Children became councillors for a day last Friday when they were invited to debate local environment policy in the main chamber of Belfast City Council.
Primary seven pupils from St John's Girls Primary, Forge Integrated, St Malachy's and Cliftonville all spent the morning putting views on litter, recycling and dog fouling.
Leona Meehan from St John's Girls, said she had often imagined what it would be like to be a councillor.
The young student said: "Some people think adults are more important and should say everything but I think it's brilliant that children are starting to be involved now.
"I think the councillors listened to what everyone had to say - otherwise they wouldn't have called everybody here."
The debate included presentations by council officers and was chaired by Cllr Alan Crowe. "Young people are recognising that they can have a part to play and they can have an influence. I will continue to encourage our young people so that they can influence the appearance of the city," he said.
Litter is a big issue in Belfast, and £9 million is spent every year cleaning the streets. Children admit they're partly to blame: in a recent survey by the Bryson House Education programme, 94% of children admitted having dropped rubbish.
Eamonn O'Neill from St Malachy's, said he used to be one of those, but he's getting better. "These meetings are always about adults, and children need to say something as well. We're the ones who mostly litter and we need to change that," he said.
He wants more bins put up where children play, and more recycling bins. "I've never recycled anything in my life," he said.
His friend Damian McNally thought their visit could help the council change. "At the minute they're not doing that good a job and if we speak out then maybe they'll do a better job," he said.
George Lyttle, from organisers Bryson House, said the key to improving the local environment is reaching people early. "If children see their parents dropping litter then the children will do it and it'll just keep on. It may be too late for adults now which is why we focus on primary school children."
A lot of children called for more facilities for cleaning up dog mess, although council officers disagreed - they said there were enough facilities, but dog owners were too embarrassed to pick up their dogs' "business".
Councillor Crowe said he thought the children's visit to the council was a hopeful sign. "I'm particularly encouraged by the attitude of a lot of our young people that say 'We're going to take this message home and try and see that everybody does it'," he said.
Although children presented many ideas, the message from the council was that everybody needs to take personal responsibility for the environment. Councillors - even junior councillors - can only do so much.
About the teamThis story was produced by Lisa Skinner, 18, and Laura McKiernan, 10. A version of it appeared in the Irish News.
