Be there, have a say and be heard
This is a press release from the independent Tyrolean monitoring committee
- Youth Advisory Board of the Tyrolean Monitoring Committee is committed to measures for children and young people with disabilities
- Representatives present views and demands at events
“I want to fight for a fairer world for children and young people with disabilities,” emphasizes the young woman Emily Bair, who has been on the youth advisory board of the Tyrolean Monitoring Committee for five years now. Together with the other members of the youth council, she campaigns for children and young people with disabilities to be affected. They deal with the topics of training and work, family, friendship, love and sexuality as well as equality and accessibility. The members of the youth advisory board are regular guests at conferences and similar events – for example in the past few months at the “Human Rights Space” project in Vienna and at the annual conference of inclusion researchers at the University of Innsbruck.
Shaping children’s and human rights together
In May, for example, a delegation of eight Tyrolean young people from the Advisory Board traveled to Vienna to attend meetings of the “Human Rights Space” – a Viennese project that sees itself as a meeting place for dealing with children’s and human rights. The youth advisory board of the Tyrolean Monitoring Committee has been a cooperation partner of the project since last year. “In the ‘Human Rights Space’ we are committed to making human rights tangible and understandable. Participation and inclusion must finally become a living reality,” emphasizes Catherine Schuller, leader and initiator of the project, which is barrier-free and inclusive. Together with around 100 participants, the members of the youth council discussed the topics of discrimination, protection against violence, mental health and education.
Exchange with federal youth representatives
The youth advisory board also used the visit to Vienna for an exchange with the national youth representation. This has set itself the goal of giving greater consideration to those affected by young people with disabilities. The members of the Tyrolean youth advisory board presented their demands on the basis of posters. “We cannot claim central human rights like other people,” Laura Moser from the youth council the challenges for young people with disabilities.
Under the motto “Together for a sustainable and inclusive Europe”, the youth dialogue of the European Union in 2022 will also address the issues of young people with disabilities. In June, members of the federal youth representation will take part in a meeting of the youth advisory board and organize a workshop with the young people.
Inclusion needs encounters and diversity
In February of this year, the youth advisory board opened the 35th annual conference of inclusion researchers at the University of Innsbruck. Seven young people presented their thoughts and reflections on the conference topic “Space.Power.Inclusion”. They described how spaces should be designed in order to feel comfortable and what it is like to be excluded from other people or by the nature of a place. “It was important to us as an organizational unit that, right at the beginning of the conference, voices that are still far too rarely recorded in inclusion research and public relations also find space and are heard. These include the voices of children and young people with disabilities,” says Thomas HofmanProfessor for Inclusive Pedagogy at the Institute for Teacher Education and School Research at the University of Innsbruck.
“People should not exclude other people because they are different. Special schools are the opposite of inclusion because they separate children with disabilities from children without disabilities. All people should be able to participate in society – regardless of age, disability or sexual orientation. Everyone should have better opportunities and get the support they need,” said the young people on the Advisory Board in their keynote speech.
Giving young people with disabilities a stage
The members of the youth advisory board are always happy about the opportunity to present their application publicly. “Young people are heard very little and young people with disabilities even less. It’s great that we can give lectures to the youth council. We want to be there, have a say and be heard,” say the members.
The Youth Advisory Board of the Tyrolean Monitoring Committee was founded in February 2019 after a successful pilot project in the 2017/18 school year. Its members meet monthly at the Tivoli Youth Center in Innsbruck or online. The projects of the youth advisory board include a poster campaign in Tyrol’s schools and other public places or the joint design of an edition of the bikdok “Lesezeichen”.
More information on the youth advisory board of the Tyrolean Monitoring Committee can be found here.