Youth Councils Network Has a Voice on Brexit

On Wednesday 20 September, a delegation from the Youth Councils Network made a trip to the Council Offices, Newry to meet with the Louth and Newry, Mourne and Down Joint Committee to deliver a presentation on the hot topics of Brexit which are significant to them.
 
This meeting marked another significant event in their endeavours to have their voice heard on Brexit by Policy Makers.  To date, they have hosted consultation events with politicians and lecturers from the North and South of Ireland; visited Stormont and met with MLA’s; presented to Mairead McGuinness MEP and Declan Breathnach TD; visited the Dáil and presented to the Good Friday Committee. 
 
The group has produced a report on their Brexit concerns from the findings of the above consultations and discussions, and next month they will visit the European Parliament in Brussels to present it to MEPs. 
 
Throughout their presentation to the Newry, Mourne and Down Joint Committee, four young members, representing the Louth and Newry Mourne areas pressed the case for young people from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to have their concerns on the Brexit negotiations heard by those negotiating on behalf of the UK and the European Union.
 
Their presentation concluded with a number of recommendations affirming that they want their Governments to hear the concerns of young people in relation to Education, Transport, Funding, Peace Building and the notion of a hard border running through communities that may be in different jurisdictions.
 
Speaking on behalf of the Joint Committee, Councillor Declan McAteer, who chaired the meeting thanked the young people for their presentation, “On behalf of the Joint Committee, I wish to congratulate you on such an excellent presentation, it is admirable to see the co-operation and involvement from young people on raising such pertinent issues which are unique to our areas.”
 
Councillor McAteer concluded, “We very much welcomed your presentation, your enthusiasm and determination to have your views heard and we look forward to more opportunities to ensure that the voices of our young people, north and sound of the border, are heard in relation to Brexit.”