...including shared standards and information on an all-island basis, ensuring that data is compatible and comparable, because harm to the environment anywhere affects everything around it and doesn't recognise borders.

🔖 Read the report here: www.involve.org.uk/sites/defaul...

'[We want this because] there is no system at the moment to punish polluters & we can see the consequences of this in Lough Neagh & Mubuoy (for example).'

They also called for joined up environmental protection across the island of Ireland...
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'[We want] a body independent of government with the powers to enforce robust standards of environmental protection, backed up with scientific evidence.' 👇🧵

As this gets debated politically, here's the message from those community conversations: people see climate change and biodiversity loss affecting their communities.

They understand why an independent EPA is essential.

What they said? 👇🧵

Read our frequently asked questions on Citizens' Assemblies for Northern Ireland here 👇
🔗 www.involve.org.uk/resource/fre...

🤔 What makes them different?

They generate sensible and ambitious agreements centred on ideas of a common good. They do this because they create conditions for informed, nuanced debate on issues where politics has become stuck.

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The process works in 3 phases:
Learning → Participants hear from experts across the spectrum, not just the loudest voices
Deliberation → Facilitated small group discussions where everyone's perspective matters
Decision making → Real recommendations that reflect both consensus & minority views

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👉 A citizens' assembly brings together everyday people, selected through a civic lottery to reflect our diverse population, and gives them something rare in modern politics: time, balanced expert evidence, and space to deliberate.

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👉 Read the article here:
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

👉 And read more about our Inclusive Schools Citizens Panel here:
www.involve.org.uk/our-work/our...

🤔 As government, local authorities, and other partners consider future reforms, there is a genuine opportunity to build on this foundation. Our hope is that this work proves: when everyone can participate fully, all the voices needed for progress on SEND reform can be heard.

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🙋 As a carer of one of the young people said: “It was good for them to feel heard, and I was really proud of them to have the courage to feed back to the whole group… That’s not an easy thing to do.”

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🤝 The panel agreed on a set of recommendations, shaped by and for young people with SEND. This work shows how centring people with lived experience — and inviting them to co-design how the conversation happens — strengthens both the process and the outcomes.

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