Presentation by members of Comhairle na nÓg National Executive

to the Oireachtas Committee on Health & Children

• Bertie Nesirky – Tipperary Comhairle na nÓg• Cillian Byrne - Meath Comhairle na nÓg • Kayleigh Power - Galway City Comhairle na nÓg • Becky O’Connell - Waterford City Comhairle na nÓg

Comhairle na nÓg

• Comhairle na nÓg are child and youth councils that give young people a voice in local issues

• Comhairle na nÓg are run by the Local Authorities• They are funded and supported by the Department

of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA)• All local authorities have regular meetings of

Comhairle na nÓg, which link with adult decision-making bodies

Comhairle na nÓg National Showcase 2014

• The Comhairle na nÓg National Showcase takes place every two years

• The next showcase is on November 20th 2014 in Croke Park and key adult decision-makers will be invited

• 20th November 2014 is the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

• The focus of the Showcase will be on celebrating this anniversary by showcasing the work carried out by 34 Comhairlí around the country and exploring children’s rights

• Over 500 young Comhairle members will take part

• We hope that you will all attend

• www.comhairlenanog.ie

Dáil na nÓg

• Takes place every alternate year• It is funded by DCYA and hosted by the Minister for

Children and Youth Affairs• The last Dáil na nÓg was in November 2013• The topic was Mental Health• Over 200 young people attended from all 34 Comhairlí• The top recommendation was “The need for a

national gathering for second level students, with music and events to improve attitudes towards mental health.”

Comhairle na nÓg National Executive• After Dáil na nÓg , one member from each Comhairle na nÓg is elected

to the National Executive

• The role of the Executive is to implement the top recommendation from Dáil na nÓg

• The Executive is facilitated by the DCYA, Foróige and Youth Work Ireland who make sure that we get the opportunity to meet with Ministers, policy-makers, Oireachtas Committees and other decision-makers

• We have 2 year term, which began in January 2014 and meet once a month

• We are working on organising a national gathering for second level students, with music and events to improve attitudes towards mental health, which was the top recommendation voted at Dáil na nÓg 2013

Work to Date (1)Our definition of Mental Health:

‘Mental Health is the state of the mind, and how we cope with positive and negative experiences and emotions on a

day-to-day basis’

Our Messages:• We want understanding and acceptance of mental health for young

people

• We want people to accept and understand that mental health, be it good or bad, is a part of everyone’s life

• We want to highlight that mental health facilities are available to young people and show them there is no shame in using them

• We want to improve the existing mental health of young people

Work to Date (2)

• We looked at examples of good practice• We met with members of our Steering Committee of mental health experts• We developed ideas for the event itself• We are carrying out an online poll to get the views of young people in Comhairlí and schools on the look and feel of our gathering

Oireachtas Team

The Ceann Comhairle appointed a team work with the Comhairle na nÓg National Executive and link us with the work of the Oireachtas: Jerry Buttimer TD Aodhán O Riordáin TD Senator Jillian Van Turnhout Senator Kathryn Reilly Senator Averil Power

Steering Committee

The DCYA appointed a Steering Committee to support our work on mental health:• Dr Tony Bates, Director, Headstrong• Clive Byrne, Director, Association of Principals and Deputy Principals• Elaine Geraghty, Chief Executive Officer, ReachOut.com• Dr Brendan Doody, CAMHS Advisor, HSE• Gerry Raleigh, Director, National Office for Suicide Prevention• Professor Dympna Devine, School of Education, UCD • James Barry, Youth Officer, Headstrong• Fiona O'Shea, School of Education, UCD

Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014-2020)

• National Cross-Government Policy for children and young people

• Launched by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in April 2014

• The Comhairle na nÓg National Executive is one of the groups directly involved in implementation of the Policy Framework

• The Comhairle na nÓg National Executive will identify topics in the Framework that are important to children and young people and work regularly with the DCYA Implementation Team

• Once a year, representatives from the Comhairle na nÓg National Executive will meet the Policy Consortium of Secretaries General and give them feedback on these topics

What we want from you!• Thank you for inviting us here today

• We would like the opportunity to come back to meet this committee as plans for our mental health event progress

• We would like to invite you to attend the Comhairle na nÓg National Showcase on 20 November and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UNCRC