Three young people from Cork share their inspiring stories for World Children's Day
Charlie Kavanagh from Ballinhassig, Co Cork, is working to keep the road near his home litter free. He is taking part today in the Ombudsman for Children Child Talks to celebrate World Children’s Day. Picture: Denis Minihane
A BRIEF speech by Katie McKenna would, unbeknown to her, change her life forever. She was speaking at the inaugural Child Talks in Dublin’s City Hall and it was there that the then 17-year-old came out as gay.
Before she took to the stage, Katie was feeling relaxed, although the young filmmaker had no experience of public speaking. She felt that everyone involved – participants and organisers – was very supportive. Although she says that she could count the number of people who knew she was gay on the fingers of one hand, her parents, who were in the audience, did know.
The 2018 event, a type of Ted Talks for children about issues important to them, had been organised by the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman. While the talks were being streamed on Facebook Live, Katie was sure that no-one her age used the platform.
Then a clip of her speech was broadcast on RTE’s six o’clock news that night, and soon everyone in her Kilkenny school knew about her sexual orientation.
Afterwards, Katie says that the reaction she received was overwhelmingly supportive. “I’m so glad I did it. I don’t think I would have had the courage in secondary school to have come out to all of my friends, my classmates and my teachers. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to get it all over with, it was like ripping off a plaster.”
Katie, who is now studying in Trinity College Dublin, believes that she wouldn’t be living her authentic self if it wasn’t for her experience with Child Talks, which she describes as profoundly life-changing. She is delighted to be helping present this year’s event, which is happening today.
The Child Talks are part of the celebrations of World Children’s Day, which take place every November 20th. That was the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
This year, due to Covid restrictions, the Child Talks event is taking place online. Niall Muldoon, the Children’s Ombudsman, was determined that the children and young people of this country would still have “a platform to tell their story and discuss what matters to them" this World Children’s Day.
“ We're delighted to have another brilliant group of speakers this year, ranging from as young as eight years old to 18 from Cork to Donegal, ” he says, “ who have all shared with us their views on some really important issues like mental health, the environment, living with autism and cultural identity.
“ The Covid crisis has been really hard on our children and young people ,” says Niall, “ but their ability to adapt to the challenges is an inspiration to us all."
The theme of Child Talks 2020 is a ‘A Day in My Life’. Last summer children and young people up to 18 years, were invited to submit their applications about a day that may have changed how they saw the world, how they found their voice or became empowered to be the difference.
Covid-19 had a direct impact on eight-year-old Charlie Kavanagh getting involved in Child Talks.
He lives on a quiet road in Ballinhassig and his mother Catherine says that during lockdown, it got much busier than normal because people were going for walks there. They were also leaving their rubbish.
“ Charlie loves being outside and he loves home so it sort of annoyed him," says Catherine. "He told us and we helped him to tidy up. Then he made this poster and we put it up on a pillar where people were dumping things.”
Charlie’s message was that he loves where he lives and that while it’s great that people are coming to visit, he would really appreciate it if they could also pick up their rubbish.
It struck a chord. Catherine says that the rubbish gradually disappeared.
Catherine, who is a primary school teacher, says that she thought that Charlie, who is the youngest ever participant, would enjoy doing Child Talks and would get a lot out of the experience.
“He’s a happy-go-lucky guy and everyone thinks he’s super-confident but he’s not, so this has been amazing because it’s really brought him out of his shell.”
The one downside for Charlie is a consequence of Covid-19. He was really looking forward to staying in a hotel in Dublin for the event.
Katie McKenna, who has an eight-year-old brother, is particularly impressed by Charlie.
She says that it is so much harder giving a speech over Zoom than it was speaking to a live audience as she did.
Covid restrictions meant that this year’s speakers had to take part in several story-writing workshops over Zoom. As Claire, mother of 10-year-old Cuan O’Neill, says “that’s no mean feat for anyone.”
She and her husband Eamonn, who are based in Blackrock, are extremely proud of their son for taking part. “ He is interested in telling other boys and girls what it’s like to be autistic,” says Eamonn. “And how he sees the world and hopefully if they have similar difficulties, then that might help them.”
“Just being able to talk about what it’s like to be autistic is very beneficial for Cuan,” says Claire.
She believes it’s ultimately very beneficial for other boys and girls - whether or not they are on the spectrum.
Claire had seen the advertisement for Child Talks on Twitter, and she hoped that Cuan could get increased confidence from his involvement in it.
“I also thought that he’d enjoy working through the process of putting a story together and seeing how a story was put together. He likes drawing and film-making and, thankfully, we were right.”
Both of Cuan’s parents were involved in helping him to craft his talk, Eamonn on the technical side, while Claire focussed on the storytelling.
His mother says Cuan’s involvement in Child Talks “helped him to realise how many strengths and strategies he has at his disposal when things are a bit challenging.”
Claire would certainly recommend it to other parents and children, “it was a very affirming and positive experience for Cuan”.
Katie would “100% recommend that people get involved in Child Talks. The kids who I think should be getting involved in it often are the kids who won’t. I would never have stood up and told my story. I would make a joke about something rather than speaking seriously, but the quiet kid at the back of class often has the most to say. Child Talks gives people an opportunity to speak up and tell their story.”
Evan O’Connell agrees about the importance of this. The 18-year-old from Ballincollig saw Child Talks as an opportunity to share the story he wanted to tell and to give someone the opportunity to take advice from the speakers as he had done.
He had been inspired by Eric Ehigie, a previous participant who spoke about his interest in politics and who is returning to co-present this year’s hour-long event.
“The story that I tell is how uncertainty in my life provoked me to become an activist,” says Evan.
“I hope people understand that you don’t have to win a Nobel Prize to be an activist. Every voice matters and people need to be the change that they want to be.”
- To watch Child Talks 2020, go to www.oco.ie
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