Mr. Mark McNulty:

On behalf of the National Youth Council of Ireland, I thank committee members for the invitation to speak to them today concerning the European Year of Youth. The National Youth Council of Ireland, NYCI, represents 57 youth organisations in Ireland and our member organisations support more than 380,000 young people throughout Ireland, with the help of more than 40,000 volunteers and 1,400 paid staff. We have formal and informal relationships with national youth councils, international non-governmental youth organisations and representative bodies across the EU, which informs our works and allows for regular exchange on European issues.

The NYCI’s primary means of working with young people in democratic engagement around the European Union is through the young voices - EU youth dialogue process, a programme developed by NYCI that creates opportunities for young people from the age of 16 to 30 who have an interest in change-making. It brings young people into the policymaking process at a national and European level. The young voices programme is a model for youth democratic participation that allows young people to grow and develop capacity, as well as fostering key skills towards achieving the long-term outcomes that address the policy concerns of young people.

The NYCI consistently engages in advocacy at a European level, including through sending delegations of young people to the European Youth Conference and engaging at a European level with the European Youth Forum to represent the voice of Irish youth to the European Commission, Parliament and all other relevant forums. The NYCI has recently been particularly focused on the Conference on the Future of Europe, and as one of the NYCI’s representatives to the European Youth Forum, I have been keenly following this process.

The NYCI is a partner with the European Youth Forum on the 25% project, which is to engage young people and collect ideas from across the EU. The project is so named because 25% of Europe's population is made up of young people, but our voices are not equally heard or equally represented in political structures and institutions. This project has collected 1,000 ideas from across Ireland. This very clearly illustrates that young people remain thoroughly engaged with the European Union. It is incredibly important, therefore, that the European Year of Youth increases this engagement with the EU and makes sure young people are heard as we come out of the pandemic, leaving a lasting legacy of a year that benefits young people and the European Union as a whole.

The initial announcement of the Year of Youth was something of a surprise. Speaking to other youth organisations around Europe, nobody expected the announcement for 2022 and it was met with cynicism in some quarters. However, the youth sector has quickly adapted and developed hopes or expectations for this year. The NYCI is a member of the steering group for the European Year of Youth and will work alongside Léargas, as the national co-ordinator of the year, and other members to ensure meaningful engagement with young people. The youth sector plays a pivotal role in supporting young people and in mitigating the negative impact of Covid-19 on their lives. It also emphasises the importance of face-to-face youth work for young people and highlighted that those most at risk were the most disconnected during the pandemic.

I spoke to a group of MEPs in recent weeks, and I summed up the views of young people from recent young voices and 25% project events and most young people engaged in issues around the European Year of Youth, which is that young people want to feel they are better involved in shaping the EU. It is important the EU does not exist in a Brussels bubble to young people. Instead, it must be something that visibly impacts their lives and is something in which they can be involved in shaping.

We hope for a concrete way forward at the end of the year that empowers young people and offers change across all policy spheres, and not just within the traditional confines of youth policies. Since 2018, young voices have been advocating for a youth check and, more recently, the European Youth Forum proposed a youth test that would require an assessment of all policy that impacts young people on a European level. This is just one way in which policymakers could show a commitment to young people. The EU and our Government should seek to consult youth regularly, online and offline, and take these consultations into account.

It is also important that opportunities exist for young people to experience the EU, either through working or studying in other member states or other means, and that these opportunities are available to all young people. We must strengthen these opportunities this year and we hope it would involve Ireland developing a plan around the reinforced Youth Guarantee and implementing it.

It is very important we ensure youth organisations, large and small, are empowered to make sure young people take advantage of this year. We need buy-in from politicians and every Department to ensure they look to how they can empower young people. The pandemic has shown that young people are key parts of society. We made huge sacrifices.

It is important young people are shown that they matter and are heard throughout this year and into the future.

I thank members for their attention. I welcome any questions or comments members have on what I said.