Taoiseach Takeover is a collaboration between the Department of the Taoiseach and UNICEF as part of UNICEF's #KidsTakeOver campaign in the build up to World Children’s Day on 20 November.
The campaign invites children to ‘take over’ high-visibility roles in media, politics, business, sport and entertainment normally held by adults to shine a spotlight on issues that matter to them.
Since 2017, the Taoiseach has welcomed young people into their office for a one-to-one meeting as part of the campaign. Scroll through the page to meet the young people who have taken over the Taoiseach's office in recent years and learn more about the issues they raised.
In 2022, teenage Donnacha Lehehan met Taoiseach Micheál Martin to voice his concerns about issues like online privacy, disinformation and the mental health impacts of social media, as well as to call for greater protection for children online.
In 2021, teenage farmer and climate activist Liadh Dalton took the reins at the Taoiseach’s office. Watch the video below to learn more about her meeting with the Taoiseach.
In 2020, Ruairí Holohan from Drogheda, Co. Louth, had a Zoom call with the Taoiseach. Ruairí discussed societal issues impacting the LGBTIQ+ community. Drawing on his own personal experience of homophobic bullying, he stressed the importance of 'respect for all' through schools’ programmes. The Taoiseach in turn used Ruairí's story to underline the importance of LGBTIQ+ rights across Europe during an EU Council meeting with other European leaders in Brussels in 2021.
In 2019, Charles Gallagher from County Donegal met the Taoiseach. He addressed issues around young people’s well-being in school, touching including youth mental health, learning disabilities and dealing with exam pressures. He also took the opportunity to raise concerns facing his generation around climate change.
In 2018, Aoife Murphy (15) from Westmeath spent the day with the Taoiseach. Aoife campaigned for Ireland to lower the voting age to 16. She highlighted why young people deserve to have a say in decisions that affect their future on issues such as climate change, inequality and unemployment.
In 2017, Joella Dhlamini (16) from Drogheda, Co. Louth spent the day with the Taoiseach. Joella expressed her wish to educate people about the impact of racism. She also took the opportunity to raise other concerns of young people to the Taoiseach, including disability rights, poverty, climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals.