This article is from page 32 of the 2007-11-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
UPTO 100 children from across Clare will gather in Ennis next Wednesday to share their school experiences and Opinions on the future development of play and recreational policies.
The meeting has been organised by the Clare County Development Board, as part of the Comhairle na nOg or ‘youth council’ initiative.
Clare Comhairle na nOg, which includes representatives of primary and secondary schools, is a local forum for young people where they can discuss local and national issues of relevance to them.
Since 2002, Clare Comhairle na nOg has seen a steady increase in
its membership, with up to 40 local schools now participating.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming meeting in the West County Hotel in Ennis, Clare Mayor, Councillor Pa- tricia McCarthy said, “The objective of the Comhairli is to give children and young people a voice at a com- munity level. In my address to dele- gates I will outline the importance of considering the opinions of younger members of the community when devising local or national policy.”
“IT am delighted to see that Com- hairle na nOg is increasingly being recognised by local, regional and national bodies. It has provided rep- resentation to a number of initiatives such as Dail na nOg. This proves
that the process is effective and does make a difference to the lives of young people,” added Ms McCarthy. The upcoming Comhairle na nOg meeting will consist of two separate workshops and feedback sessions, which will feed into the review of Clare Local Authorities Play Policy and the development of a new Strat- egy for Clare Sports Partnership. | Meanwhile, five Comhairle na nOg delegates will be selected to repre- sent County Clare at the annual Dail na nOg on February 15, 2008. The national Young Person’s Parliament, which comprises representatives of Combhairli in 34 local authority areas throughout the country, meets once a year and submits an annual report of
the outcome to the Cabinet Commit- tee on Children. ;
Ms Brid Kirby, Comhairle na nOg co-ordinator for Community and Enterprise in Clare County Coun- cil, said that the upcoming meeting would provide an invaluable oppor- tunity for young people under 18 years of age to have a say in issues that affect their lives.
“The opening ceremony will fea- ture speeches from two of last year’s delegates who represented Clare at Dail na nOg and made a presenta- tion to the September meeting of Clare County Council. It underlines Comhairle na nOg’s ability to have its collective voice heard at local and national level,’ said Ms Kirby.