“I am in my final year of Law and Sociology at NUI Maynooth. I was recently elected vice president for welfare and equality with the Student’s Union, a role I will be taking up in July, where I hope to focus on mental health, student safety, LGBTQ advocacy and awareness, as well as an improved first year orientation for not just those coming from Leaving Cert, but access students and those returning to education.
“I was incredibly lucky to sit on the OCO’s youth advisory panel from the age of 15 for two years. Emily Logan has been a stellar advocate on behalf of Irish young people, shaping an office striving with genuine conviction to make Ireland a safer, fairer place in which to grow up.
“When I was in my third year in Mercy Secondary, Ballymahon, the Ombudsman for Children’s office posted out information to schools about positions on their Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) and I applied online to attend one of their regional seminars in Sligo.
“At the seminar, a group of young people from across the midlands and west discussed “children’s rights”, and how we as individuals, students and as a larger collective, could work for a better Ireland for young people, regardless of background, place of birth, first language or religion.
“I was absolutely honoured to be selected from that group to sit on the national panel for over two years.
“Our biggest project was the “Big Ballot”, a nationwide poll of over 1,000 primary schools, secondary schools and training centres. For many young people, this was the first time their opinions had ever been cited.
“I travelled with Emily Logan to several schools in the midlands, where she took the time to hear what pupils had to say.
“Her presence gave their concerns, their stories and their anecdotes weight and legitimacy. She sat in with children in senior infants and first class and created a space for them to speak and to share their thoughts on the five identified areas of the ballot – Education, Having a Voice; Play and Recreation; Family and Care; Health, Wealth and Material Well-being.
“She levelled with young people, and ensured that what they had to say was just as important as when she addressed the teachers. That meant something, you could see it in the faces of those she spoke to, across every class or school.
“The OCO involved young people in its decision-making. This has been reflected in its work, but also its rapport with the young people it represents .
"The work that I did with the office has fostered an energy for youth issues and taught us what successful advocacy and dialogue can do ."
In conversation with John Holden