Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth to hear from children on their experiences during pandemic and what they missed during lockdown

The meeting at 3.30pm will be broadcast from Committee Room 2 of Leinster House and will be joined remotely by Conor, aged 11, LilyRose, aged 12, and Olga, aged 13.  All three children live in Dublin and have been working over the last two years with The Ark Children Council.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Kathleen Funchion said: “The Committee is very pleased to welcome Conor, LilyRose and Olga to share their experiences of the lockdown with us. We know the past year has been very difficult for everyone but has been particularly tough on children because they have spent so long out of school and away from their friends, and been unable to play games or do other activities we all took for granted before the pandemic hit. We look forward to hearing how children have coped during the last 15 months.”

The Ark is made up of children in 5th & 6th class from a number of schools across Dublin and the surrounding areas, and through creative art experiences, represents concerns and topics that are important to children and their lives.

Brightening Air | Coiscéim Coiligh and The Ark are exploring and sharing children’s experience of lockdown, including through performances of a new show, What Did I Miss? by Shaun Dunne, which offers a window into children’s experience of the pandemic and the milestones they’ve missed along the way.

A schools engagement programme has encouraged children to share how lockdown was for them, and this has been used to inform the presentation that Conor, LilyRose and Olga will give to the Committee.

The Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 2 can be viewed live on Oireachtas.ie.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.