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Focus of the first meeting:

Introductions and Ice-Breakers

Update from two members of Climate Action sub-group

Review of first meeting

Expert input: Rural and small-town issues

World café workshop

Prioritisation of actions from world café

Youth Climate Fund—information and consultation

Notes from 2nd Meeting of National Executive 2020-21

29th February 2020

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ATTENDANCE: 29.02.2020

Carlow Rachel Diyaolu YES

Cavan Roisin O'Rourke YES

Clare Laoise Galvin Byrne YES

Cork City Ayushi Mahajan YES

Cork County Carl Dwyer-Murray YES

Donegal Liam Hannigan YES

Dublin City Beth Doherty NO

Dublin South Jake Bushe NO

DLR Sineaid Whelan YES

Fingal Jack Leahy YES

Galway City Ruby Delaney YES

Galway County Molly Whelehan NO

Kerry Aoibhnea Morrison YES

Kildare Yvonne Farrell YES

Kilkenny Conor Lynch YES

Laois Kate Hogan YES

Leitrim John Heslin NO

Limerick Aoife Ryan YES

Longford Caitlín Mahon YES

Louth Aoife Daly YES

Mayo Rebecca Staunton YES

Meath Daniela Lupo YES

Monaghan Meabh Cusack NO

Offaly Aaron Masterson Weir YES

Roscommon Molly Beckett YES

Sligo Síofra McElduff NO

Tipperary Joyita Wooton YES

Waterford Abby Vaianella YES

Westmeath Christopher Lynn NO

Wexford Quinton Kelly YES

Wicklow Imogen Horton YES

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Introductions, Meet the Participation team: Linda O’Sullivan, Assistant Principal, Department of Children & Youth Affairs Renagh Hayden, Senior Participation Officer, Foróige Karyn Farrell, Participation Coordinator, Youth Work Ireland Kate Jones, Participation Officer, Foróige Update from three members of Climate Action sub-group:

On February 18th, 11 members of the National Executive gave up a free day of their midterm to work with DCYA and the Climate Action Unit of the Dept of Taoiseach. This new unit is in the process of creating a website on the government’s Climate Action Plan and will be working with this sub-group of young people to ensure that the content is youth-friendly and accessible to all. We're calling them the Jargon-Busters. There will be two more meetings of this sub-group to look at the design aspects of the new website and the associated social media platforms and hashtags. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Review of first meeting and information on the February agenda • Welcome and introduction to new Participation Officer Kate Jones, and to two new

National Executive reps Aoife Daly from Louth and Abby Vaianella from Waterford

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Expert input: Rural & small-town issues

Welcome to Margaret Malone, Rural Transport Programme Manager from the National Transport Authority who manages the contract for the delivery of services across all transport bodies. She came to talk to the group about the following:

• Role of Local Link

• Community based responses to local transport need

• Low carbon emission transport solutions

• Fares for young people

• Green Schools

• Identification of local transport need

• Lobbying

LOCAL LINK:

• Website: https://www.locallink.ie/

• Local Link provides rural bus services across Ireland offering both door-to-door and scheduled services in towns, villages and rural areas.

• Serves areas not usually served by other transport providers

• Aim—to tackle rural isolation

• Funded by Rural Transport Programme

• There are fifteen Local Link offices currently operating in Ireland—https://www.locallink.ie/en/your-local-link/

• Over 2,000 services nationally

• Local offices identify where groups cannot access transport and funding has been put in place to enable local groups to access training courses, swimming, sports activities and clubs etc…

SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSPORT

• An Taisce’s “Green-Schools initiative”- Ireland’s leading Environmental Management and Awards Programme, working with primary and secondary schools across the country—money is channelled through the Green Schools initiative to look at sustainable transport

• Suggestion to group: campaign to get a Green Schools travel officer out to your school

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SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSPORT

• The Big Travel Challenge 2020. - benefits of actively travelling to school- Feb 2020

• Scoot to School Week 2020 - March 9th to 13th, 2020

• National SOW Day (Scoot on Wednesdays/Weekdays)-March 11th

• #Andshecycles—campaign looking at the particular challenges girls and young women face when cycling

• Kids Go Free—month every year when young people can travel for free - outcomes: a surge in young people travelling independently.

Info video about Local Link in Galway—click here to view

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

• Can you use Leap cards on Local Link?

No—not part of an integrated public transport ticketing system yet

Looking to develop an integrated ticketing system

• How do you find out the times and routes of your local service?

The Local Link website—https://www.locallink.ie/en/your-local-link/

You can pre-book demand services (not-scheduled) in addition to scheduled services

• If we know there is a need for a service somewhere, what can we do?

Lobbying—get in contact with the manager of the Local Link office. Need to show them

the research you have done as to where the gaps are, and what the evidence is for

making a new service available, i.e. there are enough people to use the service

A wider community consultation—could it link up with other transport services?

Lobby elected representatives in your area, i.e. councillors, senators, TDs etc…

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

• Where do you get the Local Link from? Easier in cities with obvious shops etc…

Development of bus shelters and stops is ongoing

• Does Local Link feature as an option on Google Maps?

No not at the moment. Is only available on the Journey Planner. They are currently

Investing in mapping technologies to enable Real Time Information. There is a high- cost to this investment.

Discussion time: Workshops in world café style—split into 3 groups

Looking at:

What are the main issues?

What can we do to explore them further, e.g. survey, expert input, proposed actions?

ISSUES:

Awareness - young people’s awareness.

Fares – more clarity needed. Costs of fares for secondary school students

Visibility of stops - more obvious bus-stops and shelters

Reliability – how reliable are they?

Timing of buses – frequency. Timetable accessibility and clarity

Correct information – time and stops

No consistent fares - should be the same on all services

Permanent bus shelters and lighting

Safety – at rural bus stops at night. More info on safety of bus drivers.

One app and one website

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ACTIONS:

Bring it back to Comhairle—Awareness – information

Promote lobbying

Surveys to pinpoint issues – why aren’t they utilised?

Make it obvious in schools – days to sign up to Leap card etc…

Make toolkit to apply for Local Link

Survey passengers regarding stop locations and most efficient timings

A mobile app, similar to Google maps – people can input their to/from points and have their route planned for them. App can suggest Local Link as an option.

Local Link should be available on Google Maps

Interview with a bus driver

Enquire why some buses don’t display the stops

Prioritise actions from world café, write on post its, place on wall and categorise.

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Youth Climate Justice Fund

Introduction by Laura McGarrigle, Assistant Secretary, DCYA

Background:

Climate Change is the issue of our time.

Young people have demonstrated leadership in amplifying the conversation on climate change on the national and international stage and the Irish Government is keen to enable and empower young voices in the conversation on climate change.

Following on from the United Nations focus on youth engagement as part of the global response to climate change, building on the Climate Action Plan and recognising the role of the National Dialogue on Climate Action, the Government will establish a fund targeted for action by young people on Climate Justice.

The Fund will support youth-led action and innovation at community, regional and national level. In 2020, the Fund will total €494,000 and will be open to applications from all national youth organisations. As the Fund is being run on a pilot basis, it is intended to have an outcomes conference in 2020 which will help shape future schemes.

DCYA will be launching the Fund as soon as possible, to give organisations time to get projects up and running in 2020. They are asking for some high level views from young people to in-form the key goals and actions of the Fund.

What do we mean by Climate Justice?

Climate change is deeply inequitable. Those who have contributed least to carbon emissions often suffer the most. This has given rise to the concept of climate justice which frames global warming as an ethical and political issue rather than one that is purely environmental or physical in nature.

Key Goals and Actions

Applications to the Fund should propose projects which will achieve one, or more, of the following key goals and/or actions:

• Raise climate justice awareness amongst young people

• Educate youth groups and clubs on climate justice, including supporting development education organisations to work with young people

• Empower young people to influence and effect local, regional or national climate justice change, creating dialogue with people outside of the youth sector

• Deliver practical climate justice initiatives by young people in their communities, including supports to facilitate the participation of young people with fewer opportunities

• Develop youth related activities to embed climate justice communications, network building and deliberative capacity that connects with, and leverages, local youth and community activities.

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Question 1: Do the key goals and actions cover the right topics for innovative climate justice projects?

NB: Highlight any gaps

• First three all about education and awareness. Not enough emphasis on action

• A lot on local youth groups, not a lot on schools nationally

• Action – no campaigns – more action

• Language – must represent local and national

• Duration? Further funding for post-project?

• Realistic international cooperation. Partner (with Twin Towns for example…) with other youth groups in other countries

• Awareness of previous projects

Question 2: What does a good climate justice project look like?

NB: Give examples of innovative projects that might not have been tried before

• Achievable – a clear plan with a realistic outcome

• Consistently active – a continuous project which is constantly monitored and evaluated

• Action – communication with decision making

• Network between groups within fund – (regional / national)

• Getting an idea of what the people in the community want, or what their concerns are before encouraging action

• Economic fairness

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EXAMPLES:

• Awareness of already-in-place actions

• Lobbying local business owners

• Education from a young age on climate justice (primary school info kit)

• Reusable compactable toolkits to carry reusable cups, bottles – Reward Scheme

• Reverse vending machines for recyclable waste

• Penalise / reward businesses based on environmental friendliness – Green Rating – raise awareness

Question 3: What should a good climate justice project achieve?

At the end of the year, it is intended to have the successful projects present their outcomes at a conference. What should these outcomes look like?

• Not tokenistic – something that can be achieved

• Provide and point out alternatives to practices that are in need of change, i.e. use of plas-tic in shops

• Let people know where they can get sustainable produce in their localities

• Long-term solutions

• Immediate solutions

• Definite deadline

• Recordable data

• Noticeable change

• Effective

• Inclusive (economically)

• Way to assess and compare the effectiveness of projects (find out what has and will work…)

• Inspire other groups

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NEXT MEETING DATE:

SAT 21st MARCH 2020