CORK FREEDOM OF THE CITY SUMMARY OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S SUBMISSIONS

Following on from the Art Project with 28 schools in Cork city and county, we would like to make this submission to contribute to the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028

Here are the views of the children and young people and a summary breakdown of what they said, of the whole project to inform the draft plan.

Please find enclosed:

• Summary report

• All artwork- data sets for all 24 primary and 4 second level school settings.

• Sample spreadsheets

All artwork has been on display in the Glucksman Gallery in June 2021 and also during the Cork Culture Night September 2021.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Cork City Council for their authentic commitment to including the voice of children and young people during this significant phase of consultation. This aspect of including children’s voices in municipal planning is outlined in General Comment no 17, as a requirement for implementing the rights of the child according to the UNCRC yet is an underdeveloped aspect of the planning process to date in Ireland.

Engaging in such consultations is challenging and difficult as it requires consideration of the different ways that children communicate their ideas. This involves a commitment to flexibility to ensure children and young people of different ages and abilities, are given time and space to understand first the consultation process, and then that their voices are heard. In providing this summary report for the submission, we aim to ensure the final phase of authentic participation is addressed: that the opinions of these children and young people have an audience (are heard), and have influence on the city development plan, informed by the National Participation Framework Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, 2021: https://hubnanog.ie/participation-framework/

Such efforts need to be replicated in any future consultations, with a plan for managing the consultation process to ensure maximum engagement of diverse groups of children, with adequate time for analysis. Involving children in general analysis is also recommended; according to best practice, this would warrant engagement with a children’s advisory group (CRAG) to inform the process. We are delighted to be able to support this initiative.

_______________________________ ,

Dr. Helen Lynch, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, UCC

Supported by Alice Moore (Irish Research Council scholar PhD candidate), Professor Jeanne Jackson and Deirdre O’Connor, (UCC Dept of occupational Science and Occupational Therapy)

Jeanette Fitzsimons, Kelly Cotel, Muireann Carroll (UCC Centre for Planning Education & Research)

and the P4Play PhD students: https://www.p4play.eu/

Allison Mula, Rianne Janssens, Fiona Loudoun, Ines Wenger, Michelle Bergin, Silvia Viega Seijo. Thomas Morgenthaler, Sabine Vinçon,

Freedom of the City project team comprises: Denise Cahill, Cork Healthy Cities co-ordinator, HSE

Tadhg Crowley, Senior Curator Education + Community, the Glucksman

Jeanette Fitzsimons, Lecturer, UCC Centre for Planning Education + Research

Fiona Kearney, Director, the Glucksman

Hugh Killen, Planning Department, Cork City Council

Helen Lynch, UCC Dept of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Fearghal Reidy, Director of Services, Cork City Council