Written by Jess Donohue
Co. Galway
A large crowd gathered at North Circular Road, Dublin, for the 2024 youth democracy festival. From Spain to the Cork yonderlands, a wide variety of youths were present aspiring to discuss the vital topic of democracy. As the crowd settled in, a vote took place to allow people to share their views on issues that affect Ireland’s youth today, and where the government should allocate further funding.
Activity: What is democracy?
Following an introduction to the topic of democracy, small groups broke out into brief discussions to get to know each other. Young people shared their thoughts and current knowledge on democracy before discussing the aspects of a democratic country and ranking the top 10.
Further creativity and talents were used by the festival’s attendees through the project of creating posters for music festivals or breakfast menus, aiming to have a creative and fun link to democracy. Similarities were found through music tastes and favourite foods, with only a few peculiar arguments coming through about how a croissant is a pastry, not a bread.
After showcasing the creativity, the crowd was presented with slides on the importance of decision-making and tips for managing and avoiding misinformation. Both topics were proven beneficial to those present at the event as they are very current topics of today’s society and vital aspects of democracy.
Lunch:
After discussion of this topic lunch was finally served. An incredibly enjoyable aspect of the day where many people mingled outside of their groups and met new and interesting people from across Ireland and further afield. The friendly and energetic atmosphere was certainly a highlight that ran throughout the day.
Activity: Morals/Values
Following lunch, morals and personal values were introduced. All were asked to evaluate their top 5 personal values, this task showed the broad range of people present at the event but also helped others to reflect and appreciate what they find important in life, equally helping to appreciate oneself. Creativity and building relationships were brought to the table again as teams discussed moral dilemmas and what actions they would take in certain morally conflicting situations. As this occurred, it was revealed that from the previously mentioned vote, those present at the Dublin Youth Democracy Festival found that mental health, housing, and the climate had the biggest impact and ought to be top priorities for government funding according to young people. As a democracy, it is important to vote on these issues and formulate ideas together on what changes can be put in progress by the Government.
My takeaways:
Through experiencing this it is easy to pick my top takeaways from the day.
Creativity was displayed by many individuals in all projects and activities. This links to democracy as being creative in decision making and developing plans to deal with issues is vital and can truly aid in developing a country.
Equality was also a main topic of discussion in presentations and decision-making between teams at Dublin’s Youth Democracy Festival. Every democracy must have equality for all its people regardless of race, gender, religious beliefs, disabilities, etc.
Many opinions were shared in discussions during the event. It is a vital aspect of any democracy that one has the right to express their own opinions and speak out on issues.
The takeaways of others:
In discussions with other attendees, many agreed on their takeaways of the day, all having similar aspects to their views.
Damien Moyles, from Mayo, noticed the like-mindedness and similarities of the broad range of people present at the event and was impressed by the large number of young people who are active and involved.
Catríona Dillion, from Laois, took note of the large number of young people present with interest in learning about democracy and their broad range of ages.
John Boix, from Waterford, says one takeaway he found from attending the event was the many different backgrounds and the diversity that was welcomed to the event.
Finally, Aoife Moloney from Mayo stated that the event showcased youth engagement with democracy and the democratic processes in Ireland.
In conclusion, it is evident from attending the 2024 Youth Democracy festival in Dublin, that there is a broad range of views ready to be brought to the table for our future. As the youth present at the event we are ready to advocate for change through democratic processes that we see fit. We aim to protect democracy, not just for a better country today, but to protect future generations and their rights for decades to come.