Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022
400. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of delegates that will be nominated by each of the established Youth Organisations at the Youth Assembly on Climate; the identity of the ten guest delegates who have been invited to the assembly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12945/22]
View answerThe National Youth Assembly of Ireland is made up of 30 sitting delegates between the ages of 12-24 years. Established youth organisations across the country, and the national network of Comhairle na nOg, the recognised national structure for participation by children and young people (aged 12-17 years) in decision-making, were invited to nominate delegates to become members of the Assembly for a term of 18 months.
Ten or more guest delegates will join the sitting delegates for a single Assembly. These young people will have a special interest in the topic of the Assembly.
The inaugural meeting of the National Youth Assembly of Ireland took place on March 2nd when it convened as the Youth Assembly on Climate. While it is not appropriate to provide the names of the delegates given the age range of the cohort of young people, I can provide the following information relating to delegates.
National Youth Assembly of Ireland – Delegate selection
Established youth organisations were invited to nominate up to four young people from their organisation to sit on the National Youth Assembly of Ireland. The organisations were provided with the following criteria:
- The young person must be aged between 12 and 22.5 years of age on 1st (or 31st) January 2022. (They must be under 25 for their duration on the Assembly)
- The term is for 18 months - January 2022-June 2023 (unless the person turns 25 before their term is complete).
- The young person should be able and willing to attend the Assemblies and accompanying meetings. There will be a maximum of four Assemblies per year with accompanying preparation and evaluation meetings.
- The young person should be motivated to speak about issues of importance to young people.
Selection Panel
The selection panel made up of officials from DCEDIY and the National Participation Office applied a pre-determined selection criteria aimed at having a broad representation of young people from a range of youth organisations, taking into account the following:
- Age
- Gender
- Urban/ Rural
- Organisation
- Geographical spread
- Seldom Heard
Sitting Delegates
The sitting delegates on the National Youth Assembly of Ireland were nominated by the following organisations:
|
Organisation |
Number of Assembly delegates |
|
Órgas |
1 |
|
Localise Youth Volunteering |
2 |
|
Catholic Guides of Ireland |
1 |
|
Irish Girl Guides |
1 |
|
Carlow Regional Youth Service |
1 |
|
Eurodirect Letterkenny |
1 |
|
SpunOut |
1 |
|
Fridays for Future - Clare |
1 |
|
Eco UNESCO |
1 |
|
Foroige |
1 |
|
Ossory Youth Service |
1 |
|
Scouting Ireland |
1 |
|
Crosscare Ronanstown Youth Centre |
1 |
|
Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services (CDYS) Co. Cork |
1 |
|
YMCA |
1 |
|
Candle Community Trust |
1 |
|
NYCI |
1 |
|
Crosscare |
1 |
|
Youth Work Ireland Laois |
1 |
|
Kerry Comhairle na nOg |
1 |
|
Longford Comhairle na nOg |
1 |
|
Cork City Comhairle na nOg |
1 |
|
Tipperary Comhairle na nOg |
1 |
|
Monaghan Comhairle na nOg |
1 |
|
Cork County Comhairle na nOg |
2 |
|
Kildare Comhairle na nOg |
1 |
|
Mayo Comhairle na nOg |
1 |
Youth Assembly on Climate –Guest Delegate selection
When the National Youth Assembly convened as the Youth Assembly on Climate, the 30 sitting delegates were joined by guest delegates with a special interest in the topic of Climate, and nine guest delegates were offered a place on the Assembly. These guest delegates were nominated from established organisations relevant to the topic.
Organisations were invited to nominate up to two young people from their organisation. The organisations were provided with the following criteria:
- The young person must be aged between 12 and 24 years of age on 30th April 2022. (They must be under 25 for the Assembly and evaluation meeting).
- Guest delegates will join for this one Assembly only, and accompanying meetings.
- The young person should be able and willing to attend the Assembly on March 2nd and accompanying meetings. There will be an accompanying preparation and evaluation meeting.
- The young person should be motivated to speak about Climate issues.
Selection Panel
The selection panel made up of officials from DCEDIY and the National Participation Office applied a pre-determined selection criteria aimed at having a broad representation of young people from a range of specialist groups, taking into account the criteria for membership of the Assembly:
- Age
- Gender
- Urban/ Rural
- Seldom Heard
- Organisation
- Geographical spread
Guest Delegates
The guest delegates at the Youth Assembly on Climate were nominated by the following organisations:
|
Organisation |
Number of guest delegates |
|
YMCA |
1 |
|
UNICEF |
2 |
|
Fridays for Future Dublin |
1 |
|
FEASTA |
1 |
|
Climate Assembly Ireland |
1 |
|
EEU An Taisce |
2 |
|
Love Leitrim |
1 |
