Youth Assemblies on Climate or Rural Youth and through Comharile led conferences like ‘Dáil na nÓg.

This gives the young people of Cork direct influence over policy makers on national level. As well as that, it also develops an understanding of the government and allows young people to make their own opinions on today’s issues.

For the last two years, we have been working on the topic of disability; both physical and invisible. This topic was voted on at the Youth Conference in 2023 and since then we have consulted with the student council of Scoil Bernadette Cork and other youth groups around Cork to hear their thoughts on what we could do to tackle disability stereotypes.

Along with this, some of our members have worked on a zine about the experiences of girls with autism, a topic our members felt strongly about. The information we collected went towards organising our ‘Fun Inclusive Youth Space’, a pop up event that was designed with access in mind.

During our research on the topic of disability, we concluded that the largest problem for young people with disabilities in Cork is socialising and friendships. Often, the places in the city that teenagers socialise in are either inaccessible for people with mobility needs or are too overstimulating for people with autism and ADHD.

We discovered we needed to look at removing barriers for young people with disabilities so that they could take part in social events with their peers.

Our ‘Fun Inclusive Youth Space’ was held in June, in the Marina Market. The event was organised as a part of Cruinniú na nÓg, in conjunction with child-friendly cities.

We aimed to create a safe space for all young people to enjoy themselves and forge friendships. We made sure the event was accessible, had first aid on sight, a labelled sensory room and sensory map. We used Navi Lens signs and shared a social story so attendees knew what to expect ahead of time.

There were a range of activities run by our members and music on the day and it was completely free.

The event took months of planning and designing by our members, and was a huge success. It was attended by a large range of Cork teenagers, by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Lord Mayor of Cork.

If you or someone you know would be interested in becoming a member of the youth council or learning more about it, please sign up for our Annual Youth Conference.

We invite all young people 12-17 to come, especially those who have interest in politics and activism or just feel the need to have their voices heard.

If you wish to attend, the registration link is linked to our Instagram page @Comhairle_cork or you may get in touch with Elaine Howley at elaine.howley@ymca-ireland.net for more information