Presentation by members of Comhairle na nÓg National Executive to the

2. Presentation by members of ComhairlenanÓg National Executive to the Oireachtas Committee on Health & Children • Bertie Nesirky – TipperaryComhairlenanÓg • Cillian Byrne - MeathComhairlenanÓg • Kayleigh Power - Galway City ComhairlenanÓg • Becky O’Connell - Waterford City ComhairlenanÓg

3. Comhairle nanÓg • ComhairlenanÓg are child and youth councils that give young people a voice in local issues • ComhairlenanÓgare run by the Local Authorities • They are funded and supported by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) • All local authorities have regular meetings of ComhairlenanÓg, which link with adult decision-making bodies

4. ComhairlenanÓg National Showcase 2014 • The ComhairlenanÓg National Showcase takes place every two years • The next showcase is on November 20th 2014 in Croke Park and key adult decision-makers will be invited • 20th November 2014 is the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child • The focus of the Showcase will be on celebrating this anniversary by showcasing the work carried out by 34 Comhairlí around the country and exploring children’s rights • Over 500 young Comhairle members will take part • We hope that you will all attend • www.comhairlenanog.ie

5. DáilnanÓg • Takes place every alternate year • It is funded by DCYA and hosted by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs • The last DáilnanÓg was in November 2013 • The topic was Mental Health • Over 200 young people attended from all 34 Comhairlí • The top recommendation was “The need for a national gathering for second level students, with music and events to improve attitudes towards mental health.”

6. Comhairle nanÓg National Executive • After DáilnanÓg , one member from each ComhairlenanÓgis elected to the National Executive • The role of the Executive is to implement the top recommendation from DáilnanÓg • The Executive is facilitated by the DCYA, Foróige and Youth Work Ireland who make sure that we get the opportunity to meet with Ministers, policy-makers, Oireachtas Committees and other decision-makers • We have 2 year term, which began in January 2014 and meet once a month • We are working on organising a national gathering for second level students, with music and events to improve attitudes towards mental health, which was the top recommendation voted at DáilnanÓg2013

7. Work to Date (1) • Our definition of Mental Health: • ‘Mental Health is the state of the mind, and how we cope with positive and negative experiences and emotions on a day-to-day basis’ • Our Messages: • We want understanding and acceptance of mental health for young people • We want people to accept and understand that mental health, be it good or bad, is a part of everyone’s life • We want to highlight that mental health facilities are available to young people and show them there is no shame in using them • We want to improve the existing mental health of young people

8. Work to Date (2) • We looked at examples of good practice • We met with members of our Steering Committee of mental health experts • We developed ideas for the event itself • We are carrying out an online poll to get the views of young people in Comhairlí and schools on the look and feel of our gathering

9. Oireachtas Team • The CeannComhairle appointed a team work with the Comhairle nanÓg National Executive and link us with the work of the Oireachtas: • Jerry Buttimer TD • Aodhán O Riordáin TD • Senator Jillian Van Turnhout • Senator Kathryn Reilly • Senator Averil Power

10. Steering Committee • The DCYA appointed a Steering Committee to support our work on mental health: • Dr Tony Bates, Director, Headstrong • Clive Byrne, Director, Association of Principals and Deputy Principals • Elaine Geraghty, Chief Executive Officer, ReachOut.com • Dr Brendan Doody, CAMHS Advisor, HSE • Gerry Raleigh, Director, National Office for Suicide Prevention • Professor Dympna Devine, School of Education, UCD • James Barry, Youth Officer, Headstrong • Fiona O'Shea, School of Education, UCD

11. Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014-2020) • National Cross-Government Policy for children and young people • Launched by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in April 2014 • The ComhairlenanÓg National Executive is one of the groups directly involved in implementation of the Policy Framework • The ComhairlenanÓg National Executive will identify topics in the Framework that are important to children and young people and work regularly with the DCYA Implementation Team • Once a year, representatives from the ComhairlenanÓg National Executive will meet the Policy Consortium of Secretaries General and give them feedback on these topics

12. What we want from you! • Thank you for inviting us here today • We would like the opportunity to come back to meet this committee as plans for our mental health event progress • We would like to invite you to attend the ComhairlenanÓg National Showcase on 20 November and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UNCRC