Member's statement: Youth Assembly
Member's statement by Mr John Blair on .
- MLA
- Mr John Blair
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 4 November 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Youth Assembly
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5216079
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Mr Speaker, I had the pleasure of attending the final plenary session of the second Youth Assembly on Saturday past, and I know that you were also there. I take this opportunity to recognise the dedication and hard work of everyone involved. At Saturday's event, the Youth Assembly Members launched their legacy report, which chronicles their extensive work from 2023 onwards. The legacy report is a testament to the dedication and engagement of the Youth Assembly Members. They have played a significant role in shaping policy and debate across a wide range of issues. The depth and breadth of the Youth Assembly's involvement is highlighted by its collaboration with the Justice Committee on the Justice Bill; its input to the Education and Economy Committees during the independent review of education; and its valuable perspectives on the Dilapidation Bill, delivered to and through the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee. The Youth Assembly also engaged on and addressed a host of other issues, including the plight of young carers. Such a broad remit across all Departments truly demonstrates the scope of the Youth Assembly Members' understanding and why they are held in such high regard as credible, articulate representatives of young people in Northern Ireland. That important legacy report has been provided to every MLA and is also available online. I encourage everyone to take time to read it, as it offers a unique insight into the achievements and perspectives of our Youth Assembly Members. I look forward to seeing what those remarkable young people will go on to achieve. I also look forward very much to working with the 90 newly recruited Members for the 2025-27 mandate. That new group reflects the diversity of our society, with Members coming from every constituency across Northern Ireland. We must always recognise and commend the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of those young people. They have succeeded in their Youth Assembly roles while juggling demanding school or college schedules, exams and extracurricular activities. I also pay tribute to the dedicated and enthusiastic team of Assembly officials who have supported and encouraged our Youth Assembly since its inception. I am deeply impressed by the increase in confidence and contribution that I have observed amongst the Youth Assembly Members. Their efforts should never be taken for granted, and they should be celebrated by us all. I wish all outgoing and incoming Youth Assembly Members every success for the future.
404 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.05 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.58 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.32 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.06 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.01 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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