Welcome to the first research bulletin from the CRN Child and Youth Participation Special Interest Group (SIG)! We are thrilled with the strong response from contributors across the island of Ireland, and we extend a special thanks to our peer reviewers and to Niamh Buckle for coordinating submissions and designing this issue. This bulletin serves as a cross-disciplinary repository for research on child and youth participation including participation in research itself offering a platform to share evidence, bridge practice, encourage dialogue, and build a vibrant community of practice. Featured contributions explore children’s perspectives on wellbeing through creative participatory methods like Draw, Write and Tell, Diamond Ranking, and Photovoice (Peters, McLoughlin & Davison; Davison, Brown & McLoughlin); examine Restorative Practice and student voice in DEIS secondary schools through the 'Relationship Keepers' programme (Wheatley & Darmody); introduce K4C-4-Kids, a 10-week junior researcher initiative developed with the University of Limerick (O’Sullivan); and highlight PhD spotlight research by Dr. Deirdre McGrath, who utilised the Mosaic approach with 3–4-year-olds to develop a new participation model. All of these articles reflect the core aims of our SIG, and we thank everyone who submitted their valuable work.

Read more in the bulletin.