The generation who "tore Ireland apart" are not the young, but those who sacrificed the future for the sake of their property portfolios and banking careers, a conference heard yesterday.
Union of Students in Ireland (USI) president Laura Harmon told a gathering of young people that it was not them who were "self-obsessed, disengaged and apathetic".
She said young people were actively joining political parties, attending anti-racism rallies and volunteering to fundraise to help people affected by natural disasters.
“This willingness to get out of the house and do something doesn’t speak to me of apathy or disengagement. It speaks to me of courage, of determination and a desire for a better Ireland.”
“Let us find our energy by not silently suffering and let’s look at the things we need to fix before we can comfortably call it our own. The trick is to build that momentum into a habit of activism.”
“Who You Calling Apathetic? A Generational Assembly” was organised by the Abbey Theatre’s community and education department.
Phil Kingston, manager of the department, said the purpose of the exercise was to disprove the myth that young people can be labelled 'Generation Apathy' and instead are actively engaged citizens.
It is the second year that the national theatre invited young people to participate in an afternoon of talks about social activism.
Anthony Flynn, the director of the Inner City Helping Homeless group, told how the discovery of a body burned in a sleeping bag in Phoenix Park spurred him into action.
Some 120 people answered his call for action and they now have 200 volunteers.
“That was turning empathy into action. A year later, we’re still out there and we’re still on the streets.”
Reggie Blennerhassett was one of those who inspired the film Pride about a group of LGBT activists who came to the aid of striking miners in south Wales. He told the assembled young people that they could change things if they wanted.
“It’s in your hands,” he said.
