Minister appoints Ms. Koulla Yiasouma as the Chair of the Young Ireland Advisory Council

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Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley TD, has announced the appointment of Ms. Koulla Yiasouma to chair the Young Ireland Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is a key part of the governance of Young Ireland, the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People.

Koulla Yiasouma is an established leader in the area of children’s rights and youth justice. She served as the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People from 2015 to 2023, working to safeguard the rights and best interests of children.

Ms. Yiasouma is the former Director of Include Youth, a rights-based organisation working with young people involved in the criminal justice and care systems in Northern Ireland. She is the Chair of the Board of Management of the Oberstown Children’s Detention Campus.

Ms. Yiasouma will replace Ian Power as Chair, who stepped down to take up a new role earlier this year.

Announcing the appointment, Minister Foley said:

“I am delighted to appoint Koulla Yiasouma to this important role. The actions set out for Government in Young Ireland pave the way towards improving the lives of children and young people; I know that Koulla’s guidance and experience will help to ensure an emphasis on children’s rights in the implementation of policies that affect them. I would also like to thank Mr. Ian Power for his work with the Advisory Council.”

Information about children’s rights, Young Ireland, and the Young Ireland Advisory Council can be found here: www.gov.ie/YoungIreland.

Notes

Young Ireland: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People provides a platform to realise the rights of children and young people in Ireland, so that all partners can work effectively together to ensure children and young people can thrive. Young Ireland’s governance structures provide a forum for stakeholder engagement, drive implementation of existing policy commitments, and ensure accountability in the development of further policies impacting children and young people.

The Young Ireland Advisory Council enables the community and voluntary sector, as well as academics and other experts, to advise on and support the implementation of Young Ireland. The members of the Advisory Council have varied expertise in the key issues facing children and young people today, with an initial focus on the Spotlight areas of disability.