Episode 70: Laura Lundy, Part One

Laura Lundy is Honorary Professor of Education Law and Children’s Rights at Queen’s University Belfast and Professor of Law at University College Cork. She is Co–Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Children’s Rights and an internationally recognized expert in children’s participation rights and education law. Her highly cited 2007 article, “‘Voice’ is not enough,” introduced what is now known as the Lundy Model, grounded in four core principles—Space, Voice, Audience, and Influence—which is widely used in policy and practice. The Lundy Model has been adopted by national governments, including Ireland, and by international organizations such as UNICEF, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe.

In Episode 70, Laura Lundy reflects on the origins of her commitment to human rights education and children’s rights, shaped in part by Northern Ireland’s history and the transformative role of human rights discourse following the Belfast Agreement. She discusses the evolution of her scholarship and activism focused on children’s participation, emphasizing the importance of listening to youth voices across all stages of childhood. Laura explores the public impact of her work, the complementary roles of law and education, and the importance of ombudsmen and civil society in advancing children’s rights. The conversation centers on the Lundy Model, its application to policy and practice—including work with incarcerated children—and ongoing challenges in ensuring meaningful participation for all children. The episode concludes with updates on global progress in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, highlighting developments in Scotland and civic engagement work in the United States.

Topics discussed:

• Origins of Laura Lundy’s work in human rights education
  
  
  
• Human rights education in Northern Ireland and post–Belfast Agreement transformation
  
  
  
• Children’s rights in teaching, activism, and scholarship
  
  
  
• Youth voice, participation, and public impact of children’s rights work
  
  
  
• Collaboration with governments, civil society, and UNICEF
  
  
  
• Article 12 of the CRC and the development of the Lundy Model
  
  
  
• Adapting the Lundy Model for incarcerated children
  
  
  
• Global progress on CRC implementation, with examples from Scotland and the U.S.
  
  

Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.

Listen on our HREUSA podcast website HERE. 

Introduction and Closing Music Credit: “Awakening-Spring” by Ketsa, from the Album Night Vision. Available at the Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/night-vision/awakening-spring/

This music is used in accordance with this Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Information about that license is available here https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Human Rights Education Now! is produced and distributed in accordance with Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International. Information about this license is available here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/