What is Comhairle na nÓg?
Comhairle na nÓg are child and youth councils in the 31 local authorities of the country, which give children and young people the opportunity to be involved in the development of local services and policies.
In addition to the personal benefits for individual young people, these processes make an important contribution to policy development locally and nationally by ensuring that the voices of young people are part of the decision-making process in areas that affect their lives.
What do we do?
The core programme of Comhairle na nÓg centres on young people identifying, prioritising and progressing topics important to them.
Our members then try to influence local decision-makers to achieve their desired outcome, impact or change.
Comhairle na nÓg Annual General Meetings
Every Comhairle na nÓg holds an Annual General Meeting in September or October, to which children and young people are invited from local schools and youth groups. Attendance at AGMs ranges from 80 -150 young people, depending on the size of the city or county.
At the AGM, the young people work on identifying the topics of most importance to them.
A Comhairle na nÓg Committee is also elected (or sometimes selected) at the AGM. This committee is responsible for working on the topics identified at the AGM and being the consultative forum that works with decision-makers.
How are young people’s voices heard through Comhairle na nÓg?
Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the National Strategy on Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-making 2015-2020, highlight the importance of ensuring that children and young people are given a voice in decisions that affect their lives. Comhairle na nÓg is a key structure in giving young people a voice in decision-making at local and national level.
The Comhairle na nÓg gets young people’s voices heard in two ways: working on young people’s topics; and acting as a consultative forum.
How Do I Get Involved?
New members join through the local Comhairle na nÓg Annual General Meeting which are held in September/October of each year. Young people are invited from local schools and youth groups. The aim is to have a broad representative of the young people of the area as possible. At the AGMs, a large number of local young people come together to discuss the issues that are of importance to them. In most cases, new members for Comhairle are selected/elected during the AGM. Comhairle meetings generally take place every three to four weeks where members research their topic and work to influence local decision makers.
Contact information
- Contact name: Laura Bennett
- Contact email: lbennett@offalycoco.ie
- Address:
Offaly County Council
Áras an Chontae
Charleville Road
Tullamore
Co. Offaly - Tel: 057 9346800 ext 6799