Caoimhe Cotter, Toby Murphy, Jimmy Ahmed, Ailís Malone, Niall Muldoon, Ciaran Smith, Mia Harding, James Casserly, Jamal Murray, Karolina Byrne, Prof Phillip D. Jaffé (Vice chair UN Committee on the Rights of the Child), Méabh Ní Churraidhín, Christopher O’Sullivan and Tim Grace Byrne
Advisory panel asked strong and challenging questions in relation to children’s mental health
THREE local young people were part of a group that took part in a national conference on children’s rights last month and helped to develop a report about young people called ‘Pieces of Us’.
Titled ‘Pieces of Us – What’s Next?’, the event was run by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) and attended by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Ciaran Smith (17) from Boherna-breena, Christopher O’Sullivan (17) from Knocklyon, and James Casserly (17) from Lucan all participated in the conference.
The teenagers are all members of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office’s Youth Advisory Panel and were instrumental in gathering information for a report presented at the conference.
They collected information from young people across Ireland on how they feel about living in Ireland and the changes they want to see.
Speaking following the event, the Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, said: “We were delighted to have our Youth Advisory Panel involved in this important children’s rights conference.
“They asked strong and challenging questions, particularly in relation to children’s mental health and how Ireland is ensuring that all children have equal opportunities.”
Dr Carmel Corrigan, OCO head of participation and rights education, who led in coordinating the ‘Pieces of Us’ report, added: “The ‘Pieces of Us – What’s Next?’ event was unique in that it gave a children’s perspective on the Concluding Observations of the UNCRC and the concerns that were raised.
“The children who worked on our ‘Pieces of Us’ report were the heart and soul of the report – it was their voices and their insights, and so it’s important that they also have a say on what happens next.”
The ‘Pieces of Us – What’s Next?’ event was held last month on Friday, July 21, at Croke Park.
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