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Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland
Students at St Mary's Holy Faith school in Dublin casting their ballots at the 'Our Voice, Your Vote' event.
# Referendum
Children vote on... children's referendum (They went for 'Yes')
Five youth organisations give test poll to those not entitled to vote – but whose lives are most likely to be affected by the outcome.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN if children were given the chance to vote on the children’s referendum?
That was the question five youth organisations decided to answer by asking their members to vote on the upcoming Constitutional amendment being put to the adults of Ireland this weekend.
Spunout, Unicef Ireland, Foróige, Youth Work Ireland and the National Youth Council of Ireland held a national youth poll of 1,700 of young people in schools, youth clubs and online forums this week. The result found that 85 per cent of those polled voted ‘Yes’; 12 per cent voted ‘No’.
A launch of the results – which were to publicise a campaign for a ‘Yes’ vote – was attended by members of the youth organisations. The under-18s there said that it was vital that adults considered the impact of their vote and that “all eligible voters use their vote”. Helen Major, 17, from Spunout, said:
We should be listened to when decisions are being made which are relevant to our lives.
Unicef Ireland put the ‘vote’ to children in an Educate Together school in Dalkey, Dublin (“Everyone in the world was a child. Now when they’re older they get their rights?”):
UNICEFIreland/Youtube
