OCO Youth Advisory Panel
True life: What it's like to advice the Ombudsman for Children.
Graham Dillon (19) from Dublin, talks about his experience of being a member of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office Youth Advisory Panel or YAP:
“I have been involved with the OCO from the very start. I’ve actually been there since before the word “go”. Working for and with the office has helped me in so many ways, it’s hard to know where to start, but I’ll give it good try.
I have gotten a great sense of achievement from working with the OCO. It has bettered me as a person and an Irish citizen. I feel by helping the Office in any way that I can I have done my small part for my country. My sense of achievement also comes from the fact that I feel so privileged to be working for such and important organization. I am one of a fortunate few who have had the opportunity to work with the OCO.
My achievement has come in other forms as well. Working with the office has benefited me personally as well. When I started at the very beginning when we were choosing the Ombudsman for Children I was quite a shy person around strangers and disliked any type of public meetings where I am surrounded by unfamiliar faces. But through the years my coy nature phased out, this is true up to the point where I am now able to escort a complete stranger around the office on a tour, and be able to start a conversation with them with out any problem what so ever.
My experience has also helped me improve my team working skills. This has come about through intensive discussion with other members of YAP and with everyone in the office when we are doing projects such as a pilot project, which involved helping children and young people learn about their rights.
My work with the office has lead to my meeting of numerous VIPs such as our president Mary McAlesse, Our Taoiseach, The Minister for Children, UN representatives, and of course Emily Logan the Ombudsman herself. I have been able to have one to one conversations with these people that not very many people get to do for longer than two minutes. As well as all these “celebrates” I have had the privileged of meeting a myriad of young people from all over Ireland, and from these encounters I have seen how different, but also how very alike the youth of Ireland are. They may all have very diverse tastes in music clothes and sports, but my talking to them it all boils down to being respected and needing somewhere to go where you’re not judged for being you.
Finally working for the office helped me in making a life changing decision. Through my work in a filmmaking workshop in advance of making a video diary for the OCO office launch, I was able to realise my love for and abilities in media production and make a decision that, “ this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” I am now studying media production in college.
These are the reasons I regularly wear a T-shirt with the OCO logo on it. I wear it, because I am proud to say I am part of the OCO.
By: Graham Dillon
Find more information at www.oco.ie
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