Episode 16. Ending words

This episode closes the Listen to Us Project with a mix of gratitude, pride, and honest emotion.

You hear the group reflecting on their time together. There is laughter, appreciation, and a clear sense of connection. The facilitator names what has been built. Creativity. Confidence. Talent. A belief in each child’s future. Gymnasts, dancers, teachers, vets. Big dreams grounded in real experiences.

As the mic passes around, each child shares a single feeling. Sadness about finishing. Happiness about what they learned. Gratitude for the time spent together. The emotions sit side by side, showing how endings can hold both loss and growth.

Small moments bring it all back to real life. A Christmas show later that day. Practice, excitement, family watching. The everyday continues, but something important has stayed with them.

This episode captures what it means to be part of something that matters. Connection, learning, and the confidence to speak.

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This project is supported through the Daphne-CHILD programme, a European initiative led by Eurochild and Terre des Hommes and funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme. The programme supports grassroots organisations across nine European countries that work to prevent violence against children, while ensuring that children themselves participate in shaping solutions.

The campaign will culminate in an advocacy seminar on 15 May 2026 in Dublin, bringing together educators, policymakers, youth organisations and child protection professionals to discuss the key messages emerging from the project and explore how children’s perspectives can better inform policy and practice.

For more information, visit https://listentous.ie.

About the Daphne-CHILD programme
The Daphne-CHILD programme (2024–2027) is a European initiative led by Eurochild and Terre des Hommes and funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme. It supports grassroots organisations across Europe working to prevent violence against children and strengthen child protection systems through meaningful child participation. More: https://daphne.childhub.org.

Thank you for listening and please leave us a review on Apple or Spotify as it will help the children's voices and messages echo out into the world. We are on Instagram @caspr.ie  

Transcript

So will we just say how we all feel maybe finishing? So it's kind of hard to finish (0:06) because we're going to miss you and I learned lots from working with you. I learned about how (0:11) brilliant gymnasts you are, amazing dancers, how you're great, you're very funny and creative (0:21) and I think you have a brilliant future. It's lovely to see what you want to be when you grow (0:24) up as well. This place is going to be full of gymnasts, very strong, kind gymnasts and teachers (0:32) and vets and all sorts of things. So we might just give the mic around and everybody can say (0:37) one word about how they feel. So I'm sad but also delighted that I met you, okay? (0:44) I am very upset because I'm going to miss you but I'm happy that I learned a lot of things.(0:52) I'm sad because I have to have a Christmas show today. Oh, you have a Christmas show, (0:59) you have to do a lot of practicing. No, I already did it. I have a Christmas show tonight. (1:05) For 150 minutes. Only my parents can come.(1:11) Oh, six, seven, on a merry Christmas. Six, seven, on a merry Christmas.