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EU Parliament Strasbourg.
FOUR Mercy Mounthawk and two Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí students will head to the European Parliament next week as part of a group of eight Kerry teenagers attending an event there.
This year the Kerry Comhairle na nÓg was invited by Sean Kelly MEP to attend the European Youth Event (EYE) which will take place in the European Parliament seat in Strasbourg from 20-21 May 2016.
Atlanta Kennedy, Erin Fitzgibbon, Aisha Lawal and Sinead Leen from Mounthawk will join Barry Sugrue and Eoghan O’Donnell of Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, Eimear Horgan of St. Joseph’s Presentation Secondary, Castleisland and Collette O’Shea of Colaiste na Sceilge in travelling to the event this Friday.
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During the event, they will exchange ideas and perspectives on youth-related issues, develop innovative solutions to crucial questions for the future and meet with European decision-makers and speakers with a wide range of professional experience.
At the same time the EYE will provide an opportunity to experience the rich cultural diversity within the European Union through the staging of various artistic performances and spectacles.
As follow-up, a report with the ideas discussed during the event will be made available to all Members of the European Parliament. As well, former EYE participants will have the opportunity to present the most concrete ideas produced by young people to a number of parliamentary committees and receive feedbacks from Members.
Kerry Comhairle na nÓg is one of 31 youth councils in the country, which give children and young people the opportunity to be involved in the development of local services and policies and supported by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
In light of the fact that Comhairle na nÓg is for young people under the age of 18 and who therefore have no other voting mechanism to have their voice heard, Comhairle na nÓg is designed to enable young people to have a voice on the services, policies and issues that affect them in their local area.
Kerry Comhairle na nÓg is co-ordinated by Kerry County Council and the work programme is managed by the Kerry Diocesan Youth Service. It is a youth-led initiative that has around 60 members spread throughout the county. They meet in sub-committees in Killarney, Listowel, Tralee and Caherciveen as well as the large group meeting every two months in Tralee.
