Giving Dublin’s youth a voice
The room is bustling with heated, animated conversation. There’s around 50 people gathered in three groups focusing on different areas of the problem at hand. The groups sit in circles, debating, brainstorming.
You hear snippets here and there: “A PR launch in the Mansion House or Smock Alley?… Overcoming the stigma of being in care… The trauma of a kid in care turning 18 and suddenly just being thrown out onto the street?… Think in images.”
We’re hearing the language of political engagement. Of lobbying. Of activism.
We’re in the Wood Quay headquarters of Dublin City Council. The site was the scene of heated protest in the 70s; conservationists wanted to preserve the Viking settlement unearthed during excavations. It’s been claimed that the defeat of their protest set back the cause of activism in Ireland for decades.
The meeting today, however, testifies to the fact that activism is alive and well. What’s more, this engaged group is made up of young people aged 12-17, debating and lobbying on issues that affect them.
Comhairle na nÓg is for young people… who aren’t eligible to vote and it provides a space to have their voices heard.
They touch on everything from mental health services to sustainability to homelessness and the problems faced by youth in care. It’s very impressive stuff. The Wood Quay activists would be proud.
Welcome to Comhairle na nÓg. “It’s a young persons’ parliament,” says coordinator Mary Mooney of Dublin City Council. “Comhairle na nÓg is for young people under the age of 18 who aren’t eligible to vote and it provides a space to have their voices heard”.
What Comhairle na nÓg is all about
Comhairle na nÓg means ‘Youth Council’. There is a Comhairle located in each of the 31 local authorities across the country.
They are designed to provide young people with an opportunity to discuss and debate the services, policies and issues that affect them most.
A comhairle group discussion when Dublin.ie visited back in 2017
Through the Comhairle, young people are encouraged to speak out and make their voices heard on all issues of relevance. So just like a Citizens’ Assembly, really, but for young people.
It’s an initiative of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. And though a few years have passed since Dublin.ie witnessed the scenes above, it appears to be quite an effective one.
It’s not pie in the sky stuff, it is real. Nor is it a way to bunk off school, because these meetings kick off at 4pm.
How to become a member
Registration for the Dublin City Comhairle AGM opens in September. Young people aged 12-17 years can register to attend if they live or go to school in the Dublin City Council area. They can also register through their school or youth organisations, as they all receive notice of the AGM too.
Some 200 young people attend from schools and youth projects. There is an opportunity for anyone attending who wants to be on the Comhairle to put their name down at the AGM and run for election. Then, they pitch speeches to the crowd, presenting their case as to why they should be elected.
They are like mini-councillors.
“They get up and say why they want to do the job and their peers vote for them. So they are like mini-councillors,” Mary says.
At the AGM, they also vote on their working topic for the year ahead. In 2017, the topic was homelessness. In 2020, it was climate action. And in 2022, it is mental health.
The council’s working topic for 2024
The city’s young people chose substance abuse as their working topic for 2024. They are currently working together to refine their topic focus and develop an impactful response.
The Comhairle’s approach to each new working topic is guided by research, and this year has been no different. Consulting and collaborating with experts is an essential part of this.
A panel held at Trinity College Dublin allowed them to discuss substance abuse and ask experts about its effects on the youth of Dublin today. These discussions highlighted the dangers of Nitrous Oxide, or fast gas.
Following this, the Comhairle visited Leinster House, where they had the chance to discuss fast gas with TD Mark Ward, who is working on a bill to legislate its use in Ireland.
A collaboration with Dr. Glenn Curtain, the designer in residence at the Digital Hub, is showing the Comhairle what’s involved in developing solutions that address health and wellbeing challenges in the community.
These skills will be used to run an awareness campaign on the dangers of fast gas in the coming months, as is the Comhairle’s tradition.
A graphic and period pack created as part of the Dublin City Comhairle na nÓg’s 2023 working topic
For example, the 2023 working topic was period stigma amongst young people. As part of this campaign, the young people of the council developed graphics and the Dublin City Comhairle created period packs which they distributed to schools represented by each member.
What’s next for Dublin City’s youth council
As it stands, Dublin City’s Comhairle na nÓg is made up of 56 elected young people from across the city. They are elected for a two year term, while working topics change annually.
Members are a key part of the decision making process and they work in partnership with their coordinator and seek advice from various organisations relevant to the working topic.
The next AGM will take place in November in the Round Room at the Mansion House on Dawson Street.
For further information, contact [email protected] or visit the Dublin City Comhairle na nÓg website.
