Children and Young People's Assembly On Biodiversity Loss
Some members of the 2022 Assembly. Photo: https://cyp-biodiversity.ie/resources/
In October 2022, Ireland held its first Children and Young People’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. Over two weekends, the Assembly brought together 35 randomly selected members aged 7–17 from across Ireland to explore, discuss and create calls to action on how to protect and restore biodiversity in Ireland.
To make sure the Children and Young People’s Assembly was designed in a way that worked for children and young people, the project was created and facilitated by an intergenerational team consisting of a Young Advisory Team and an independent research consortium.
The Young Advisory Team comprised nine children and young people from across Ireland, aged 8-16. The research consortium included experts in children’s participation, deliberative democracy, and biodiversity from Dublin City University, University College Cork, and terre des hommes, an international organisation with a focus on children’s environmental rights.
The Children and Young People’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss was commissioned by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
To make sure the Children and Young People’s Assembly was designed in a way that worked for children and young people, the project was created and facilitated by an intergenerational team consisting of a Young Advisory Team and an independent research consortium.
The Young Advisory Team comprised nine children and young people from across Ireland, aged 8-16. The research consortium included experts in children’s participation, deliberative democracy, and biodiversity from Dublin City University, University College Cork, and terre des hommes, an international organisation with a focus on children’s environmental rights.
The Children and Young People’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss was commissioned by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Children and Young People's Assembly on Biodiversity Loss - About. This blog post from DemocracyNext (March 2026) features background and interviews with some of the organizers and participants (Ireland, and related initiatives in Switzerland)