Tess Martin describes how the National Youth Parliament – Dáil na nÓg – came into being, what its objectives are and how it works.
For this unique parliament session, there is a full turn-out. There are no insults thrown across the floor, people listen to each other instead of scoring points, and without any need for lobby bells, final decisions achieve majority agreement in a day.
It’s Dáil na nÓg, the National Youth Parliament which holds its annual meeting in Dublin this month to examine the issues relevant to young people and submit their decisions to Government. This Dáil is organized in partnership between the National Youth Council of Ireland, Foróige and Youth Work Ireland on behalf of the Office of the Minister for Children – the latter set up to implement the National Children’s Strategy, designed to improve the quality of life of our under-18s.
Dáil na nÓg’s objectives are to:
(i) provide a place where young people can raise and debate issues of mutual concern;
(ii) act as a funnel for these to be fed into the development of public policy making;
(iii) be a model for youth participation through local links to the national gathering;
(iv) support civic, social and personal development in young people;
(v) act as a place where they share their experiences of growing up in Ireland today.
The idea arose from the National Children’s Strategy. 2,500 young people and 300 adults participated in its formation and the process was so successful it was decided to continue it. And so Dáil na nÓg was born.
Behind Dáil na nÓg, there is a lot of hard work, similar to the committee stages of bills before presentation before parliament in Leinster House. Young people at local meetings, like local county councils, decide on the themes to be discussed. Traditionally, they choose one theme freely, with the second selected from within Towards 2016: Sustaining Progress, a national development programme. The two themes nominated for the 2007 Dáil were Road Safety and Attitudes Towards Young People.
Regarding road safety, it was agreed that a road accident victim impact statement should be given to all students in Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) class by a peer, and that the curriculum should include an exam subject on all aspects of road safety as affecting cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
Turning to legislative change, it was agreed that young people applying for provisional driving licences should undergo a compulsory course in road safety, and that laws regarding unaccompanied learner drivers should be enforced. In infrastructural development, it was felt there should be more attention paid to the needs of cyclists, pedestrians, bus and rail users. Indeed, the number-one motion passed was the need for more scheduled, affordable and punctual public transport for young people.
On attitudes that society has toward young people, Dáil na nÓg said that the community needs to have a better understanding of young people, not judge them on the way they look, and that adults need to change some prejudicial attitudes. Looking at how young people can help to change their own image, it was agreed that there is a need for a youth-run media service to create a more balanced public view of teenage behaviour. Civil, Social and Political Education (CSPE) and SPHE should be an exam subjects for Leaving Cert, and there is a need for a national advertising campaign to educate young people on their rights and responsibilities.
Dáil na nÓg has consistently focussed on issues relevant to young people but with something to say towards greater understanding generally. For example, Dáil na nÓg 2006 opted to examine facilities for teenagers, and migration and interculturalism. On the issue of facilities for teenagers, delegates voted as their top three issues, the development of a national website to act as an information exchange for youth activities, increased low-cost transport for rural and disabled young people, and affordable youth facilities run jointly by trained youth leaders and young people.
Their key statements regarding migration and interculturalism were equally thoughtful for the population as a whole. The young people felt that at points of entry, migrant workers and asylum seekers should be provided with education and support on Irish culture, society and customs. Secondly, they felt that integration should be promoted through the education system with a focus on inclusiveness and interculturalism.
As Minister for Children, Brian Lenihan TD attended Dáil na nÓg in 2006 and 2007, having previously met with local delegates to discuss the most effective way to follow up on the plenary recommendations. Brendan Smith TD will have the pleasure of listening to 200 young people this year as they discuss, debate, listen and consider the issues that matter to them – and to us all.
This article first appeared in The Messenger (February 2008), a publication of the Irish Jesuits.
