Cian speaks at the launch of Know Your Rights in Care

EPIC Youth Council member, Cian, spoke at the launch of the Know Your Rights in Care project. Here’s his speech…

“Hi everyone, my name is Cian, and I’m thrilled to be here today to help launch the Know Your Rights in Care exhibition and resources.

I’ve been involved with EPIC for the past six years and I became involved in this project when I was under 18, but recently I turned 18 and joined the EPIC Youth Council – that’s why I’m standing here speaking to you today.

The first thing I want to talk about is the art exhibition. Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to work with other young people from Limerick well as Dani Gill and the EPIC team to work on this project. Together, we explored what children’s rights mean to us through conversations and art.

At the start, if I’m honest, I didn’t feel like I had much inspiration for my own piece. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to create. But the more we engaged as a group, the more we managed to create something special. Those conversations really helped shape how I felt through my art.

My piece is called My Journey Through Care. The beginning of my journey was bumpy, but as the journey continued, things became smoother. It reflects my own experience through care – I am care-experienced, and I was adopted in 2025. I’m really proud of how my piece turned out.

Alongside the exhibition, we’ve also created the Hear Me Out card game and poster. I think these are really important because every young person should have the chance to understand their rights in a way that makes sense to them. Rights shouldn’t just be written down in a document that people don’t understand. They should be explained in a way that’s clear and easy to talk about.

The card game does that really well. The symbols make it more accessible for young people who are neurodivergent, for young people who have experienced trauma, and for separated children who may not have English as their first language. It creates an opportunity to start conversations about rights without making it feel overwhelming.

One of the rights we’ve talked a lot about during this project is Article 12 of the Convention which is the right to have your views heard and taken seriously.

I think that’s one of the most important rights. Every young person should have a voice, and they should have the opportunity to grow in confidence using that voice. It’s important that social workers, care workers, other professionals and the public really listen to care-experienced young people and recognise what we’ve been through, and what some of us are still going through.

I’d like to give a special shout-out to all the young people who took part in this project, especially my friends from the Limerick Care Community, and everyone from Kildare and Mayo. Thank you for sharing your ideas and your experiences. This project wouldn’t be what it is without all of you.

So, on behalf of the EPIC Care Community, I am delighted to officially launch Know Your Rights in Care.

I hope the exhibition, the card game and the poster help more children and young people in care to understand their rights, ask questions and feel confident speaking up.

Thank you.”