Cork County Comhairle na nÓg

About us

Current topics:

Cork County Comhairle na nÓg are currently focusing their work on ‘building resilience in relation to stress and pressure’. They have produced a leaflet and are working on a film. Actions to date:

• Members engage with Jigsaw and Healthy Ireland (presentations at last in-person meeting, February)
• Create a song on theme of stress as part of Cruinniu na nOg 2020
• Collaborate with Cork County Council CARE campaign in July
• Design a research survey (issued in October)
• Poster campaign on need to CARE during Covid-19
• Webinar delivered as main action event on 30 October

NEWS: 

Alicia O’Sullivan from Cork County Comhairle na nÓg was Ireland’s delegate to the United Nations Youth Action Climate Summit in New York in September this year. An outspoken climate activist, Alicia was also invited to address delegates at the Our Ocean Wealth Summit in Cork on 11th June. Alicia was one of a number of youth ambassadors from all over the world attending the summit who got to discuss climate issues with former US Secretary of State, John Kerry and Tánaiste Simon Coveney at a behind-closed-doors meeting after the morning session.

2019

Cork County Comhairle na nÓg focused on two key topics in 2019: Relationships & Sexual Health, which they have been working on since 2017, and Education. They looked at school-related stress as part of the Education topic and will continue to work with the NCCA on the curriculum review of RSE.

Members created a stress management resource – PEACE (Pause, Evaluate, Act, Connect, Expectations)

2017 – 2018

Sexual Education: Cork County Comhairle have been working on the topic of Relationships and Sexual Health since 2017. This took the form of an advocacy campaign for quality sexual education and taking action for more effective content and delivery of this subject through the school curriculum.

Secondary project:
> Cyber Security: organise an event to help educate young people to use social media responsibly.

Work already completed

They were focused on two main topics in 2015-2016:
• Transport in rural Cork: taking action for more affordable public transport costs for young people by campaigning for the roll out of the Leap Card in Co Cork
• Healthy and Safe Environment: promoting positive mental health.

The group made submissions to Local Economic Community Plan for Co Cork in 2015 and also participated in an event at the European Parliament, Strasbourg in 2016.
Cork County Comhairle were also involved in the nationwide Let’s Go Mental campaign in 2015 to promote positive mental health in young people.

Cork County Comhairle na nÓg has been taking action for more affordable public transport costs for young people. We have been lobbying against unfair transport costs for 16-18 year olds and made representations to key decision makers in the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, with the support of local TDs, to introduce a new pricing system, together with a new ID solution, for young people under 18 years. We had our first win in this regard in summer 2014 when it was announced by government that new Leap fares for 16- 18 year olds will be introduced, kicking off in August 2014 in Dublin and Cork City. On 9th July in Leinster House, we met with former Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar to celebrate this announcement. See picture below of some of our Comhairle members with Minister  Varadkar  and former Minister for Children & Youth Affairs Charlie Flanagan TD. We are now calling for the establishment of an interim measure for rurally based young people, not yet entitled to a Leap card, to avail of similar price reductions.

See video below for great reasons to join Cork County Comhairle na nÓg, or indeed Comhairle in general.

Cork County Comhairle na nÓg  recently completed work on a campaign for LGBT young people.  We also worked on resources for education and addressing bullying. We have completed workshops on homophobic bullying and LGBT issues, and developed a number of ideas around awareness raising of these issues in schools.