“YOUNG people in County Clare care passionately about making the world they live in a better place for everyone,” says Amy Bickerton, chairperson of Clare Comhairle na nÓg.
Amy, a Leaving Certificate pupil in St Joseph’s School, Tulla, was speaking ahead of the opening of Comhairle na nÓg 2009, which will be held on Friday in the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis.
“Those who are young now will be adults in the future and we are willing to play our part in helping to create that future,” she continued, before adding, “the decision-making structures of the county need to be more open and welcoming for young people”.
Amy urged young people to become involved in Comhairle na nÓg through their schools or youth groups.
Comhairle na nÓg is an initiative from the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA), which aims to provide an opportunity for young people to discuss and debate matters of relevance to them in their community.
Of equal importance to having such a forum is the opportunity for those matters and ideas to be fed into local decision-making structures, including the county council, said Nicola Cullinan of Clare County Council.
Ms Cullinan, co-ordinator of Clare Comhairle na nÓg, stressed the importance of the event for the local authority.
“This is an action under the National Children’s Strategy and Clare CDB is required to report on developments in relation to consultation with young people on an annual basis to the OMCYA,” she said.
In recent years, the annual Comhairle has provided an opportunity for up to 100 children and young people to come together and share their ideas on a range of issues relevant to them, including mental health, the environment and facilities for young people in the county.
Stressing the desire that the event would be as broadly representative as possible of the young population of the county, Ms Cullinan outlined that the event is targeted at the 12 to 18 age group and works separately with children and young people of primary and second-level school age on the day.
Participation in Clare Comhairle na nÓg can open up other opportunities also, as five young people will be elected to represent County Clare at Dáil na nÓg in March.
Organising such an event is a demanding task and would not be possible without the support and contribution of a range of organisations in the county, says Seamus Bane, chairperson of the Comhairle Steering Group, which comprises Clare County Council, Clare Youth Service, County Childcare Committee, Clare Sports Partnership, Clare Garda and Clare VEC.

“All these organisations recognise the importance of supporting young people to have their say and contribute to shaping the direction of their society and have committed time and resources to this aim,” said Mr Bane, VEC youth officer.
Creating a situation in which young people are recognised as “young citizens now, rather than citizens of the future is a significant and long-term task. With the enthusiasm and skills of both the young people of the county and supportive adults working together, we can shape Clare as a place where this can become a reality,” he concluded.