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Blog: ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’

23 March 2025
Sam Nelson
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Categories: Blog, News

23 March 2025

In our latest blog, VOYPIC Young Rep, Michelle Chapman, highlights her work representing Northern Ireland at the 28th Annual Conference of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children.

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Written by Michelle Chapman
VOYPIC Young Rep

I am a VOYPIC Young Rep and in September 2024 I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Helsinki, Finland, to represent Northern Ireland at the 28th Annual Conference of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC). The theme of the conference was the rights of children in alternative care, which is something important to me because I’ve grown up in care myself.

I was part of the European Network of Young Advisors (ENYA); a group of young people from across Europe who came together to make sure our voices and experiences were included in big conversations about care.

Preparing to Represent Northern Ireland

Before heading to Helsinki, I worked with NICCY and other young people with care experience, to talk about what’s working and what’s not in the care system in Northern Ireland. We discussed things like stability in placements, the importance of feeling listened to, the need for all adults who work with children and young people in care to be properly trained and supported, as well as the support needed when you leave care. It was important to me that I wasn’t just sharing my own views but also representing my friends and other care-experienced young people back home.

We travelled to Bratislava in July, with Laura from NICCY and Brenda from VOYPIC supporting us. Brandan (another VOYPIC Young Rep) and I shared our experiences of care in Northern Ireland and got to meet other Young Advisors from different countries, and learn about alternative care across Europe. It was eye-opening to hear that a lot of us faced the same issues, no matter where we were from.

One of the recommendations that I made at the Forum went on to be included in the final list of recommendations presented to ENOC.  This was “nothing about us, without us”.  This is something that is very important not only to me, but to the young people from Northern Ireland I was representing. 

I am a VOYPIC Young Rep and through this role I am lucky enough to have opportunities where I am part of ensuring that our voices are at the heart of decisions made about our lives.  VOYPIC stands for Voice of Young People in Care, and including young people’s voices is at the heart of everything VOYPIC does.  So many people at the conference wanted to know more about VOYPIC and the work it does, as they would love to have an organisation like VOYPIC in their country.  It made me realise that I’m lucky to have VOYPIC and all of the positive relationships I have made since I became involved with them a few years ago.

Taking the stage in Helsinki

Brenda, from VOYPIC, and I travelled to the ENOC conference in Helsinki with Laura from NICCY again, but we were also joined by Joanne from NICCY as well as Chris Quinn, the Children’s Commissioner for Northern Ireland.  I got on really well with everyone on the trip and loved the craic, even with all the cringey dad jokes, Christopher!

Walking into the conference was a bit overwhelming at first, but as soon as I saw our wee clan I felt more at ease. I knew they were here for me and I had worked with Brenda on preparing what I was going to say, so I felt ready for my role on the panel, and presenting my part of the presentation myself and the other Young Advisors prepared.

I presented part of the quiz, where we asked the audience- made up of ombudspersons, policymakers, and professionals who work with children in care- to stand up if they agreed with the statements we made.  A lot of people came up to me afterwards and complimented me on the quiz and how I brought my personality and humour into it, which really made it memorable for them and helped get our message across.

Learning and Looking Ahead

Being part of this conference made me realise how many people actually want to make things better for children and young people in alternative care. I also learned so much from hearing about care systems in other countries.

One of the biggest things I’ll take away from this experience is confidence. On our way home, Chris asked me what my takeaway was? I said that I realised I am capable of a lot more than I thought I was.

I’m so grateful to NICCY for the opportunity and to VOYPIC for supporting me on this journey, especially Brenda from VOYPIC, who traveled with me. Brenda grew up in care too, and having her there made a huge difference. She understood how I was feeling and reminded me that I deserved to be in that room, speaking up for myself and others.

Final Thoughts

Going to Helsinki was an experience I’ll never forget. It showed me that young people in care aren’t just statistics— we have real opinions, real experiences, and real solutions. We just need more people to listen.

It wasn’t all work either! I made some brilliant memories and had great craic on both trips with treasure hunts, sightseeing, swims in sea pools and my infamous napkin boats at our dinner with the Ombudspeople in Helsinki as well.

At the VOYPIC Care Day Awards, I was lucky enough to win the Community Champion award for my contribution to the care experienced community, for my role on the ENYA forum and at the ENOC conference.

I hope that the conversations we had at ENOC lead to real change, not just in Northern Ireland but across Europe. And I hope that more young people like me get the chance to speak up, because when we do, amazing things can happen.

Blog: On the Road to Rights

17 January 2025
Sam Nelson
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Categories: Blog

17 January 2025

In our latest blog, NICCY youth panel member, Charlotte Wysner, outlines her work to educate others about rights, and her aspiration to have the voice of children and young people heard.

Make sure you don’t miss out on our blogs, plus all our latest child rights news by subscribing to our Ezine ‘Child Rights Matters’.

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Written by Charlotte Wysner
NICCY Youth Panel Member

I have been a part of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Youth (NICCY) for over a year now. Throughout my time I have been given an open space to share my opinions and have my voice heard. I have worked on projects from RSE education in schools to the more recent children’s rights workshops.

On the 19th of November, I delivered one of several workshops carried out by NICCY about Children’s rights across Northern Ireland. Together, we as NICCY set a goal to educate children and youth on their rights and the UNCRC as well as find out their views on how these rights are being upheld and respected.

I delivered one workshop to two groups of around 20 students aged 12-17. The workshops all went very well, and I know that in my case I learnt just as much from the attendees as I hope they did from me.

Through this experience, I was also given the rare opportunity to chair a panel between heads of NICCY, Translink, the local Council and the groups of children and youth attending all the workshops provided by NICCY and Translink Youth Form (TYF) that day.

The whole day and experience provided me with a further in-depth understanding of a broader range of children’s rights that children and young people of Northern Ireland don’t feel are being respected or protected.

Throughout my time in these projects, I learnt about the importance of the UNCRC as well as the power it holds.

Having been a part of conversations surrounding the anti-age discrimination proposals that were discussed recently which could potentially exclude under 16 year olds, it has become ever clearer that these rights that are so powerful and so important are not being upheld.

This is nothing less than a crime against our country’s youngest generations. How can we ever expect our youth to grow up with a confident understanding of themselves if no one listens to them or abides by the rules written in International Conventions?

Being part of NICCY has taught me so much about my voice and opinions as well as their importance. It has given me confidence in myself as a public speaker and has helped develop me as a person.

Children and youth in Northern Ireland, and throughout the UK, should feel the same level of security and pride in their voices, their rights are being respected and upheld in full.

These ideas are very possible – we simply need to redirect our priorities back onto the correct path. I hope to help over my time at NICCY to make a positive difference in these issues and witness the growth of Northern Ireland into a new era, where those in power understand the importance of children and young people’s voices.

Blog: Equality in Education

9 September 2024
Sam Nelson
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Categories: Blog

9th September 2024

Member of the NI Youth Assembly, Clodagh McKenna, discusses her recent participation in a CLC co-design workshop and outlines how children’s rights help guarantee equality in education.

Written by Clodagh McKenna

I am a member of the Northern Ireland Youth Assembly and I am passionate about making a positive change in young people’s lives. I felt inspired when the Youth Assembly recently met with young people from Children’s Law Centre, Angel Eyes, VOYPIC and Barnardo’s NI’s Syrian Youth Voices to aid the development of the education and Special Educational Needs sections of REE Rights Responder which offers free online legal advice to children and helps them understand what their rights are.

Children’s educational rights is a topic that is dear to me because I want to ensure that every child has access to a quality education. Unfortunately, education still remains an unattainable right for millions of children around the world. Almost 60 million children of primary education age are not in school. [1]This leads to adults not having the skills necessary to be able to improve both their living conditions of those and of their children, thus leaving the family to fall further into poverty and unable to escape this cycle.

Article 28 of the United Nations Convention in the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)[2] says that “children and young people have the right to education no matter who they are: regardless of race, gender or disability; if they are in detention or if they are a refugee.” Children’s educational rights encompasses the right to access education that is free from discrimination, the right to be able to learn in an inclusive and safe environment and the right to receive a quality education that will help them equip the skills and knowledge that will prepare them for the challenges of the modern world. By being able to guarantee these rights, this can empower children to achieve their full potential, contribute meaningfully and create a difference in society. In time, this could help break the cycle of poverty and inequality.

Department of Education statistics show that in the academic year to June 2023, 96,000 pupils had chronic or severe chronic attendance issues. An additional 100,041 children were in the “at risk” category.[3] The significance of education is a fundamental right that all children should have, as it lays the foundation for a child’s future successes, life and well-being. No child should ever miss out on an education, as it is the right of the child to receive an education. It is crucial to uphold children’s educational rights; ensuring all children regardless of their background, or circumstances that they face, are granted equal opportunities to learn and to grow.

By advocating for children’s educational rights, we can promote inclusive and equitable educational systems. This can develop a brighter future for every child so that all children can receive an education that they deserve.

Find out more about REE Rights Responder at reerights.com

Image of a group of young people standing on the steps of The Great Hall in Stormont's Parliament Buildings.

References:

[1] Max Roser (2021) – “Access to basic education: almost 60 million children of primary school age are not in school” Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/children-not-in-school

[2] Convention on the Rights of the Child | OHCHR

[3] Department of Education Circular 2023/11 – Attendance Guidance and Absence Recording by Schools­: https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/attendance-guidance-absence-recording-by-schools-circular-202311

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Blog: Give Us Votes at 16

2 August 2024
Sam Nelson
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Categories: Blog

6th August 2024

In this blog, Eva Bradley, talks about why she is passionate about securing the vote for 16 and 17 year olds and her activism as part of Politics in Action.

Written by Eva Bradley

Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights explains that every citizen shall have the right and opportunity to vote in elections, which shall be by “universal and equal suffrage”. Lowering the voting age to 16 is the next logical step on the journey to making our democratic system more accessible and inclusive.

In the past number of years, many countries, including Austria, Brazil, Scotland and Wales have lowered the voting age to 16. This has sparked debate and conversation all over the UK about lowering the voting age, and about the participation of young people in our democracy.

Image of young person with a megaphone. Pull quote reads: "Having the right to vote will help give young people the democratic voice they deserve" - Eva Bradley

As a 17 year old, I only missed out on being able to vote in this election by about eight months. However, despite not being able to vote, this didn’t stop me, or many other young people, from very closely following the election results.

For years now, I’ve been highly interested in politics and involved in youth activism, and I recently joined the Votes at 16 campaign group. I have always been very passionate about youth participation in democracy and specifically the right to vote at the age of 16. There are so many reasons why, but one of the main ones for me was that at 16 you can work and be taxed. If you are paying into the system, you should always have the right to vote.

Something I often hear from people who are opposed to lowering the voting age is that 16 and 17 year olds are too immature and aren’t educated enough to vote. While it is true that here in Northern Ireland our political education isn’t great, our campaign is also advocating for better political education in our curriculum. Giving our young people the right to vote would be a crucial aspect of political education. They can go from learning about politics at school to actively participating in our electoral democracy. Many young people aged 16 and 17 are already highly politically engaged. A lot are very political without even realising it!

Lowering the voting age to 16 has so many benefits. There has been evidence from Scotland, where the voting age was lowered to 16 in 2013, that 16 and 17 year olds there who started voting at this young age were likely to continue voting throughout their life. Many experts believe this makes a great case for lowering the voting age to 16 everywhere.

Image of a poster at a protest. The poster has a drawing of earth, with the text 'system change, not climate change'. Pull quote reads: "Being able to vote from age 16 would ensure that politicians take us young people seriously in the matters that affect us, giving  us a say on issues that will impact our present and future."

In 2014, 75% of 16 and 17 year olds voted in the independence referendum in Scotland, and 95% of them said they’d vote again.

Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises a young person’s right to express their views freely “in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child”. Being able to vote from age 16 would ensure that politicians take us young people seriously in the matters that affect us, giving  us a say on issues that will impact our present and future – particularly when it comes to the climate crisis. As young people, we will have to live with the consequences if we don’t take action now.

Having the right to vote will help give young people the democratic voice they deserve. In election campaigning, many parties, including Labour, now the biggest in Parliament, had a commitment to lowering the voting age in their manifestos. I sincerely hope that we see some action on this soon.

You can read more about the Politics in Action Votes at 16 campaign, and sign the petition, at https://www.politicsinaction.org/campaigns/votes-at-16

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Blog: Powered By Students, For Students

14 June 2024
Sam Nelson
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Categories: Blog

17 June 2024

Secondary Students Union Northern Ireland (SSUNI), Lauren Bond, highlights the busy work of student activists who are determined to make sure the views of school students are taken into account by decision makers.

Written By Lauren Bond, SSUNI International Officer and President Elect:

Founded in 2020 the Secondary Students Union Northern Ireland (SSUNI) has worked passionately to defend, protect and promote students’ rights in Northern Ireland. We act as a source of support for students by providing them with advocacy experience and opportunities and a space for them to raise their voices on issues affecting them. We work hard to ensure that students are represented in high-level discussions and that those in power consult young people on issues that affect them. SSUNI represents a diverse and passionate community of students through our ‘Member School’ structure. Schools sign up for membership and send students as SSUNI Delegates, providing a space for students from different backgrounds to work progressively and collaboratively together.

SSUNI regularly meet with a range of departments and organisations that shape secondary education such as CCEA, the Department of Education and the Education Training Inspectorate. In these meetings, we represent the interests of students and ensure their views are taken into account by decision-makers. Recently SSUNI met with Education Minister Paul Givan to discuss the issues that matter to young people such as Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE), Curriculum Reform, Uniform Reform and Life Skills Education in schools.

Additionally, SSUNI has produced numerous reports through our Working Groups, formed with SSUNI Delegates and other interested students in Northern Ireland. One such report is our ‘Let Us Learn’ Learning for Life and Work report, launched at Queen’s University Belfast in December 2023. The report is a comprehensive analysis of young people’s views on the range of topics that LLW covers, such as Political Education, Relationship and Sexuality Education as well as Children’s Rights, Mental Health and Financial Education. In March SSUNI attended a Catalyst School NI Design Lab to present our LLW Report and get teachers’ insights. We also shared ideas on how to progress the recommendations of the report. The report has had numerous mentions in Stormont by MLAs and was featured in the Irish News.

Reform of the ‘CAO’ Applications System and increasing the accessibility of universities in the Republic of Ireland for students in Northern Ireland has been a top priority for SSUNI this year. We’ve met with MLAs and TDs, such as Padraig Delargy and Mairead Farrell, on this issue as well as the Universities Ireland Working Group and the NI Department for the Economy to discuss our recommendations on our ‘#CAOReform’ campaign. Our Vice President, lzzy Fitzpatrick, testified to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Higher Education in Leinster House on the issue in February. SSUNI has led a vocal media campaign on this issue and will continue to push for reforms to ensure students in Northern Ireland can access further education opportunities on the island.

SSUNI is a proud member of the Organising Bureau of European School Students Unions (OBESSU) where I attended their Council of Members in Texel in December. Our President, Ellen Taylor, and I recently travelled to the European Parliament in Brussels to attend the European Youth Forum’s Level Up Event where we joined a range of meetings based on topics such as the use of Al, the role of young people in defending democracy and counter-narratives to hate speech. Alongside this, we met with the Executive Office in Brussels to discuss the need for increased international opportunities for young people in Northern Ireland and the importance of educating young people about European institutions to ensure they can still have a strong voice within Europe. We got involved with the European Parliament’s “Use Your Vote” campaign encouraging young EU Citizens in the UK to vote in the European Parliament elections. SSUNI will continue to work in strong collaboration with OBESSU to defend students’ rights internationally and work collaboratively with student unions across Europe.

SSUNI has had an exceptionally busy year, attending numerous events on child poverty, equality and political education, while also running Working Groups with our Delegates on Mental Health, School Uniforms and Modern Languages. We published our ‘Mini Manifesto’ upon the re-establishment of Stormont, which sets out our priorities for the Executive, and we presented it to the Education Minister during our meeting.

We recently held our first ever in-person ‘Student Assembly’, an annual event where SSUNl’s policy is set and we elect our Executive, who runs the Union on a day-to-day basis. The new Executive will focus on forming a ‘Future of Education’ Working Group; a project in which young people will have the space to visualise what education will look like in the future and identify how we can move education beyond mere exams and assessments. Modern languages will remain a key priority for SSUNI in the coming year as we will launch a report focusing on young people’s views on the Modern Languages Curriculum.

Furthermore, we will continue to campaign on our ‘Let Us Learn’ Report and our Feminist Society will be campaigning on the findings of our ‘Sexism and Sexual Harassment in Schools’ Report.

SSUNI is proud to represent the voices of students and is proudly ‘Powered by Students, for Students’.