Current Topics
Longford Comhairle na nÓg are focusing their work on three key topics in 2021:

  • Climate – a Climate Awareness Campaign
  • Covid-19 – Socially Distanced Sports Day/Activities
  • Education – Consultation with local schools / departments

Quarterly newsletter 1: March 2022

Climate Awareness Campaign

Longford Comhairle na nÓg has been collecting plastic bottles in partnership with the secondary schools to create a recycled H.O.P.E Bench (Helping Our Planet’s Environment). The bench is a wheelchair accessible one, made of the colourful plastic recycled bottles. It takes approximately 5000 bottles to make one bench. The first H.O.P.E Bench will be displayed at the Longford Canal Walk with the official launch taking place in early Spring. Due to the popularity of the project, a plan is being put in place to create more benches and display them in other parts of Longford County represented by our young people. Images of the bench are being kept under wraps until the official launch date so watch this space….

Covid-19 – Socially Distanced Sports Day/Activities​

In July, Comhairle members organised a Covid-19 safe outdoor event for Longford young people which was successfully delivered during W.O.W Fest (Week Of Wellness). In collaboration with Healthy Ireland fund, Comhairle facilitated 3 day event including:
– Creative Wellbeing Toolkit – play therapy workshop with Avril Gilchrist
– Berry Healthy Cooking and BBQ – outdoor cooking and barbecue with Geraldine Green
– L.O.L Day – team-building, fun and interactive workshop with Linda Salinger

All the events aimed to support young people’s wellbeing and provide them with safe outdoor opportunity to engage in fun activities during their summer break.

Longford Comhairle share message of support  during Covid crisis through song and video

A word from Longford Comhairle on this project:
“In December 2019 we organised an intercultural performance event for the young people of Longford. This was a huge success for us and from it we wanted to create something that could help our community, in a creative way. We decided,through the help of Ben Blance Music Therapy, that we wanted to record a song to promote anti-bullying and togetherness. This is all performed by the young people who took part in our event in December “Together in Harmony” and the Longford Comhairle na nÓg (event funded by the Longford County Council)

During the Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown we decided to release and promote it now, rather than later. These are difficult, unknown times that are producing emotions in us all and we understand that there are people that may be alone or struggling and we want to share our message of support through this song and video. This is a song about solidarity and that is what the Longford Comhairle na nÓg are encouraging”

Performed by Longford Comhairle na nÓg and the young people of Longford
Song Written by Ben Blance Music Therapy
Arranged by Paul Gurney at Real World Studios
Visuals by Nathan Sheridan Media
Project funded by Longford Westmeath CYPSC

Current Topics
Longford Comhairle na nÓg worked on three key topics in 2020:
1. Climate Action
2. Drugs and Alcohol
3. Homelessness

They are working on a climate change resource – looking at local climate solutions and linking in with a sustainable living coach.

2019
Health and wellbeing was the focus of Longford Comhairle’s work-plan for 2019. In May they held an interactive event for young people based around the four spheres of Health….spiritual, social, physical and mental.Workshops included mindfulness through Yoga, Diet and Nutrition, Longford Sports Partnership hosted a Parkour Taster session and Comhairle members Alex and Lauren facilitated a discussion on Internet Safety.

2018
Longford Comhairle’s main topics for 2018 year were as follows: drugs and alcohol, mental health/bullying, and student life. To address these issues, Longford Comhairle hosted #ComhairleCon2018 on 16th May: an interactive, innovative & informative conference focusing on the areas of mental health, substance abuse and student life. It was such a wonderfully varied day with talks & workshops on everything from leadership to yoga, from sports to entrepreneurship to the arts. Organisations involved included Creative Ireland Longford, Co. Longford Public Participation Network, Longford Sports Partnership, Shannonside FM, Longford Leader and Longford Mental Health Association, to name but a few.

Previous years

Longford Comhairle’s primary topic for 2017 was Culture, and in particular exploring the cultural aspects of Longford. They worked in partnership with the Creative Ireland Initiative which encourages cultural initiatives in every county to celebrate local culture, and with Longford County Council to develop a Creative Ireland programme for Longford.  Creative Ireland is the Government’s Legacy Programme for Ireland 2016 – a five-year initiative, from 2017 to 2022, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. 

The key focus of Longford Comhairle na nÓg in 2017 was their event CAM fest in conjunction with Creative Longford. CAM Fest took place on Wednesday the 12th of July in Longford Town. The aim of CAM Fest was to showcase the best of Longford Culture during the busy week of the Leinster Fleadh. On the day, different representatives from many communities came together and celebrated the different cultures and ethnicities that are present in Longford through art, music, dance and dress.

Their secondary topic was Student Life. We created a directory of companies in the county who are willing to take students on placement. This directory will be accessible to Transition Year and Leaving Cert Applied students, in addition to other school programmes requiring work experience. We think it’s a really useful resource.

They have also been working on the topic of Self Esteem. They worked with the Longford Mental Health Association and Mental Health Ireland to reproduce and redesign a mental health booklet for families. This was launched at their AGM on 19th October 2017.

The video below showcases Longford and Westmeath Comhairle’s role in the Longford CYPSC (Children and Young People’s Services Committee) consultation process.

This is their fab promotional video for Longford Comhairle. We guarantee you will want to join after watching!

Previous years

A Health Promotion Initiative was Longford Comhairle’s focus of work in 2016-17. Their secondary topic was based on the 1916 Centenary and in coming up with new and innovative ways to commemorate it.

Longford Comhairle Na nÓg commenced work on a campaign against homophobic bullying in 2015. As well as this, Longford Comhairle are redeveloping their “Longford 411” website, which will contain articles, information and events about all aspects of life for teenagers. Coinciding with this, the Comhairle intend on presenting their viewpoints in regard to the key social and economic problems in Co. Longford to our County Council.

They also hosted a #LetsGoMental2015 event in June 2015. To read more click here:

In 2014, Longford Comhairle na nÓg were working on the topic of bullying, with a particular focus on internet safety, and with a view to developing youth-friendly resources to combat cyber-bullying. Members took part in FAB FEB workshops as part of an anti-bullying campaign rolled out by Foróige, enabling us to get a clearer understanding of what cyber-bullying is and how Comhairle na nOg could apply their knowledge to prevent it from happening. At our AGM in 2013, we launched our DVD ‘Cyber-bullying Awareness’, scripted and acted out by our own Comhairle members, and which was directed and recorded by one of our peers Callum O’Brien.

Longford Comhairle na nÓg have completed work on the topic of bullying with a focus on internet safety and cyber-bullying. They  researched this topic with a view to developing youth friendly resources to combat cyber bullying in our area. The young people took part in FAB FEB workshops which was the anti-bullying campaign rolled out by Foróige. This enabled them to get a clearer understanding of what cyber-bullying was and how Comhairle na nOg could apply their knowledge to prevent it from happening. They recognised that every year young people beginning to use the internet are increasingly younger. The problem with this is the young people are not informed and as a result are putting themselves at risk of cyber bullying. They produced and recorded a DVD on cyber-bullying to roll out to all the primary schools for sixth class students. We developed leaflets on Tips for Parents on what was online. Click on link below to view their Cyber-Bullying Awareness clip on YouTube.