A reflection with Daisy about the Local Election Campaign as we move into the Final Week before Polling Day.

Negative Campaigning
A tuned in Electorate
An identity crisis for Local Democracy
How local politics is really about Horticulture, Alchemy & Wayfinding!

There is an increase in the volume of children who are presenting with school refusal/avoidance and we must start by accepting that this is a real issue and it doesn't have an instant magic wand fix.
Daisy outlines a very straight forward and meaningful methodology for supporting children and families to navigate a scenario where there is a reluctance to attend school. 
Based on a collaborative approach with the child we explore the risk factors, identify the strengths and highlight the areas of change that would benefit from positive attention and action.

A very open, honest, reflective and insightful conversation with Sinn Fein Councillor for Bray, Grace McManus who shares her reasons for stepping down 8 months before the next Local Elections.

In this episode Daisy talks about how he manages tough situations and how he developed an internal version of himself that is activated in those times when challenging behaviour is present.
The challenge for many of us can be how to stay present in moments of distress. How to retain compassion when there is no reciprocation.

Shining a light on how important it is to consider the decisions that we make NOW and how they will impact on our grandchildren's grandchildren!

We need to focus on;

Awareness of the risks
Our gifts to the future
How 'Long-termism' will serve us

Cllr Grace McManus joins Cllr Daisy to discuss a Housing Paper that they have recently published.
In this episode they talk about the relevance of trauma within the issue of housing and how a 'Trauma Informed' approach to dealing with people who are in housing distress would make a difference at County Council level during the current Housing Crisis in Ireland.

"I believe that the more we include the thoughts, ideas and voices of young people in decisions that will impact on their future, the more hope we can carry into that future."
According to Daisy, moving beyond tokenism and into the realm of meaningful and purposeful and supported engagement is actually worth it!
When youth participation recognises the needs of young people in terms of their adolescent development experience it becomes a contributor to their development and all of society benefits! When young people feel excluded, unwanted, unworthy or merely token contributors they will form a view of the world according to that experience. There is no point in us complaining about how young people view and treat the world when we are unwilling to consider our role in how they form negative views.

"I believe that good people can create bad policies. I don't believe in attacking individuals but I will always challenge proposals or policies that are not rooted in social justice or have not been developed with a human rights lens"
Daisy explores the tension between popularity and good policy in the political arena. He wonders what has the most currency and what type of expectations are coming from the electorate in terms of those who occupy seats of power. 

"I believe that my failures as a politician are opportunities for reflection and insight as well as reminders that change doesn't always happen in the moment that it is needed."

Failure is very familiar territory for most healthy organisations when it is seen as something that represents an opportunity. However, in politics it appears to be something that you must avoid at all costs and if it actually happens, you must hide it at all costs! 
As someone who has been shaped by experiences in youth work, community and education spaces, Daisy has a natural inclination towards sitting with the discomfort of failure and he also sees sharing experiences of failure as a way of showing integrity...... 
Check out the episode to hear more!

Episode 1 of a 12 part mini-series exploring the emerging insights from the political experience of Cllr Dermot 'Daisy' O'Brien.
This episode unpacks the statement,
"I believe that the quality of political decision making at local level is directly linked to the quality of consultation with local people".