AMNESTY STUDENT AND YOUTH CONFERENCE By Ciara O’Brien

Well as a very new member to Amnesty, I felt privileged to be invited to the conference and even managed to persuade my friends to come with me.
On the morning of the conference all three of us were nervous and apprehensive not knowing what to expect of the two days. But as soon as we arrived at the Pearse Street library our nerves were wiped away with the smiles and friendliness of all who were attending the conference. We kicked off with a few icebreakers, and soon everyone was chatting with ease. We then split up into groups depending on what talk we wanted to attend.

My first, was the mental health talk; here we discussed everything from people’s views of what mental health is, mental health in Ireland to facts about mental health. All in all it was a real eye opener, and very enjoyable. Then after lunch and a visit from Colm O’ Gorman, the executive director of the Irish section, I went to a talk about Israel.

I learned a lot about the situation there, as before hand I had only a general idea of what was happening there but afterwards I felt fully informed. We then had a break and Kieran Clifford came and talked to us. Then everyone got stuck into making posters, painting and getting ready for our campaign the next day.

After that everyone was tired after the long day and so we headed to the Ireland institute for dinner and a film. The film was amazing and showed a real insight into the world of suicide bombers, a world so far removed from our own.

After that those of us who were staying in the city for the night made our way to the hostel, and fell into bed, wrecked.

The next morning after a filling breakfast we were rearing to go again and with paintbrushes in hand we set back to work on the posters.

When we were finished we split into groups again, I went to a talk on Zimbabwe, it was great to be hearing first hand stories of what life is like in Zimbabwe, but at the same time it was hard, hearing yet again of people whose rights are being denied.

After a break we then set out talking about the youth participation structure, and what we could do to make it easier to be in contact with other groups.

Then we had lunch, following on from that we began getting ready for the campaign action, once everyone had donned the orange jumpsuits and masks we made our way out onto the streets.
Needless to say we attracted quite a bit of attention as we marched up Grafton Street and performed some street theatre. After that we went back to the library and got ready to go home.

After an evaluation, and goodbyes we all went our separate ways, with ideas buzzing around our heads and great plans for the year to come.

I really enjoyed the Youth Conference and as a new member was made to feel right at home, I have to say it stands out as one of the most enjoyable things I did this summer. As soon as school year starts I hope to start up an Amnesty group in my school. I think it is important for people our age to take an interest in the world around us, and to know that we can make a difference; even though we are young we don’t have to be ignored. That is the beauty of the work done by Amnesty; they manage to bring together enough like-minded people to make a change. Alone, your voice can be ignored, but, as part of Amnesty, as part of a larger body of people all working together, those with the power to make change happen will listen to us. So if you want to do something for the better, to change someone’s world, to change the world, the power to do so is in your hands, you can sign up to Amnesty make a difference. Every life is a life worth saving.