‘In Dreams begin
responsibility’
So said WB Yeats, and I agree.
Being young and Irish is met with mixed sentiments today. When Katie Taylor
took gold in London 2012 whilst Amhrán na bhFiann bellowed in the background,
when Leinster were crowned Heineken Cup champions in 2011 and 2012, when the
Irish Paralympic team returned to our shores with 16 medals from London 2012,
when the Irish Rugby team won both the Grand Slam and the Six Nations Championship
in 2009 – I was proud to young and Irish. Having such a high calibre of young
people representing us on the global stage in various sporting genres, focused
and committed to achieving their best for each and every one of us, fills me
with pride.
But that pride quickly subsides;
when I am reminded these moments are the minority. In reality, being young and
Irish equates to concern; concern about the future, Ireland’s future; who will
be left behind to lead our country if the young generation of today are forced
to leave our shores in search of employment opportunities abroad? Will anyone
be left behind to repair this country? Despite the plethora of concerns,
despite the numerous attempts to promote the need for the youth to become
politically aware and involved, there was no answer from government bodies. We,
the youth, had no voice. Many felt silenced, many felt cheated by a country and
a former generation who’d wronged us, only to make us pay dearly for their
mistakes, and many, with little hope of a future in Ireland, left. It’s
disheartening to watch from the sidelines as a country shunned its youth.
Step forward Michael D Higgins,
Ireland’s current President. A President, who seems to care, not solely for his
term in office, but for the future of the entire country, and the future as he
sees it is the youth of today. So often, presidential candidates have promises
they vow to keep if they get into office, only to so quickly fall by the waste
side by other more ‘pressing’ issues. Not Michael D. He wanted the involvement
of young people from the start and he actively sought to create an initiative
that encompasses young people remoulding our country. It’s a beginning.
Following a pilot programme
earlier in the year, the Being Young and Irish initiative kicked off, with four
regional workshops, which invited young people aged 17-26 years to take part in
sharing their vision for Ireland, and tackling questions such as what do young
people need to do to help achieve this Ireland. If you couldn’t attend a
workshop and still wished to take part, you could do so by logging on to
president.ie and submitting your thoughts. Finally, we have a voice.
I was taking no chances, so I
registered to attend a workshop and submitted by views on the website also. I
attended the Monaghan workshop on September 22nd, almost 70 young
people attended. The workshop was opened by President Higgins, this small
gesture of taking the time out on a Saturday morning to address us emphasised
his commitment to this project and to us as a generation. I was impressed. The
manner in which he addressed us was refreshing – open, honest, and encouraging.
Subsequent to this address, we spent the morning brainstorming our vision for
the country, what it was we wanted to be proud of in Ireland, what we wanted
Ireland to be renowned for in years to come. It was interesting to see the
ideas of young people, a stark reminder the creativity young people can offer.
Throughout the day we tackled the problems we as young people wanted confronted,
and how we proposed to get involved and provide solutions for these issues. Team
work was integral, and every member had a voice, regardless if we agreed or
disagreed with each other – sure a healthy debate is important now and again
eh?!
I ended the day content in the
fact that ideas we brought to the table, were now in the hands of the project
team, and would later be presented at a national seminar, and furthermore, our
proposals would be sent to the necessary governmental department for review. I
could only hope that our efforts were not in vain, and that President Higgins
will continue his efforts to involve young people in the country’s welfare.
Despite my content at the
workshop, I also left feeling concerned. The 70 people who attended the
workshop were predominantly aged between 17-20 years, whilst the workshop was
open to those aged from 17-26 years. There were a mere handful of people in
their twenties, on the later side of 24, not only did I feel like the OAP of
the group, I was gravely concerned. Where were my age group? Was it a lack of
political interest? Or had they fled the country? In the rural area of Cavan/Monaghan,
most people who were permanently based in these regions have left, have had to
leave due to the lack of job opportunities, and so there voice was unheard,
silenced if you may. The 22-26 age bracket was underrepresented, but due to
circumstance not lack of interest. I urge the Being Young and Irish initiative
to attempt to gauge the views of those who’ve emigrated, it’s vital if we ever
want them to return with a greater skill set than what they left with.
Also with second level students
well represented on the day something new became evident. There is an education
gap. The majority of second level students openly admitted to not fully
understanding the salient issues of concern for our nation. When the topic of
economic stability and a recovery were broached, it was a topic they felt they
could not contribute or add value to, as they had not been educated to
appreciate what truly is going on in our economy. These are young people in an
education system which does not provide an education on such topics. Despite
this concern, they were at the workshop – they acknowledged an education gap
and wanted to rectify it, and wanted to learn so they too could be part of the
recovery.
In an age where due to past
mistakes we are often disheartened and feel undervalued as a generation when
forced to emigrate or take jobs which do not allow us to realise our full
potential, it is encouraging to know that though we often feel like a ‘forgotten’
generation, we now have a medium through which we can have our voice heard, and
more importantly, there are a myriad of young people who want to get involved
and repair this country to realise their future of a better Ireland. Let’s hope
President Higgins continues with this initiative and we as a young generation
get to realise our dreams – after all ‘In Dreams being Responsibility’.
Video link to my submission to
the Being Young and Irish Initiative below –
