The second Seanad na n\u00d3g event took place on Friday, November 14, bringing 60 delegates under the age of 18 from Comhairle na n\u00d3g and youth organisations across the country into the Seanad chamber. The session was co-chaired by Cathaoirleach Senator Mark Daly, Leas-Chathaoirleach Senator Maria Byrne and Christian, a representative from Kerry Comhairle na n\u00d3g.<\/p>\n
Among the students taking part was Amina Ahmed Costello, a youth advocate who was previously selected to represent the Croom For\u00f3ige UBU Project at the Eurochild Conference in Malta in 2024 to discuss issues affecting young people not just in Ireland but throughout Europe.<\/p>\n
Welcoming participants, Senator Daly said the Seanad had \u201calways championed minority voices\u201d and that the chamber was committed to empowering young people. \u201cToday, we will absorb their wisdom, reflect on their insights and act on their recommendations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Senator Byrne said the event \u201cemphasises the importance of giving young people a real voice in shaping services and policies\u201d, adding that she looked forward to reviewing the delegates\u2019 proposals for inclusion in Ireland\u2019s EU Presidency priorities.<\/p>\n
Over the course of the day, delegates outlined recommendations across several key themes.<\/p>\n
On peace and security, they highlighted the growing risks posed by deepfakes and misinformation, calling for a strong focus on safeguarding peace \u201cin a digital world\u201d.<\/p>\n
On climate action, young people stressed the need for inclusive and cooperative approaches to tackling the climate crisis. They urged that policies reflect the experiences of communities most affected and ensure that climate action is accessible to all.<\/p>\n
Delegates also raised several concerns relating to education and youth supports, advocating for increased training for guidance counsellors, enhanced mental health services in schools, and greater resources for special education needs. They warned that the ongoing cost-of-living crisis should be examined \u201cthrough the lens of a young person or a person with a disability\u201d.<\/p>\n
Substance misuse emerged as another major concern. Delegates called for stronger investment in early-intervention mental health supports and community services to help prevent young people turning to drugs or alcohol.<\/p>\n
The challenges facing children in care were also discussed, with calls for improvements in the system to ensure better outcomes and stronger protections for those in State care. Delegates further emphasised the importance of equality, urging political leaders to continue strengthening rights and supporting those who experience discrimination or inequality.<\/p>\n
Co-chair Christian said the forum gave young people a rare opportunity to contribute directly to national policy discussions. \u201cIt allows us to enter the Seanad chamber and discuss the issues that matter to young people. It gives those under 18 a voice in our democracy, even though we can\u2019t yet vote,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great that young people can give input on the EU Presidency Ireland will hold next year. We\u2019ll inherit whatever EU this generation\u2019s leaders leave to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley praised the delegates for their \u201cthoughtful and ambitious contributions\u201d, thanking Senator Daly for facilitating the event and Christian for co-chairing. \u201cI look forward to hearing your deliberations and all that will come out of today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The recommendations compiled during the day-long event will now be sent to Government for consideration as officials finalise Ireland\u2019s priorities for the EU Presidency in June 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The second Seanad na n\u00d3g event took place on Friday, November 14, bringing 60 delegates under the age…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[12212,61,60,43],"class_list":["post-159150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-edana-flynn","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}