To all Irish children, women and men, and all those who are proud to call the island of Ireland their home, one hundred years ago a proclamation was signed, declaring Ireland a free nation. Today, we declare it a stronger nation.

The people of Ireland in the past fought for our culture, language and heritage. Now, as the next generation, we aim to maintain our nation’s pride, and so we must tackle the problems that face us.

Firstly, we need to make everyone aware of global warming, the rapid speed at which it is going, and the effects it is having on our world.  We ought to encourage people to do what is necessary to prevent it and to slow it down. We need to be greener citizens. We can use green transport, recycle, reduce water usage and install solar energy into houses. As a community we will replace trees when we cut them down. We have spent far too long ignoring the damage that we are doing to our environment. We can no longer be irresponsible in how we manage our waste, and we will not sit back and allow our beautiful country become a wasteland.

Secondly, everyone should be treated equally no matter if they are male or female, old or young, black or white. All religions and beliefs should be respected equally. Everyone should have complete freedom over their own lives. Every child should have the same opportunity to play. There should be easier access to hospitals and health care, so no one is left untreated. 

Not only do we need rights for ourselves, but also for the animals in our nation. We should stop killing animals for clothes, medicine, decoration or for sport. We should stop cosmetic and makeup testing on animals. Our animals should be treated with love, care and respect.

 We want everyone living in Ireland to have a safe place to call home. Nobody should be left unable to live a happy, healthy life because of a lack of money to buy nutritious food. More and more families are becoming homeless every day. That’s more and more people just like us suffering on the streets and living in emergency accommodation. They have the same rights as every other citizen. We need to take action by building more houses and showing empathy to those who cannot afford to pay the rent or bills. Nobody should be denied a safe place to call home.

Everyone should be able to access a good education. School should be made completely free at all levels in order for struggling families to attend. Refugees should be allowed to go to school and college for free as well. There should be more schools like our school where children of all religions and none, learn together.

As we all know, the Global Goals have been set for 2030. Everyone needs to work together and to join forces with other countries to achieve these goals. This will help our world become a better place for us all to live in, not just in Ireland, but all around the globe.

As a nation we will conquer Ireland’s problems together. We aim to end homelessness, provide a cleaner environment, reduce global warming, put a stop to animal cruelty, achieve the global goals and ensure everyone has equal rights. We can all do it if we work together. Is féidir linn.