Our Youth Participation Project

What is Youth Participation? 

It is a type of Erasmus+ project. Youth Participation Activities can be either national or international. Activities include workshops, debates, role-plays, simulations, use of digital tools, awareness raising campaigns, and training. They are open to youth organisations and informal groups of young people from all backgrounds, with special focus on those with fewer opportunities.  

What do Youth Participation projects aim to do? 

They aim to: 

• Give young people opportunities to engage and participate in civic society and democratic life. 

• Raise young people’s awareness of European common values and fundamental rights, with a view to achieving one or more of the EU Youth Goals.  These are: Connecting EU with youth, Equality of all genders, Inclusive societies 

• Develop young people’s digital competences and safe use of social media. 

• Bring together young people and decision makers at local, regional, national and transnational level and contribute to the EU Youth Dialogue, ensuring that the opinion, views and needs of young people are taken into account. 

Our Youth Participation Project – Lough Allen College Energy (LACE) 

Coordinated by Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI), supported by Lough Allen College staff and run by TY students (15/16years) with GEAI European volunteers. Funded by EU Erasmus+ programme. 

The broad outline of LACE is for nine young rural TY students with fewer opportunities, to form an active and influential Climate Champions group in rural Ireland, lead the project and be involved in Climate Action and democratic processes – local, national and EU.  

The Core group worked together with four GEAI ESC volunteers and GEAI staff to raise awareness of the EU Youth Goals and the climate crisis, to decide on issues to campaign about and to raise their capacity to make their voices heard by decision-makers national and EU.
Project activities included facilitation of the core group; local, national and international climate action initiatives; and a visit to EU Parliament. Whereas the initial idea came from GEAI, the Climate Champions group was the core group of the project, involved in the planning and design of the project.  

 

Stages in our project 

      1. Planning   

Initial idea discussed with school authorities and agreed.  GEAI volunteers and youth officer met with TY students and carried out three workshops focused on climate action. During these workshops, the idea for the project was discussed with the students, and potential members of the core group identified.  As there were more applicants than places, members of the core group were chosen at random. 

The nine Core Group members had a weekly session with the ESC volunteers and GEAI staff. As well as planning the project activities, the sessions dealt with topics chosen by the young people. These included formation of a cohesive group; code of conduct; principles of democracy; tolerance and empathy.  The sessions methodologies were based on non-formal learning and materials used included art, quizzes, presentations and discussions.  

In general, the ESC volunteers facilitated the sessions, which were supervised by a GEAI staff member. Through this project, though they found it challenging, the ESC volunteers gained huge experience – interacting with young people, making presentations, preparing non-formal learning materials, helping the Core Group with graphic art for posters and leaflets, assisting with Instagram and other posts and leading event management.  

     

       2. Preparation 

The sessions continued and the focus now shifted to the activities planned. The project had proposed five separate events, all to happen between January and June 2025.  The initial challenge was to identify an environmental issue that the group felt strongly about, which could be a focus for a school campaign and could also be addressed at meetings with decision-makers. The issue agreed upon by the Core Group was Waste Reduction and the Circular Economy. 

Another challenge was to decide on dates and venues for the five events. This was done in collaboration with the school authorities, GEAI staff and Directors, and the target groups, which included Local Authority members and officials, Oireachtas members and Senators, MEPs and Commission officials.   

      3. Implementation 

 EVENT 1 : SCHOOL CAMPAIGN

Following their school campaign on lowering the use of plastic and increasing recycling, the Core Group of Transition Year students in Drumkeeran launched LACE, their student-run climate action project at Lough Allen College, with local councillors Cllr. Padraig Fallon, Cllr. Mary Bohan, Cllr. Eddie Mitchell, and the newly appointed Minister of State for Further Education, Marian Harkin in attendance.
The students presented research they conducted on Irish energy consumption, which emphasised our poor record on waste generation.  They then asked their public representatives questions about their actions on waste reduction, the possibility of lowering the voting age for young people, as well as how often climate change issues arise in their work.
“Today isn’t about speeches from politicians; it’s about engaging. It’s about listening to all of you and working together to find solutions—things that might work locally, regionally, and nationally,” said Minister Harkin. 

EVENT 2 : COUNTY COUNCIL

The ESC volunteers and the TY students from Lough Allen college went to visit Leitrim County Council. They met Councillors and Council officials in the Council Chambers, including the Leitrim climate action team. 
After learning about the council, they had the opportunity to exchange ideas about litter issues in Leitrim. The council commended the students for their efforts in highlighting the importance of mitigating the litter issue as a matter of community interest.
In highlighting the importance of community-based politics, Councillor Eddie Mitchell reminded the students: “In this room, you should not feel like a stranger”. 
The students then quickly took over the room. “What is your long-term vision for a cleaner, litter-free environment in our community?” and “What are your efforts in making Leitrim a more attractive place for young people?” are just some examples of the sharp and curious questions by Lough Allen College’s students. 

EVENT 3 : DUBLIN PARLIAMENT 

The core group of LAC Energy visited Leinster House, the government building in Dublin.
With newly acquired political expertise at the local level, the students got the chance to get first-hand insights into the centre of Irish politics. Although the Parliament was not sitting on that day, the group had a tour and a quick tour of the building followed by lunch with Senator Garret Ahearn. The group was especially impressed with the Dáil restaurant! And the Seanad room.
The Senator’s comments to the group made them realise fully that young people belong in politics. Following lunch, the group visited the Europa Experience at the EU buildings in Dublin and showed that they were now comfortable in political spaces. The Europa Experience showed an interactive educational exhibition of the EU, its works and its values. Good preparation for the project trip to the EU capital, Brussels! 

EVENT 4 : BRUSSELS AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

The journey of the project participants, Lough Allen TY Students and ESC Volunteers, continued, now rising to a higher level.
Their days in Brussels were filled with a lot of exciting experiences.
The participants were really able to see democracy in action at the European Parliament, where after a tour of the Hemicycle they were able to meet Midlands North West MEPs Nina Carberry and Maria Walsh, and the students got to share their anti-littering campaign.
After that, their visit at the House of European History and the Parlamentarium was the perfect continuation of the day, providing an interactive and educational dive into the EU and its history to the participants.

The second day, in the EESC building, the participants met the president of the Civil Society Stakeholders Group, Cillian Lohan.
This was a very rewarding meeting, as everyone had the opportunity to talk about the intersections between circular economy and waste reduction.
All were so happy about these days spent together and very thankful with what this project taught them all – what happens on a small scale can affect the whole world, also a small action can make a big difference. If we act together we can make big things happen.

Of course the Brussels visit was not all work, the project participants had the opportunity to visit this vibrant European capital, you can see them in the photos below in The Grand-Place, the central square of the city.
They also had the chance to experience local folklore visiting the Manneken Pis, a bronze fountain sculpture in the historical center of the city was that played an essential role in the former distribution of drinking water since the 15th century .
It has gone from being a public fountain to a legendary figure, taking on the symbolic roles of protector of the city and spokesman for the people of Brussels.

EVENT 5 : FINAL EVENT 

The Final Celebratory Event began with a warm welcome and introduction from Aedín McLoughlin, Director of Good Energies Alliance Ireland, who shared her insights on the project’s impact and the importance of empowering youth to take leadership roles in sustainability initiatives. “The young people of today are the changemakers of tomorrow”, she said.
Following her, Ava Keaveney, a student who participated as one of the Climate Champions shared her experience, describing how the project encouraged all the students to take action and speak out on issues that matter to their generation. A major positive aspect of the project was the willingness of people in power to meet the young participants and to listen to what they had to say.
Maria Foley, a teacher at Lough Allen College who has supported the project since its beginning spoke about how the initiative has transformed students’ understanding of environmental responsibility and how it helped them grow confidence. 
The keynote speaker, Gemma O’Connolly from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, offered a fascinating perspective on Ireland’s marine ecosystems and the importance of protecting biodiversity. She highlighted how small, community-led initiatives can contribute to larger environmental goals, reminding everyone that every action counts when it comes to preserving our planet’s natural beauty and balance.
The final item was the presentation of a Participation Certificate for each participant, recognising each student’s contribution and commitment to the project. The event ended with an excellent lunch prepared by local caters, thoroughly enjoyed by all attendees.
The celebration was a proper end to a project that has truly embodied the spirit of solidarity, learning, and environmental action. 

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