Climate change ‘a big worry’, children tell general election candidates at hustings

Climate change is “a big worry for many of us”, children told general election candidates at a dedicated children’s hustings in Dublin city centre on Monday.
Tadgh McKinney (11) and Teddy Manning (11) raised the issue at the hustings which were organised by the Children’s Rights Alliance and Temple Bar-based children’s cultural centre The Ark.
Climate change “is a big worry for many of us”, McKinney and Manning said, asking panellists “what kind of actions would you take to help the environment if you were elected”.
Hosted by former RTÉ broadcaster Bryan Dobson, the hustings raised a broad range of issues relating to children and young people including youth mental health, climate change, childcare, education and the provision of recreational spaces.
Members of the children’s council directed their questions towards a panel of political candidates and party representatives featuring Mairéad Tóibín (Aontú), Mary Seery-Kearney (Fine Gael), Joe O’Brien (Green Party), Cathal McCann (Labour), Mícheál Mac Donncha (Sinn Féin) and Aishling Silke (Social Democrats).
Nell O’Connor (11) and Liam Wogan (11) raised the issue of school resources and pay for teachers, asking parties how they would plan to help teachers with this, and also ensure that “children have a safe place to go to outside of their own homes”.
In her response Seery-Kearney outlined Fine Gael’s plans to establish a department of infrastructure, while Tóibín focused on Aontú’s “operation shamrock” which she said would aim to “bring back frontline workers who are emigrating”, including teachers. Improving student to teacher ratios through smaller class sizes, alongside the use of schools as community spaces outside teaching hours were ideas raised by Silke, while McCann highlighted Labour’s commitment to the introduction of multi-sport facilities in towns with a population of more than 5,000 people.
Louis Gately (12) and Chloe Carroll (11) asked the panellists how, if elected, their parties would “make sure the education system is fair for everyone in the country”.
Housing and the cost-of-living crisis were recognised by all party representatives as barriers for teachers based in Dublin, with Mac Donncha bringing up Sinn Féin’s plans to end no-fault evictions and ban rent increases for private renters in his response.
Implementing safer and more accessible recreational spaces for young people was also on the agenda, followed by “plans to make the city safer” as the children said they had noticed a rise in “violence on the streets of Dublin”.
O’Brien from the Green Party answered first, saying that increased recruitment and visibility of gardaí in urban areas would be key in addressing violence and antisocial behaviour. This was met with a response from one child in the audience who expressed his belief that “guards have been known to be aggressive themselves. I think we have to look back at education.”
As the hustings came to a close, panellists were finally asked what they would initially prioritise if appointed minister for children, disability, equality, integration and youth.
O’Brien said he would “remove homework”, McCann replied he would “ask my kids what they think I should do first” and Silke said she “would set up a youth advisory council of the taoiseach’s office”.
Fine Gael’s Seery-Kearney would focus on youth work while Aontú and Sinn Féin’s representatives said “getting children out of homelessness” would be their first port of call.