I thank the joint committee for inviting me to attend this meeting to discuss the work of the task force on active citizenship and the issues it asks people to consider as part of its consultation process. The Chairman has outlined the work the joint committee has done in this area and I note it has been very active. I am also aware of the report on volunteers and volunteering in Ireland produced by the joint committee in 2005, into which the Special Olympics organisation had an input. I look forward to hearing members' views and feeding them back into the work being done by the task force.
Information on the task force has been circulated, including some of the discussion documents it has produced to help people get started as we undertake public consultations throughout the country. These include a copy of our terms of reference which are to review the evidence regarding trends in citizen participation across the main areas of civic, community, cultural, occupational and recreational life; to examine these trends in the context of national and international experience and analysis; to review the experience of organisations involved in the political, caring, community, professional, occupational, cultural, sporting and religious dimensions of Irish life regarding influences, both positive and negative, on the levels of civic engagement and participation and the reasons therefor; and to recommend measures that could be taken as part of public policy to facilitate and encourage a greater degree of engagement and involvement by citizens in all aspects of life and the growth and development of voluntary organisations as part of a strong civic culture.
The task force committee consists of a wide and varied group of 20 people, including me, who have accumulated considerable expertise. One of our key objectives is to engage widely with the public and initiate a discussion and debate throughout Ireland, including Northern Ireland. With some members of the task force engaged in various sectors in the North, we hope to learn from their experience in the area of active citizenship. As well as informing our discussions and final recommendations to Government, a debate on how people participate in society is valuable in its own right as it helps raise awareness and stimulate thinking by individuals and organisations throughout the country.
The consultation process takes several forms. Regional consultation seminars are under way with meetings already held in Dublin, Monaghan and Sligo. A meeting took place in Galway last night, with a further meeting scheduled for Cork tomorrow. A meeting will also be held in Tullamore next week and we will hold a further evening session in Dublin. To date, the seminars have been well attended and participants have had much to say in expressing their views. Some excellent recommendations and common strands are emerging.
The task force also seeks written submissions. It has set a deadline of 29 September for receipt of such submissions and they are coming in fast and furious in the secretariat of the Department of the Taoiseach. We also encourage people to visit our website and make on-line submissions. In addition, the task force is commissioning a survey by the ESRI on national trends, social capital and active citizenship. It also seeks the views of young people through a number of special consultation events it is organising and a more user-friendly youth version of the consultation paper has been designed.
The task force has combined the experience and knowledge of its members to work in sub-groups to engage in more detail with issues with which they are familiar. This also broadens the scope of what we are doing. The five sub-groups cover sporting, community and the environment; culture, youth, older persons and minority groups; service delivery, caring and religious; political, voter participation and education; and professional, corporate and business. This range of sub-groups, issues and areas gives one an immediate feeling for how broad active citizenship is, extending from democracy to involvement in social concerns.
The main job the Taoiseach and Government gave the task force is to consider all the evidence we gather through our consultations and report back with our findings and recommendations. These will not be the views of the sub-committee or task force but the views of those with whom we interact as we travel throughout the country.
The starting point for our discussion is to consider what it means to be an active citizen in 21st century Ireland. While this includes volunteering, it is broader than this. It is a wider concept that encompasses all forms of participation and engagement, whether with one's neighbour, local community, other organisations or wider society.
Active citizenship can mean many different things to different people because it is such a broad area. We all accept that society cannot function at full capacity unless we harness the energy and potential of every member of society and that the benefits of combining all our skills, experience and knowledge far outweighs the limits of what can be achieved if we do this alone. One of my most important experiences of this was the 2003 World Games when all strands, the State and the voluntary, community and corporate sectors, came together to make the event work. We saw how effective this approach was.
Active citizenship also raises an issue about the nature of citizenship in a fast changing society, not in a legal sense but in terms of the rights and responsibilities which go with living in a diverse, rapidly evolving country such as Ireland. The issues being considered by the task force are profound ones connected to the values which underlie modern society. These are particularly important questions when one considers the current level of immigration. Does greater cultural, religious and social diversity require us to define more explicitly what it means to be a member of Irish society? How do we promote such a shared understanding as the basis of real civic participation and engagement by all sections of society? We have had much feedback on this question, particularly from the consultations we have undertaken to date.
The Taoiseach spoke at the Dublin event about the realities of modern living and the pressure placed on volunteers in terms of community and engagement. Others question whether there really has been a decline in some areas of volunteering and civic engagement. As we go around, we find some people do not have a difficulty obtaining volunteers while others do. Perhaps it is just that the nature of engagement has changed with changes in Ireland to reflect our different needs and our current lifestyles. The evidence on this point is mixed and an important part of the task force's work is to assess and interpret, as we talk to people around the country, what that evidence suggests about the trends that are now part of active citizenship.
An issue of particular interest to the task force is that of young people. We have had a young person speak at all our consultations. It is a question of how the values of active citizenship can be nurtured among this generation of Irish citizens. The statistics on voting by young people are quite depressing and worrying when one considers that one in four of those between 18 and 24 do not even bother to register to vote. Perhaps this says something about the registration process. Is it cumbersome for young people? I have four children and they seem to want things instantly. There are, however, many positive stories about the interest of young people in public affairs. In this regard, consider the role education plays in promoting active citizenship. I refer not just to the education of the young but also to adult, further and continuing education.
The task force has also identified untapped potential among older people and research indicates they are likely to have lower rates of community involvement despite the huge reserves of experience and time they have to offer. We must consider why this is the case and how it can be addressed. We must also determine how to give older people the confidence to feel they are wanted and have a very valuable contribution to make.
The key issue of awareness has arisen time and again. It seems obvious that people are more likely to respond when they have the relevant information and know exactly what is required of them, what is happening in their communities, what the gaps are and how they can become involved in this regard. Constant negativity on the part of the media regarding those who engage in public life seems likely to discourage people, the young in particular, from taking on leadership roles in society.
The task force is also considering the role of the business community in promoting active citizenship. There is much evidence that the corporate sector is willing to contribute positively to wider society, for example, through its staff volunteering initiatives, particularly in disadvantaged communities. This can present an opportunity to develop new skills among employees that they would not otherwise acquire in their jobs, thereby benefiting their organisations and themselves. We must ascertain ways in which to enhance, through our work, the role that can be played by the corporate community.
The task force is also seeking to learn about the experience of local communities and determine how participation levels can be increased and whether the Government can help communities to work together more effectively and draw on their own unique strengths. One must consider the experiences of community and voluntary organisations today and the main challenges they face. We must determine how to help them overcome these challenges so they can get on with the very valuable work they do in society.
The task force presents an opportunity for public debate on an issue of great significance for the future of the country. The questions raised may not have simple answers but our job is to identify practical policies that can shape the underlying culture and values at a time of change in Irish society. To do this effectively, we need everybody's input and ideas. We have been encouraging people who come to the public consultations to go back into their own neighbourhoods, communities and workplaces to spread the message in order that the people who are not present will try to become engaged in the general conversation.
The task force has a very short timeframe in which to report. We are discussing issues of very long-term importance and which will no doubt take much longer to address than the nine months the task force has been given to implement some of the recommendations emerging from the consultation process. We are really keen, therefore, to secure input from all quarters and we welcome the views of committee members also. We will be considering reports that have been published on these issues, including the committee's own report on volunteering, a copy of which we have. As was stated, much work has been done in this regard to date.
I would be delighted to hear the views of the members and receive some feedback. I would also be delighted to receive a submission from the committee, in its own time. It would be very helpful to us in the work we are doing and ultimately in making recommendations to the Government. I thank the committee for the opportunity to attend, which I really appreciate.
