Seen & Heard: 21 Years for Children
As both organisations turn 21 this year, The Ark and Children’s Rights Alliance are delighted to be teaming up to present a special public forum surveying the landscape of significant change for children in Ireland during the lifetime of both organisations.
Entitled Seen & Heard: 21 Years for Children the forum will take place on Thursday 17 November at The Ark.
Aimed at grown-ups interested in or working in the fields of children, education or artistic practice, the forum will bring together a wide range of experts to reflect on how Ireland has changed and look ahead at what should change for the better in the next 21 years.
Children’s lives are at the heart of this day-long event, which will include artists and policy makers as well as speakers from civil society, children’s rights, science, health and education.
The full programme will be announced closer to the date but topics will include Art, Education & Society, Future Challenges for Children in Ireland, The Voice of the Child, Participation and Decision Making, and Artists working with children.
Full list of speakers to be announced but will include:
- Sinead Burke, PhD candidate in TCD Dublin and writer. ISPCC Childline Ambassador
- Catherine Byrne, Chair of The Ark
- Professor John Coolahan, Educationalist
- Tom Costello, Chair of Children’s Rights Alliance
- Roddy Doyle, novelist, dramatist and screenwriter
- Martin Drury, founding Director of The Ark
- Shaun Dunne, Artist in Residence at The Ark
- Aideen Howard, Director of The Ark
- Brian Irvine, Composer, Facilitator, Artist
- Grainne Long, Chief Executive, ISPCC
- Dr Anne Looney, Chief Executive Higher Education Authority
- PJ Lynch, Laureate na nÓg, Illustrator
- Séona Ní Bhríain, Head of Young People, Children and Education, the Arts Council
- Fintan O’Toole, The Irish Times
- Elaina Ryan, Director Children’s Books Ireland
- Jillian van Turnhout, Former Senator
- Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of Children’s Rights Alliance
- Ray Yeates, Dublin City Arts Officer