Ms Mary Osubor-Kennedy:

Before I start, I would like you to picture in your mind a board member of a national organisation, someone who speaks at national conferences and who hosts national events. Who are you picturing? What do they look like? How old are they? Well, that person is a young person, and in fact, that person is me, and why can it not be? I am Mary, I am 16 years old and I am from Cork. I am also a board member on Foróige. Today I will talk to the committee about the importance of young people being involved in decision-making and why it is particularly important in relation to the climate conversation. I thank the committee for inviting us here today and for bringing us into the conversation, not outside but inside the gates of Leinster House.

Exactly 30 years ago, in 1992, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified in Ireland. Within that, Article 12 states that every child has the right to freely express his or her views in all matters affecting them, depending on their maturity. Yet 30 years later, it is still somewhat of a novelty seeing young people included in spaces like the Oireachtas. Let us hope that today marks a real change in this situation.

In the last few years, Ireland has taken great steps in including young people in decision-making, but there is still so much more work to be done. Young people are in this grey area, where they are not considered as either children or adults. We are deemed capable enough to make the big decisions on our future, like what we will spend the rest of our lives doing as a career. We can get jobs, pay taxes and apply for driver licences, but, on the other hand, we are not considered mature enough when it comes to other matters also affecting our futures. These include who we want leading our country or having a real say in issues that are really important to us, like the environment and climate action. Young people today live in this paradox, not understanding what role to play.

Not all, but many adults see young people under the age of 18 as incapable of understanding enough to be involved in national decision-making. I am 16 years old, so I cannot vote, for example, but what is two years? Would it not be better to gradually introduce young people to decision-making? This would enable us to engage and to become active citizens in our country and to grow into understanding how the world works. There are 18-year-olds today who are completely lost because they went from being considered too young and immature to being fully grown adults in a day, with all the responsibilities that comes with that. It is a huge transition to make and we are not properly prepared for it.

It is true that young people are the next generation of leaders who will be shaping this country in future, but we are also citizens now and we are important for what we can bring to the table today. Being able to vote at 16 would bring issues like the climate crisis much more sharply into consideration and it would lead to richer decision-making, communication and change. It is not as if young people are ignorant about what we are saying. We do our research and we look into things, particularly those issues that we care about deeply, like climate action. After all, it was young people who put climate action at the top of the world agenda. We might be young, but when we are passionate about something, we put in the work.

For example, let us take Foróige’s Ecollective, many of whose members are here today. The Ecollective is a group of young people in Foróige who dedicate their time to spreading awareness of climate justice. They have recorded podcasts, hosted conferences and advised on Foróige’s climate justice programmes. The Ecollective is driven by the principle of bringing people with us and leaving no one behind. This means focusing on education, raising awareness and bringing people into the conversation rather than being in conflict. It also means including everyone, including each one of us here. No matter what one's background, it is about focusing on climate justice and how we can ensure that tackling the climate crisis does not impact certain groups or communities unfairly. Young people cannot be put into a box as if we are all the same - we are a whole sector of different opinions. Decision-makers including a more diverse set of perspectives would lead to more diverse and informed decisions. I am not saying young people are all knowing - no one is. We all keep learning throughout our lives, whether we are aged 16 or 60.

I started by saying it has been 30 years since the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified here. After 30 years, only now are we beginning to see changes being made. Let us think ahead to 30 years in the future. All of us young people here today will then be the same age as many of the members. Maybe we will be sitting where you guys are. These 30 years from now will take us to 2050, which is the year that all our climate commitments are aimed at. What will that world look like? There are a whole three decades of possibility. Let us ensure we make it count. It is time to start actually seeing young people as young people and not as children, and to see us for who we are and what we can bring to the table today, and not just who we will become in the future. It is time to start listening, really listening, and not just hearing. If young people are given the chance, you never know where we might go. I thank the committee.