2022

Meath Comhairle’s current topic is Youth Facilities – a continuation of their work from 2021.

They are working on the development of an app, and are also involved in the Healthy Ireland “Not around us” campaign. Comhairle members presented on this to the council chamber in February.

2021
Meath Comhairle na nÓg were working on the following topic in 2021: Community Facilities for young people

Key actions included:

  • Exploring existing facilities and promotion of how young people can use these.
  • Presentation to the Full County Council meeting on the need for youth community facilities
  • Promotional material for campaigns on community facilities

Meath Comhairle have recently started a series of political interviews to get to know the Meath national politicians. Over the next few weeks, Meath comhairle members will be interviewing their TDs, senators and ministers. This series of interviews will go out through their social media channels.

Responding to the Covid crisis – what they’ve been up to 

As part of their Be Body Positive campaign, and in collaboration with Youth Work Ireland Meath Comhairle members helped pack #positivitypacks which will be distributed to young people affected during Covid 19. These packs supported by Meath County Council and Meath CYPSC are going out to young people all over Meath in the coming days and weeks. They have also been responsible for the following:

  • Letters to Meals on wheels groups
  • Looking at the stress of the exams and the effect it is going to have on young people
  • Video thanking frontline workers
  • Video asking what young people were up to
  • Guide to smart phones for older people

2020
Meath Comhairle na nÓg worked on two key areas in 2020, continuing on some of their work from the previous year:

1. RSE (Relationships and Sexuality Education)
2. Body Image

Their ‘Be Body Positive’ campaign ran until the latter part of the year.

2019
Meath Comhairle are working on three key areas in 2019:

Sexual Health
They are aiming to create a survey on student’s experience of RSE in schools

Body Image
Positive body image campaign launching through the Colour family fun.

Meath Daily TV was in Blackwater Park on Sunday morning 16th June for the Meath Comhairle na nÓg 5km Colour Fun Run.  You can watch some of the highlights of the event and interviews with Meath Comhairle na nÓg coordinator Peter Mulligan, Chairperson Dylan Carrig and one of County Meath’s leading sports women Jackie Shiels on the video link above.

Identity
Looking at Gender identity and positive personal identity

2018
Meath Comhairle na nOg are on year 2 of their Health and Fitness topic. Members took part in a nutritional cooking class on 15th February, we have four members participating in a Fitbit Move More challenge with the local sports partnership and held a very successful 5k colour fun run on 27th May in Blackwater Park, Navan.

Work already completed

Meath Comhairle’s main topic for 2017 was Health and Fitness. We want to explore ways young people can increase their own health and fitness by walking to school, joining a gym or taking up a new physical activity. We want to make young people the champions of their own health and fitness by making small changes to increase their heart rate every week. We also began an intergenerational project with the Meath Later Life Network. This is a six week chair yoga course that promotes movement and relaxation. This is very beneficial for young people who sit at desks for approximately seven hours per day, and also for older people with mobility issues. Comhairle members also participated in the Dublin Dance Festival’s Nelken Line, a simple sequence of dance by the choreographer Pina Bausch. They was filmed in locations across Meath over April 2017 and was submitted to the Festival.

Meath Comhairle continued their work on the topic of mental health in 2016. We created a new, original film that promotes positive mental health and young people sharing a problem. In the film Talk To Me, the young people became scriptwriters, musicians, actors, camera/sound crew and directors. An original song was created for this film too. Talk To Me was part of the Foroige Citizenship Awards, Co-Operation Ireland Pride of Place and was officially launched at our AGM 2016 as part of Meath Mental Health Week.

We organised a colour run to promote physical activity. Keeping Active is one of the five-a-day for your mental health, after all.

Meath Comhairle had been working on the topic of Mental Health in 2015 and some exciting plans have already come together. Over the coming year we will work closely with Jigsaw Meath on the development and implementation of the Jigsaw Meath Schools Programme where the young people from Comhairle and Jigsaw Youth Advisory Panel will take on a bigger role in promoting positive mental health in schools.

We also hosted our  #LetsGoMental2015 event in October as part of Meath Mental Health Week.  This is one of a series of regional events promoting positive mental health for young people. We intend to follow this with roadshow events across the county promoting Mental Health Awareness with the possibility of a Free Hugs Drive thrown in for good measure. To read more click here: 

Meath Comhairle na nÓg also completed work on the topic of Youth Facilities in the county. We researched existing youth facilities, interviewed organisations working with young people, and surveyed young people in the county to get an idea of facilities in their area, if they were youth-led and what they would like to see in their area. The information is being collated and a poster being finalised to promote and increase awareness of existing facilities in the area. Posters will be distributed to each post- primary school in the county.

Other projects included: St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal, JIGSAW Youth Advisory Panel, Meath Youth Work Ireland Youth Day, and European Youth Portal Launch Youth Day.