OCO and Me

“I was 16 and in transition year at St Aloysius School, Cork, when I joined the Youth Advisory Panel (YAP). I am now 23 and have finished a degree in philosophy, political science and economics from Trinity College Dublin.

“I was too young to vote, and didn’t have any family allegiances to a political party, but was aware that the political decisions and governmental systems around me had an impact on my life. The idea of getting involved with the Ombudsman for Children, an independent representative of young people in Ireland, offered a way to participate in decision-making that affected me, and people like me.

“After submitting an application form, I attended a selection day in Cork, which consisted of workshops and discussions with other applicants. Following this, I was elected to be a member of YAP along with 25 other young people from around the country. We worked with the OCO on many projects over two years at meetings in Dublin every six weeks. After this, I continued to volunteer with the office’s complaints and investigations team.

“One highlight was The Big Ballot, a national consultation that captured the views of over 70,000 young people on what they wanted the Government to prioritise with regards to decisions pertaining to children. This involved designing lesson plans to inform students of the issues at hand, a national tour by Emily and YAP to get pupils on board, and a national count event in Dublin Castle. I was part of the delegation to the Oireachtas which presented the results of our findings to TDs and Senators. On that day, Emily Logan did not accompany us to the Oireachtas as she wanted young peoples’ voices and findings to be the focus of the discussion with political representatives, a value that is central to the OCO: young people are the experts on being young people.”