Episode 2. If I Were President of Ireland

This episode brings you the voices of children from Dublin’s North East Inner City. They speak about kindness, safety, fairness, and how adults should listen to their ideas about the community where they live.

The conversation begins with a reminder of the history around them. The children learn their neighbourhood holds deep roots in Irish history. From there the discussion moves to a simple but powerful question. If a child became the leader of Ireland, what changes would help build a kinder society?

The answers show how clearly children understand the problems around them. Some talk about justice and safety. Others focus on kindness and respect. Several speak about homelessness and the need for practical solutions such as affordable places for people to live and support to help them find work.

Playgrounds and public spaces also matter. Children describe how fireworks in parks frighten younger children and make shared spaces feel unsafe. Their message stays simple. Public places should feel safe for everyone.

Another child focuses on health and care. If given power, they would invest money in hospitals, doctors, psychologists, and veterinary services so more people and animals receive help when they need it.

Across the conversation one theme repeats. Children notice what happens around them. They care about fairness, safety, and kindness. Their ideas show empathy, common sense, and a strong sense of justice.

This episode forms part of the “Listen to Us” series, where children share their views on the issues shaping their lives and their communities. Their voices offer insight adults often overlook. When children speak, they ask for something simple. Listen.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

This project is supported through the Daphne-CHILD programme, a European initiative led by Eurochild and Terre des Hommes and funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme. The programme supports grassroots organisations across nine European countries that work to prevent violence against children, while ensuring that children themselves participate in shaping solutions.

The campaign will culminate in an advocacy seminar on 15 May 2026 in Dublin, bringing together educators, policymakers, youth organisations and child protection professionals to discuss the key messages emerging from the project and explore how children’s perspectives can better inform policy and practice.

For more information, visit https://listentous.ie.

About the Daphne-CHILD programme
The Daphne-CHILD programme (2024–2027) is a European initiative led by Eurochild and Terre des Hommes and funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme. It supports grassroots organisations across Europe working to prevent violence against children and strengthen child protection systems through meaningful child participation. More: https://daphne.childhub.org.

Thank you for listening and please leave us a review on Apple or Spotify as it will help the children's voices and messages echo out into the world. We are on Instagram @caspr.ie  

Transcript

(0:00) Do you know the area where you live girls is a really really important area? This is where (0:06) Ireland became Ireland. If you were the boss of this country what would you do to make it kinder? (0:12) I would make the world a better place. I'd people that rob make them jail and never go out so if (0:21) you even if you if they say they're sorry they're sorry even if they rob don't let them out because (0:26) if you let them out they'll just even do more. There's nothing really to change. (0:31) Teachers are really nice they teach people they don't they already teach people they teach people (0:36) to be kind to teach them to be good they never ever just teach them to be bad they're always (0:42) teaching them to be good. My name is Romy I'm 10 but I'm going to be 11 and 14 this so I think (0:50) people that's homeless should be getting places to stay. I think they should make like little places (0:55) like apartments where they should like put beds and like put like little kitchens in it where they (1:00) should stay so then they can like give them money and then they can get their own food and that (1:05) and they like pay like 50 euro a month yeah and they get a job they try get them a job or not. (1:11) I'm Taylor and I'm 11. Probably put a little playground for the babies and put like a big (1:17) playground for like the like the tall kids and then because they always do fireworks and it's (1:23) not for the little babies or the kids. I would tell people to me to be more kind and (1:31) lighting up fireworks in the park you know and burning them yeah yeah and because they think (1:38) it's funny but it's not to other people that want to actually play in the playground. A firework could (1:42) really hurt somebody. Well at the first one I was kind of scared but on like the last ones I wasn't (1:47) like because I kind of got used to it because they just kept on like banging them off. I would do if I (1:53) would be the president of Ireland I would get all the money that I have and save some for myself (1:59) and give it to the hospital the vets and the psychologists so they have more doctors more help (2:06) for the so the first of all I'm gonna give the money for the hospital it's because I'm I'm very (2:13) glad that the people the hospital are getting better better and if they get better I'm happy (2:20) if they get worse I'm a little bit upset but I hope to get better so (2:23) I'm giving the money there so then they can have more better doctors (2:27) a bigger room and more medicine and stuff so they can heal better.