I feel very privileged to be here today at the close of such an exciting event. As a politician, it is very encouraging to see evidence before me of the extent of interest taken by young people in influencing their own future and that of their country.
I am delighted that Northern Ireland has hosted the 10th annual sitting of the Youth Parliament and I hope you have enjoyed your time here at the University of Ulster. I understand you made a visit to Parliament Buildings at Stormont yesterday which I hope you found interesting and gave you an insight into how Government works.
As one of the Junior Ministers with responsibility for children’s issues, I have attended many events where I have met young people. I have listened to what they have to say and this is what I have learnt.
I have learnt
• how much young people want to have their voice heard;
• how much they want to be able to influence decisions which impact on their daily lives;
• how much they want to know that their opinions matter; and
• How much they want to know that their contribution is valued.
Well I can tell you:-
• that your opinions do matter;
• your voice is heard; and
• your contribution is valued.
And that’s not just because Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child states that:
“Children have the right to say what they think should happen, when adults are making decisions that affect them, and to have their opinions taken into account.”
We want to hear your opinions because its the right thing to do and we know that by listening to young people’s views and encouraging them to participate in developing and influencing policies that impact on them, we can make a difference to many children and young people‘s lives.
Talking about Participation - we worked with our counterparts in Scotland, Wales and England to develop a joint statement of commitment to progress the concluding observations made by the United Nations Committee following their examination of how we are implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We all agreed that ‘enabling children and young people to participate in decision making on issues that affect their lives’ was a joint priority as outlined in our published document.
We are also aiming to work across the 4 nations with the Children’s Commissioners to identify ways in which we can tackle the negative portrayal of young people by the media.
I note that this is a key manifesto commitment and we will be encouraging the Commissioners to work with you to take on board some of your ideas particularly around the use of new media when communicating with young people.
I can assure you that we take these responsibilities very seriously and we are committed to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people and developing a culture where the views of our children and young people are routinely sought on matters that impact on their lives.
I am reassured that through such innovations as the Youth Parliament young people are being given the opportunity to have their opinions heard and receive recognition for the valuable contribution they are making.
We in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister have, with the help of the voluntary sector and the Participation Network, been making a huge effort to ask young people how they think life here could be made better.
Last year we organised over 50 workshops to give young people the opportunity to tell us their views and suggest how we could make their lives better. A key issue emerging from the workshops was the need to have appropriate mechanisms for young people to get involved and have a say.
As a result, I am delighted that work is progressing to create a Youth Assembly which will allow young people to feed their views on relevant issues direct to government.
I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed the past few days and have been inspired by the speakers you have heard and the discussions you have had with each other. And I hope you are confident, as I am that your views are taken seriously and can make a real difference to your future.
When you all go home to your constituencies and reflect on the past few days’ proceedings, I hope that you will:-
• feel encouraged and motivated to continue your involvement in politics;
• I hope that you will feel empowered to challenge your local councillor or your local MP about what they are doing to promote the issues that matter to you;
All that remains for me to say is Congratulations on such an exciting and successful event.
Thank you.
