This included 15 young people linked to seven organisations who launched each of the five sub-conferences, setting out their own experience, key facts and the recent recommendations from the committee on the rights of the child to the government on its human rights obligations to children.
While few in numbers, their impact reverberated around the event, as was praised by children's health minister Ann Keen.
After hearing the young people from Beat, an organisation supporting young people with eating disorders, she said: "They've said it all. My text would be foolish. What you said was so profound and shocking and dreadful and encouraging. Having heard it, I need to hear more of it. Your statements were shocking, but we needed to hear them." Testimony indeed to the power of young people's participation harnessed to decision making.
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