I welcome the representatives from Dáil na nÓg: Ms Stephanie Kelly, Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy, Ms Maria Kelly and Mr. Thomas Atcha. The joint committee has invited representatives from Dáil na nÓg to this meeting to discuss youth stereotyping, in particular, the way in which young people are portrayed in the media. Before we begin, I draw everybody's attention to the fact that members of the committee have absolute privilege but this same privilege does not apply to witnesses appearing before the committee which cannot guarantee any level of privilege to witnesses appearing before it. Further, under the salient rulings of the Chair, members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I call on Ms Kelly to make her opening remarks, after which I will invite her and her colleagues to take questions from members.
Youth Stereotyping: Discussion with Dáil na nÓg.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
I am the chairperson of this group, as well as the chairperson of the Irish youth parliament, Dáil na nÓg, and a representative on South Dublin County Council Comhairle na nÓg. We are here to talk about the fair say movement. The other representatives will now introduce themselves.
Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy
I am a member of the Galway city comhairle.
Ms Maria Kelly
I am representing Tipperary South.
Mr. Thomas Atcha
I am representing Sligo County Council.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
Mr. Atcha will begin the presentation.
Mr. Thomas Atcha
Dáil na nÓg is the national youth parliament for teenagers aged between 12 and 18 years and meets once a year. Young people are elected to it from their local Comhairle na nÓg. There are 34 Comhairle na nÓg organised by county and city development boards. Comhairle na nÓg are local child and youth councils which provide an opportunity for young people to have their voice heard in decision making. Each of the 34 Comhairle na nÓg elects one delegate to become a member of the Dáil na nÓg council which meets monthly and is responsible for following up the recommendations of the previous Dáil na nÓg. We conduct research into many recommendations of Dáil na nÓg and try to make changes for young people in those areas. We present the views of Dáil na nÓg to policy and decision-makers.
Last year at Dáil na nÓg the topic we discussed was attitudes towards young people and road safety. The council divided into two groups, each of which came with an attitude towards young people. For the past 12 months in office as Dáil na nÓg councillors, we decided to tackle the negative stereotyping of young people in the media. We had our article published in The Irish Times and sent it to all media outlets. We are meeting with editors in the print and broadcast media, the Press Ombudsman, the NUJ, RTE, as well as the joint committee.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
Ms Horan Murphy will now explain the fair say mission statement.
Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy
Fair say is a campaign set up by the Dáil na nÓg council, of which we are all members. We were elected by Dáil na nÓg in February last year. Dáil na nÓg is Ireland's youth parliament and we have been elected to monitor the portrayal of teenagers in the media. Fair say aims to encourage media organisations to focus more often on the positive achievements and aspirations of teenagers. It also aims to eliminate stereotyping, discrimination and patronising attitudes towards teenagers, which are often found in the media. We also want the media to acknowledge the fact that we are a product of our society and thus our behaviour is heavily influenced by the example set for us by adults.
As part of our work with the fair say campaign, we monitored the coverage of junior certificate celebrations. At Dáil na nÓg last year many delegates felt they were negatively portrayed in the media over their celebrations. With the help of a media monitoring company, we monitored all local and national newspapers for one week before and one week after the release of the junior certificate results. We had a huge collection of articles to be divided into the categories of "positive", "negative", "balanced" and "other" and discerned vast differences between articles from tabloid newspapers and those from broadsheets.
We accept that some teenagers behave irresponsibly when celebrating junior certificate results but found that they were a minority and feel the other students should also be acknowledged. In one of the positive articles we found, in the Kilkenny Advertiser, the question was asked: “Does your teenager have a hangover?” The article blamed hypocritical parents for setting a bad example and suggested that adults’ bad drinking habits would influence teenagers. It was stated in an article in the The Irish Times that “I don’t need drink for a good time” and in the Sunday Independent that “We don’t need drink for a good night out”. These two articles were quite similar and saw teenagers behaving responsibly when interviewed at results celebrations; the students were sober, having a good time and told the journalists that drink was not necessary for an enjoyable night. Another article, in The Sun, referred to “junior joy”. It was stated that after six months of hard work teenagers were entitled to a night out to relieve the exam stress that had built up.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
I thank Ms Horan Murphy and will now ask Ms Kelly to continue with the newspaper articles.
Ms Maria Kelly
I will give an idea of the balanced representation of junior certificate celebrations we found in the media during our research for the article in The Irish Times. The headline on an article by Ian Power in the Irish Examiner on Friday, 14 September 2007 read “Night of celebrations sees lots of underage drinking but little trouble”. The article reported there had been little trouble on the night of the junior certificate results celebrations; that some areas such as Waterford and Killarney had reported no offences and that accident and emergency departments had also reported a quiet night. However, the article highlighted the issue of teenage binge drinking. An article by Hannah-Louise Dunne in the Evening Herald on Thursday, 13 September 2007 was headlined “It’s party time for junior certs”. It focused on the celebrations of Dublin students and highlighted that they had worn short dresses and staggering heels.
Some examples of negative representations that we found included and article headlined "Straight Es" by Niamh Byrne in the Sunday World on Sunday, 16 September 2007. In it we hear of so-called junior certificate celebrators buying ecstasy tablets from a dealer, whom we question as being a reliable source, as stated in the newspaper. Another article on Sunday, 16 September 2007, by Catriona Gaffney, was headlined “Tie g-string on your ankle if you are up for sex”. The title arose from a statement made by convent girls suggesting some girls behave in this manner. An article in Herald AM on Wednesday, 12 September 2007 was headlined “Pubs told to get tough on junior cert revellers”. It was a warning to publicans and seemed to suggest every junior certificate celebrator would be banging down the doors of pubs and off-licences to illegally purchase drink.
Our findings from monitoring newspaper coverage suggest broadsheets tend to portray teenagers in a better light and concentrate more on the positive aspects of junior certificate celebrations. Many newspapers used photographs that reinforced negative perceptions. Tabloids were more sensational in their reports of junior certificate celebrations; their headlines were sometimes over the top and used for shock value such as the reference to having a "g-string on your ankle if you are up for sex". Sex was not the only hot topic in the tabloids as under-age drinking and drugs were also popular subjects.
We are very conscious of the media's concentration on teenage binge drinking. Most of the positive articles included interviews with teenagers voicing their views on the night of the junior certificate results. The negative articles had few reliable sources, or none at all, and included stories based on hearsay and the personal opinions of the journalist involved. This is yet another example of teenagers voicing their opinions and thus positively influencing media coverage. They were given the chance to speak their minds and thus the truth prevailed.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
After all this research, we decided to approach The Irish Times about writing an article, and those at the newspaper were more than happy to oblige. Ms Maria Kelly and I wrote an article, which was published on 14 December 2007, about the Fairsay movement, the surveys we carried out and the issue of media coverage. We hoped this would influence the way in which journalists saw us because we know that most people see teenagers as being anti-social and irresponsible. We hate this because we know about the good work we are doing in Dáil na nÓg and Comhairle na nÓg and in setting up Fairsay, but that is not the type of thing that is published. We really wanted to change that. As part of this, a press release was sent out to all the media which we thought might be interested in interviewing us. We were well received. There were many radio interviews and people called from the newspapers. It was brilliant that we finally got a chance to voice our views. As part of the Fairsay campaign we set up a Bebo site, because teenagers are always on Bebo. Many people posted comments. It is great that we have had such a good response from teenagers.
As we mentioned in the press release, we are not claiming to represent all of Ireland. There are four people here today and 17 of us in the entire group. We do not want to be the only group representing young people in Ireland. All we want is that if journalists are writing about things that affect us they ask the people who know the most about it.
What we really want is for the media to talk to teenagers and give us a chance to say what really goes on. People might say that young people will lie and say they are perfect when they are not, but adults write plenty of articles about adults that are negative and they are not lying. Plenty of negative things go on. It is the same with teenagers. There are negatives, but there are many positive aspects that do not get covered. There are many teenagers who might disagree with us and say we are completely wrong or that we are skewed in what we are saying, but people should ask them too. Teenagers can be contacted through Comhairle na nÓg and through student councils. It is not difficult for journalists and politicians to do that. That is what we would love to see happen in the future.
What do we really want from politicians? It is stereotypical to say that politicians ignore us because we do not have votes, and maybe that is not a fair thing to say, but we feel we are in a minority and separated from the rest of the voting community and we cannot stand that. Maybe politicians could ask us how we really feel about issues that affect us. There are serious problems being faced by teenagers but there are also good things going on and we want people to know about them. We also encourage politicians to put in a good word for us if they are talking to journalists.
As this is a media campaign, our main target is obviously the media. What we really want from the media is not more positive but more balanced representation. There will always be articles about teenagers falling over drunk and whatever one wants to hear, but there are so many good things going on too. For example, the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which took place in January, is an amazing event. I have taken part in it myself and it was brilliant. However, the media actually managed to turn it into a negative thing, as Ms Horan Murphy will explain.
Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy
As committee members know, the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition was on last week and there were many positive news stories about it in the media. However, on the train yesterday evening I picked up a copy of The Sun and flicked through it, and I read an article about how all the people who had participated in the Young Scientist had gone to the disco on Friday evening drunk and scantily clad and engaged in preposterous behaviour. According to this article, that was all that went on. I thought this was ridiculous and completely undermined the effort put in by those who took part. After all the work put in by 300 teenagers, this was what The Sun chose to write about.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
That is just one example. It happens all the time. Obviously it was the case with the junior certificate results night, but it happens so often. Dáil na nÓg is a major issue for young people but it is only worthy of a tiny article on page 23 of a newspaper while articles about teenagers being out doing this, that and the other are printed on the front page with phrases like "God help the country". We are not that bad. We would like newspapers and magazines to have a teenage correspondent who would write about what is going on, the good and the bad. That would provide the most balance because a teenager would be writing about issues that affect teenagers. Regarding junior certificate night, I do not understand how 30 something journalists could write about something they had not experienced for 15 years. We did not believe that was fair.
Thank you, Ms Kelly, for that nice presentation. You did very well and you can feel free to relax because we do not intend to intimidate you in any way. I hope you enjoy the rest of the afternoon with us.
I have six or seven fairly tough questions to put to Ms Kelly; I am only joking. I welcome the representatives. I do not believe we have had such a big turnout for any of our committee meetings since we returned after the general election. I hope that is a reflection on the fact that the joint Oireachtas committee is taking this seriously. I am sure the visitors will get much from today's meeting in terms of experience and enjoyment but I hope we will get something out of it also in listening to what they have to say.
Congratulations to the representatives on the Fairsay campaign. They are right to speak out. If it is any consolation, politicians feel frustrated with the media at times also. As a politician and a policy maker one can work on a policy document for months and struggle to get any coverage for it while there is intense coverage of politicians if they drink too much, are involved in a car crash or whatever.
It is a trend in Irish media and in media in the western world that there is competition among newspapers to try to compete for sales by sometimes providing more shocking headlines and photographs. In general, bad news sells. It is more sensational than telling what many journalists would describe as the mundane stories. That is a reality with which we all have to live but it is even more frustrating for the representatives because at least we have the right of reply, we can issue a press release or whatever.
It is a good idea to try to push individual newspapers for a teenage correspondent. It does not necessarily have to be a teenager but someone who would be willing to listen to teenagers. It would be a useful exercise to write to the editors of all the newspapers asking them if they would consider that or perhaps having a teenage column once a week. It would then be up to the representatives, representing young people, to show how that would have an impact on sales because young people may look to read that column.
In terms of what can be done about genuinely unfair coverage, a new press ombudsman's office has just been set up. If there are genuine complaints that coverage young people generally get in a newspaper is inaccurate and unfair, a complaint can now be made to the Press Ombudsman. That facility was not available until recently.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
We are making a presentation next week to the Press Ombudsman.
Well done. They are on top of that already.
I welcome the representatives and their concerns are taken seriously. Deputies, Senators and councillors try to listen to young people. We all visit schools and universities on a fairly regular basis to talk to them. I visited a school last night in Blarney, in Cork, which has just spent the past week on an anti-sex trafficking campaign driven by the transition year students in the school. They have had a high profile campaign in Cork city delivering leaflets and so on. It was the finale of the campaign.
When young people take on an issue in which they are genuinely interested, they can make a difference. Whether they vote is largely incidental. There is contact and discussion between policy makers and politicians and young people. However, it is a matter of insisting on being heard. Young people need to learn how to do that and the members of Dáil na nÓg are certainly doing it well today.
I compliment the members of Dáil na nÓg who made an excellent presentation focusing on an area about which we probably do not think enough. We see it in terms of our own experience. Politicians need news coverage but quite often, it is not the coverage we want, particularly given the increasing influence of the tabloids. We have to live with that. I am not sure how much we can change that or how much young people can influence it. However, the fact they are making an impact is significant.
Ms Kelly said young people do not have the power the voter has and yet members of Dáil na nÓg are here making a case. They have obviously exerted a certain amount of influence through the media, so it can be done. That is a really important lesson for any young person to learn. Dáil na nÓg is a very important body from that point of view. I was going to suggest the Press Council and the Press Ombudsman but Dáil na nÓg is way ahead of us anyway, so I do not need to do that.
In my constituency, we began to structure the local authority in a new way. We have a town council but we also developed a junior council to which members were elected from the second level schools in the town. I do not know if the members of Dáil na nÓg have had experience of this or what their views are but it is another forum in which young people can have influence and it is sometimes more effective to have influence at local level.
We have a problem with binge drinking. It is an issue for us as a society and a problem I do not believe anybody would deny. Advertising is used to sell alcohol. Do the members of Dáil na nÓg believe advertising has an impact on young people or do other issues have a greater impact in terms of the abuse of alcohol? I am taking advantage of the members' presence to ask that question because it is not directly related to their project. However, I would like to hear what they have to say because we do not get that many opportunities.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
The councils to which the Deputy referred are the Comhairle na nÓg about which we spoke. I am on the South Dublin County Council for young people. Each of the 34 members of the Dáil na nÓg council is on a youth council.
Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy
It is not within the remit of our Fairsay campaign but alcohol consumption is widespread in our culture. Adults constantly consume alcohol and teenagers are influenced by them. I do not believe banning advertising of alcohol will achieve much because teenagers will still know what is on the market and where to buy it. The advertising of alcohol in conjunction with sport should be addressed because it does not add up.
I welcome the members of Dáil na nÓg and commend them on their presentation and for getting involved in something like this. I commend their media campaign for balanced reporting because we have failed miserably in trying to achieve that. Perhaps the members of Dáil na nÓg might have better luck than we have had and we might learn something from them in time.
There are 34 Comhairle na nÓg, which are probably based on the number of city and county councils around the country. How many members are there on each of those or does the number vary? How are they funded? How often does Dáil na nÓg meet in plenary session and where does it meet?
Returning to this matter of Dáil na nÓg getting involved, one of the problems in society nowadays is that of trying to get people, not only young people but those moving in their 20s and even in their 30s, involved in organisations earlier. Every political, sporting and community organisation has difficulty in attracting volunteers to become involved in these activities. I wonder whether the representatives of Dáil na nÓg would have a view on why that is so. If we can foster volunteerism in some of the young people who are involved in Dáil na nÓg, these people will become involved and remained involved as they move into later life. I commend the deputation on what they are doing.
Ms Maria Kelly
In answer to Deputy Kenneally's question on how many members are in the comhairlí, the comhairlí advertise by going to all the secondary schools in the area. Anyone who wishes go forward does so and the comhairlí meet. Some comhairlí are very active and others are not. Unfortunately, I am part of a comhairle which is not very active. Through that, six members are chosen to go to the annual Dáil na nÓg conference, which is held in February. From that, one person is chosen to represent the constituency.
The comhairlí and Dáil na nÓg are funded by the Office of the Minister for Children. Recently, they got a great deal more funding. We would like to see that implemented. It would be great if we could get councillors and Deputies to visit the comhairlí and get the funding implemented to ensure that it is used wisely.
How often does the plenary session of Dáil na nÓg meet and where does it meet?
Mr. Thomas Atcha
I have a different perception to that of my colleague. In Sligo, we were elected to our comhairlí democratically. We also met monthly. It is really brilliant. It is a really good channel for us to have our voice heard.
Each comhairle elects five delegates to go to Dáil na nÓg, which meets only once a year. Those five elect one delegate to the Dáil na nÓg Council, which meets once a month. It is really brilliant for young people to have their voice heard in decision making.
What are the views of the delegation on the question of young people becoming involved in a voluntary capacity in different types of organisations?
Ms Stephanie Kelly
We all think it would be a brilliant idea. Young people should be involved in every organisation such as sporting organisations, as Deputy Kenneally stated. It is important there is a balance kept between young people and adults when it comes to volunteerism.
Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy
It varies from person to person. Some people would see volunteering as something they are not bothered about and question why they would help out. Then there are people like us who would help out in the community on a weekly or daily basis. It is really down to one's own morals and what one wants to do. It varies from young person to young person.
I join my colleagues in welcoming the representatives of Dáil na nÓg and thank them for the presentation. Not meaning to patronise, the presentation was excellent and informative and alerts us to something important.
I am conscious of the good work Dáil na nÓg does because I had the privilege of working on many occasions with its members in County Cavan when I was cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council a few years ago. I dealt a great deal with Dáil na nÓg then, met its members on a regular basis and attended all their events. I am concious of its role and it is important for our democracy. All political parties suffer from a dearth of young people among their membership. Dáil na nÓg will help to renew political parties and the democratic process because its members will join them.
It is great that the organisation is running this campaign, which is apt and timely. The negative examples cited are an absolute disgrace and it is no harm to condemn them. I take Deputy McManus's point that this is a fact of modern living and relates to the mighty euro and dollar, commercialisation and the growth of the tabloid media and journalism. Even though this is a sad reality, we should do everything to oppose it and stand up for what should be the case.
It is good that the delegation will meet the Press Ombudsman. It is critical that this should be done. However, I recommend that Dáil na nÓg should appoint a person to engage solely in public relations. Funding could be provided. The person concerned could send press releases to the media on a regular basis, citing all the good done by young people. As a teacher by profession and someone who is active in the community, like all public representatives, I am well aware of the good done by young people in my area, which thankfully far exceeds the contrary. If the organisation highlighted, for example, the young scientist exhibition, the work done during the Special Olympics and other areas in which young people are involved and issued press releases, it would put it up to the media.
The organisation has our support. We empathise with its members, as we understand where they are coming from. It is important that young people do not become disillusioned or cynical and stay outside the system because of negative publicity in newspapers and so on. What the organisation is doing is important and I wish it well with the campaign. We do not have executive power to stop anything on behalf of the Dáil na nÓg but we will support it.
Would somebody like to comment on the Senator's suggestion regarding a public relations officer?
Mr. Thomas Atcha
It would be lovely to have a public relations officer. All of us are students and it is not easy to combine this work with our academic work. We are doing our leaving certificate examinations this year and it is difficult to combine everything. This is a week in which we must do homework and study but we have had to use it to attend this meeting. It is a three-hour train journey from Sligo to Dublin and it is not easy. We used the entire day to work on this issue but tried our best to do something.
Perhaps the organisation could consider rotating this role among its leadership on a monthly or fortnightly basis. It would be a learning process in itself. During those few weeks, if something positive occurred such as a concert being held without trouble, it could be publicised. There would be little difficulty doing this because there is a great deal happening.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
That is a brilliant idea which we will bring up at the next meeting. I thank the Senator.
Ms Maria Kelly
Should that be done on a local or national level?
Both. It would put it up to the newspapers which carry negative articles.
I welcome the delegation and congratulate the representatives on their presentation and the way in which they have responded to all the questions posed. It is not easy to respond to questions on the spot and I am very impressed. I am also impressed with the preparation, initiative and organisation put into today's presentation. We have been provided with a significant amount of reading material as a result. The witnesses have taken a methodical approach which does their case justice.
I fully understand and empathise with the point made regarding the media. I was particularly interested in the account given with regard to the press release. To add to what Senator O'Reilly said, it is a good idea to seek balance and, as Deputy Coveney said, write to editors and ask them to appoint someone to take up teenage issues. It is also important that young people provide information, but I understand it can be difficult for students studying for exams to do that. I am aware of many positive activities undertaken by young people. It is a shame, not just from the point of view of balance, but from the point of view of boosting morale or setting an example to other young people, that those activities are sometimes not noticed or do not get the acknowledgement or recognition they deserve.
Perhaps this offers an opportunity to consider what happens with transition year students. Perhaps somebody in transition year might be interested in taking on the role of issuing press releases. I do not know how Dáil na nÓg or Comhairle na nÓg keep in contact with other young people, but perhaps it would be interesting for someone in transition year to ensure that the work of these groups is communicated to other young people and that news of any positive work being done by young people is communicated to others.
Many of the challenges we face concern young people and it is important for us to hear from them on these issues, not just in the form of presentations. Perhaps young people should be represented on certain bodies, committees or organisations or given an opportunity for feedback. One of the issues particularly relevant is the joint policing committees being set up in some local areas. Young people have an important contribution to make on this issue. They also have an important contribution to make to strategic policy committees of local authorities, particularly with regard to the environment, recreation and amenities. Young people have much to offer and we all lose out if they do not get the opportunity to put forward their ideas.
What links does Dáil na nÓg have with the National Youth Council?
Ms Stephanie Kelly
The National Youth Council is involved in organising Dáil na nÓg and has been involved from the start.
The council has a great public relations set-up and perhaps Dáil na nÓg could link into it.
I join other members in welcoming Dáil na nÓg members to this committee. It is timely that they focus on the issue raised. It is an issue dear to individual members and the committee collectively. There is no doubt the role of the media is important. Not only tabloid newspapers, but sometimes broadsheets, decide to focus on the negative aspects of an issue and seeing the glass as half empty rather than half full is a common attitude.
The difficulty we have is that sensationalism sells newspapers. It is a fact of life. It is very interesting to go to the local newsagent and see that by far the greatest space is taken up by tabloid newspapers. They would not be so displayed unless there was a customer base for them and people were coming in to buy them on a daily basis.
What advice has the delegation for legislators and the Oireachtas? People refer to binge drinking and the whole community of young people are blamed for it while it is not the case that all young people engage in binge drinking. Drug taking is a huge scourge in society. What action could the Minister of State with responsibility for drugs strategy and the wider Oireachtas take to actively discourage young people from abusing drugs or drink? I commend Dáil na nÓg and the general organisation at local authority level. As Senator Joe O'Reilly said, the age profile of the membership of all political parties is going in the wrong direction and there is a need to bring in young blood in all parties. What can individual political parties do to make it more attractive for young people to participate in politics?
Ms Stephanie Kelly
I am not sure if some of the questions technically relate to the Fairsay movement which is what we are here to talk about.
I suggest you just answer those you can answer and you need not worry about those outside the remit.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
With regard to the problem with drink and drugs, I have debated this issue and so we have talked it to death. Everyone is agreed that education is a way to discourage problems with drink and drugs. I do not mean education as in a teacher telling us not to drink or not to do drugs because they are bad for you, because some people might not listen. No one in society responds well to being told what to do. What has really worked in my school and in many other schools is when a former addict or alcoholic talks about the problem and describes what it has been like in real life. This is my opinion on what is a good way to discourage such behaviour.
I concur with the other speakers in welcoming the delegation and thanking them for their excellent presentation which has provided the committee with food for thought.
Is the system of second level education geared towards the needs of young people and does it train them for life thereafter? What contact has Dáil na nÓg with organisations such as the No Name Club, Foróige and youth clubs? Is there a system for telling them what Dáil na nÓg does?
Ms Maria Kelly
A representative from Foróige sits on the Dáil na nÓg steering committee which meets to discuss the issues surrounding the annual Dáil na nÓg conference.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
We are all members of Comhairle na nÓg. The organisations to which the Deputy refers are more community-based so it would start with Comhairle na nÓg and work its way up to the Dáil na nÓg councils. My Comhairle na nÓg group might meet with a member of a certain organisation and I would then report to the Dáil na nÓg council meeting at the end of the month. This is how matters are brought to national level.
Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy
For example, the No Name Club in Galway approached my comhairle asking for more funding because they had been touring monthly discos and they ran out of funding halfway through the year. They asked us what the city council could do about it. The comhairle were able to get money from the city council to give to the No Name Club. They are interconnected in some counties and not in others.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
I will respond to the question on education. This does not fall under Fairsay. The education system is all about examinations and the points race in third and sixth years. People might say it is unfair. I guess it is fair in that it is unfair across the board. Everyone has to go through it. It is fair while being unfair. The problem in many schools is that sufficient counselling services are not available. That is my personal opinion. More psychologists and counsellors should be available in secondary schools. Some have more problems in their seven teenage years than they do in the rest of their lives. It is a hard few years. It is important that more counsellors be based in our schools.
Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy
We also need more career guidance counsellors in our schools. Many teachers think they understand career guidance and are in a position to give advice to teenagers simply because they attended college. They do not necessarily give the best advice to each teenager. I was told I should study economics in college, even though I had never studied a business subject in my six years of secondary school. That is just an example. It would be useful for teenagers to receive the assistance of qualified people when filling in their CAO forms.
I compliment the representatives of Dáil na nÓg on their fine presentation. As there is a dearth of leadership throughout the world, it is good to see young people assuming such roles.
The attitude of young people to road safety was raised by the delegates. I wonder whether any initiatives were proposed when the matter was debated at Dáil na nÓg. Did anything emerge from that discussion? Was the attitude of young people to driving considered?
It is obvious that a great deal of the Dáil na nÓg Fairsay report concentrates heavily on the unfair and unbalanced portrayal of young people in the media. What are the adverse effects of the media's reporting of the activities of young people? As many of those who work in the media left college recently, they are not much older than the representatives of Dáil na nÓg who seem idealistic and positive. I am sure many journalists had a similar disposition when they started to work in the media. I have noticed that the attitude of media workers seems to change as their careers develop. Has Dáil na nÓg conducted any research on why that is the case? I refer to the media's negative comments on politics, for example. As far back as six or seven years ago, media commentators started to speak negatively about the economy which has been booming for the last decade. The cyclical nature of economics means that if one continues to be negative, one will eventually be right. There has been an increase in cynicism in sports reporting, for example. What do the delegates consider to be the underlying cause of such negativity?
I was going to ask about initiatives which might be proposed by Dáil na nÓg in respect of the drugs issue, but that issue has been raised by Deputy Kirk. This problem which affects adults as well as young people has been adequately outlined by him.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
I will mention some of the adverse effects of the media's coverage of young people. The well known seanfhocal, "mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí", has been the motto of Dáil na nÓg at all stages. The morale of young people will suffer if they are not encouraged. If young people read in the newspapers every day that teenagers are terrible because they are binge-drinking, etc., it will obviously not have the best possible effect on them. When we read such reports, it is easy for us to think we must be bad because we are one of those being reported on. There is a temptation for young people to give in and start doing what television, radio and newspaper reports claim their counterparts are doing. It is not necessarily the case that large numbers of young people are engaging in such activities.
Senator Walsh asked about road safety. The council is split in half — one half deals with media attitudes to young people, while the other — representatives of which were present yesterday — deals with road safety.
From my experience in public life, I have learned that it is difficult to get the type of coverage Dáil na nÓg seeks all the time. As part of its campaign, it should focus on choosing issues being either negatively or positively covered in the media because people clearly want answers to these questions. It should also propose solutions, even if they are controversial at times, because one must be seen to campaign to get things done, if one is to be taken seriously. It would help if Dáil na nÓg had a press officer who would issue press releases. We struggle to find solutions to many of the problems portrayed in an unfair light in newspapers, for example, sexually transmitted diseases, under age pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse. Speakers indicated they are sick of talking about these issues because it is automatically assumed they are the only topics in which Dáil na nÓg is interested. Nevertheless, if Dáil na nÓg produced some workable solutions in these areas and was seen to proactively campaign, it would receive positive coverage.
I will present a problem for Dáil na nÓg. Less than 13% of Members of Parliament are female, which is a lower figure than in sub-Saharan Africa. While it is a difficult nut to crack, I urge the female members of the delegation to consider a career in politics and encourage other women to do the same because we need them.
Ms Stephanie Kelly
We thank members for inviting us to the meeting. I hope we answered their questions and will have their support for the Fairsay campaign.
Ms Fíodna Horan Murphy
I, too, thank members for inviting us to the meeting. It was nice to have their feedback because it provides a different perspective on something we have torn apart and put back together millions of times.
Ms Maria Kelly
Any members who wish to know more about the Fairsay campaign can see an interview I did at school yesterday for "news2day", a children's television programme. It will be shown at 5 p.m.
Mr. Thomas Atcha
It is a great privilege for us to be here. It gives us a feeling of democracy in operation when we have our voices heard by the distinguished members.
I thank the delegation. We enjoyed its presentation very much. As the Dáil na nÓg statement noted, young people can do without patronising attitudes. Members are genuine in their praise of the work Dáil na nÓg is doing and do not mean to patronise it. Perhaps the delegation will consider re-appearing before the joint committee towards the end of the year to brief members on the outcome of the Fairsay campaign. Perhaps, as Deputy Coveney stated, we could learn lessons from the campaign.