Celebrating Universal Children’s Day - The Ark Children’s Council

“We think it’s important that people our age are encouraged to ask questions…it’s important that we’re a part of the conversation.” The Ark Children's Council

Monday 20 November is Universal Children's Day. It’s a day that’s about celebrating children, listening to them and making sure they can be heard. The Ark Children’s Council have created a short film showing how they are using their voices to represent the questions & concerns of young people from across Ireland - making sure that children are heard.

The Children’s Council did a call out for children ages 2-12 to send in questions for the Taoiseach. They have selected some of the most important and commonly asked. Today, they will be delivering these questions directly to the Taoiseach’s office. This video reveals their selected questions and the process that they went through to get them.

Take a look at what happened when the children met with the Taoiseach and he even answered a couple of their questins there and then in Leinster House!

Thank you to everyone at the Department of the Taoiseach for welcoming this hugely proud and excited group of children in and ensuring that their voices were heard - as they should be all year round by our government and all grown-ups.

About Universal Children's Day
November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Ark was founded as a result of Article 31 of this charter:

  • State Parties recognise the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.
  • State Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.

This is the second year that our Children's Council have marked Universal Children's Day - take a look at last year's film It's a Right!