The following was written by Dylan Morley, a 6th year student.
2016 Proclamation
Irishmen and Irishwomen: In the name of God, and the men and women who came before us and fought for our independence, we, the future of this proud country and the students of Mayfield Community School, share our hopes and desires for an Ireland of the future.
We believe that no citizen should be discriminated against based on the grounds of Race, Gender or Sexual Orientation. Now that same-sex marriage has been legal in Ireland since the 16th of November 2015, we urge people who are un-accepting of this, to change their mentality because Ireland is changing hers. We hope more women enter politics, as women’s rights are just as important as men’s. We hope more people of different nationalities come to live and work in Ireland so they can experience our wonderful culture and heritage.
We urge people to talk more about mental health. We want people to understand mental health is an important issue, that affects many people in Ireland everyday. We hope more information is provided to the people, especially students, on the subject of mental health. We want people to see and believe the great opportunities that are there for all of us and it is our responsibility to live our lives to the full.
We believe everyone has the right to affordable third level education. This will mean more people from disadvantaged communities will have a better chance to succeed in life and avail of the same opportunities as those who come from privileged backgrounds. We hope those who come after us have an even higher standard of education.
We think that every person has the right to affordable accommodation. We believe more shelters should be opened in order to stop homeless people from sleeping on the streets. We urge more people to get involved with charities and to help the vulnerable people who live in our society.
We hope to continue to promote our culture and heritage in order to show the rest of the world what makes Ireland so unique.
We make this declaration of our hopes and desires for our country, while reflecting on those who fought before us, who gave us the opportunity to aspire to better Ireland. We look forward to the next 100 years of celebrating being citizens of this proud country.
Dylan Morley