Seen & Heard - 21 Years for Children

One of The Ark’s goals is to advocate publicly for children’s right to art and culture. To celebrate our 21st Birthday we invited our colleagues in the Children’s Rights Alliance to partner with us in creating Seen and Heard: 21 Years for Children.

At The Ark, we believe in every child’s right to discover and love art in a society where creativity and culture are valued and enrich our lives.The Ark’s mission and values are inspired by Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child [1989] which was ratified by Ireland in 1992.

  • Article 31
    1. State Parties recognize 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.
    2. 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.

The Seen & Heard Forum took place at The Ark on 17th November 2016 and was opened by Minister for Education Richard Bruton and The Ark’s Children’s Council. Aimed at grown-ups interested in or working in the fields of children, education or artistic practice, the forum brought 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. The programme included Art, Education & Society, Future Challenges for Children in Ireland, The Voice of the Child, Participation and Decision Making, and Artists working with children.

Speakers included:

  • Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Education and Skills
  • Sinead Burke, PhD candidate in TCD Dublin and writer. ISPCC Childline Ambassador
  • Catherine Byrne, Chair of The Ark
  • John Concannon, Director of Ireland 2016
  • 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 (Read Martin's presentation)
  • Shaun Dunne, Artist in Residence at The Ark (Read Shaun's speech)
  • Aideen Howard, Director of The Ark
  • Brian Irvine, Composer, Facilitator, Artist
  • Owen Keenan, Chair, National Advisory Council for Children and Young People under Better Ourcomes, Brighter Futures, The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People
  • Grainia Long, Chief Executive, ISPCC
  • Dr Anne Looney, Chief Executive Higher Education Authority
  • PJ Lynch, Laureate na nÓg, Illustrator
  • Vincent McCarthy, Founder Festival of Curiosity
  • 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

You can listen to all of the presentations and panel discussions via our Soundcloud playlist below. You can see the full schedule of the day here and details about the speakers & presenters here

One of the highlights of the day for us, was the premiere screening of It's a Right!, a short film created by our Chidlren's Council. Commissioned as part of our commitment to promote and amplify the voice of the child, the film was produced by Macalla productions. Funded by Dublin City Council and Temple Bar Cultural Trust this film raised awareness of children’s right to art and culture and was screened in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar on Universal Children’s Day 2016. We look forward to leading discussions with our colleagues in like minded organisations in civil society about how to celebrate Children’s Day more widely in the future. Take a look at the film below:

One of the highlights of the day for us, was the premiere screening of It's a Right!, a short film created by our Chidlren's Council. Commissioned as part of our commitment to promote and amplify the voice of the child, the film was produced by Macalla productions. Funded by Dublin City Council and Temple Bar Cultural Trust this film raised awareness of children’s right to art and culture and was screened in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar on Universal Children’s Day 2016. We look forward to leading discussions with our colleagues in like minded organisations in civil society about how to celebrate Children’s Day more widely in the future. Take a look at the film below: