Carrick teenager Abby Horner is among 120 young people delivering a powerful message about the impact of Brexit on both sides of the border.
The 16-year-old is a member of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People’s Youth Panel, Abby and her colleagues joined up with young people from the Republic of Ireland.
They produced a report – ‘Our Brexit Too’ – that has been delivered in Westminster and Brussels. It outlines considerations and protections that should feed into decisions on areas such as education, child protection, freedom of movement, family life and health.
Abby said: 
“We will be the first generation to live with the full impact of the Brexit decision yet we did not get the opportunity to vote on this.
“It was clear at the event that young people felt there had not been enough consideration given to the realities of our daily lives and how decisions about the Common Travel Area, the border or the loss of EU Funding programmes could have a lasting impact on our lives now and far into our futures.
“We continue to share the ‘Our Brexit Too’ report with decision makers in Westminster and Brussels so that our issues are raised and will feed into the negotiations.”
Abby and her colleagues in NICCY and from the Ombudsman for Children in Ireland have been involved in detailed work about the potential impact of Brexit.
Koulla Yiasouma, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, said: “Young people have real concerns that issues central to their lives and future opportunities could be unintentionally impacted.
“I hope this report will influence discussions and planning for Brexit and that all the key players, both in the UK and in the “European 27” will take on board the voices of this most important cohort of society when determining the final look of a post Brexit world.”
Dr Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children in Ireland said: “The young people have a keen awareness of the issues that could impact on their lives, from ensuring that ambulances are not delayed when needing to cross the border, to the disruption to family life where separated parents are living either side of the border.
“Young people wanted assurance that they could continue to attend schools unhindered on a cross border basis, and that no child should have to move school because of Brexit. They were also concerned about continued co-operation in the area of child protection.”