We are here and we are ready to be pushed outside our comfort zones! This is Youth Summit 3: Empowerment & Solidarity.

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We are joined by young people from Young, Paperless & Powerful - a group of activists campaigning for change for young people growing up undocumented in Ireland - and @MaireadMcdevitt, a youth worker with @MigrantRightsIr

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The young people have prepared some questions to break the ice and get us thinking - starting with asking who watched the #LateLateToyShow last night!

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Next question - an important one - coffee or tea??

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We're getting controversial now... We won't put up a poll about something as divisive as pineapple on pizza 🍍🍕

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Next question... Who's tired of lockdown? D is a voice of reason here: "We're all tired of it, but have to do this to protect one another."

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Getting personal now... Have you ever been in love?❤️

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We're flying through these... But now we're getting a bit deeper. Have you ever felt scared holding hands with your partner in public? D says that she has. This is a very real fear for some people, even here in Ireland.

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Now we're asked, have you ever moved house? Moving is stressful when it's voluntary, but have you ever thought about those who don't have a choice?

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And a related question: Have you ever had to support your parents to pay the rent? Almost all of the young people taking part have helped to support their families.

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Have you ever had two jobs to put yourself through college? D says she has had three at one time! "You gotta take every chance you get," the others agree.

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Have you ever travelled alone as a child to or from another country? This is a reality for many migrant children.

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Have you lived anywhere other than Ireland?

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And our last question, have you ever needed a visa to travel? Irish nationals are very lucky - we have travel agreements with many, many countries that make things easy on us, but not everyone is in the same boat.

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Crossing borders is harder for some people than for others - whether you're travelling for pleasure or necessity.

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So, why do people move? For work, for study, for love. For experience, for opportunity, for a better future. The Irish diaspora is 70 million strong; Irish people have moved for many, many reasons.

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"There aren't always clear, or fair, or accessible pathways to renewing a visa," @MaireadMcdevitt tells us. "If you're undocumented and you're born in Ireland, you have no right to residency here."

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"Being undocumented is like being in constant lockdown", D tells us. Your movement is restricted. You can't travel, you can't see your family. You can't go to college - you need a visa to access third-level education.

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Applying for a PPS number is risky for undocumented people, as is reporting a crime. These things could result in being reported to immigration officials and ultimately deported.

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"When you're undocumented, you don't have a childhood." A video made by Young, Paperless, and Powerful shows young people living in fear of being discovered and taken away from their families, friends, and the only life they know.

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"We're just like Irish undocumented in the US. We're not looking for handouts, we just want to reach our potential." Undocumented young people have hopes and dreams they are being prevented from achieving.

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"Over the course of being an activist I have gained the confidence to speak my mind." Gaurav, on his experience with Young, Paperless, and Powerful.

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Sumayyah says she wants to thank NYCI for supporting their group and giving undocumented young people a safe space.

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"The sky is the limit, not papers," Gaurav tells us they've ruffled feathers with their activism, and they're not ashamed of it.

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In countries across Europe there are different options for paperless young people to apply for documention. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has made recommendations for Ireland which have not yet been implemented.

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This picture is from a solidarity event for undocumented "Dreamers" in a similar situation in the US. The event was attended by young people taking part in today's youth summit.

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Last year, the young people secured a promise from then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that Ireland's Dreamers would not be deported.

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"If you're undocumented... you're considered an international student and have to pay international fees. Options after secondary school are very limited." Rashmi tells us that being able to get her papers was life-changing.

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"Not a single one of the universities that has a sanctuary programme offers education for undocumented young people," she continues.

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Rashmi tells us that undocumented young people often fall between the cracks, showing a lack of joined-up thinking between administrative bodies, universities, and similar institutions.

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Rashmi tells us that language and the way we talk about things matters. "Why do we call some people expats and not immigrants?"

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. @MaireadMcdevitt adds, "Why is it called a crisis of migration instead of calling it what it is, prejudice?"

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It's a fact of life: people move. @JCWI_UK is one of @MigrantRightsIr & Young, Paperless, and Powerful's allies - this is a still from one of their videos.

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"We are all where we are today because someone moved, somewhere along the way." @MaireadMcdevitt reminds us that moving and migration are part of being human and always have been.

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Sumayyah says she hopes that, after today's summit, attendees will think about what they see in the media about migration and migrants.

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D has shared a little fold-out she keeps with her from @picum_post's #WordsMatter initiative on the impact of discriminatory language: http://picum.org/words-matter/ 

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The young people in the group say of their allies that powerful people supporting their cause brings them closer to making change by adding weight and legitimacy.

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The young people all agree that explaining what it means to be undocumented can be frustrating. Education is valuable work, but it is work, and it is tiring.

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We're so grateful to all of the young people who took part today for sharing their experiences, and to @MaireadMcdevitt for her support and her work, and to all of you for following along with us!

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