Issu Nse National Report 2020-2021

ISSU NSE NATIONAL REPORT 2020-2021

T u a i r i s c C o i s t e G n ó n a n D a l t a í 2 0 2 0 - 2 0 2 1 CONTENTS

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Introduction from President State Exams School Safety National Campaigns National Events Officer Reports National Working Group & Internal Group Reports Appendix: Press Releases INTRODUCTION

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What a year it has been.

With Covid-19 we are the first NSE to never meet in-person, we have not been able to hold any in-person events and we have been doing all of this while facing one of the biggest challenges for students in the history of Ireland. And I must admit it - each and every one of the members of the NSE have handled this crisis with flying colours. In the last year we have seen the NSE catapult into the stratosphere in productivity and engagement - working day to day rather than month to month, meeting, working and fighting for your voice.

Through this we have cemented the student voice as a central and equal stakeholder in education. We now have the same influence and access as any other stakeholder, but most importantly we have the relationships. We grew positive and collaborative relationships with all of the stakeholders, the political parties and the Department of Education. From this, the ISSU and the student voice is now held with the respect and esteem it deserves and has given us an edge in pushing our campaigns now and into the future.

We have also no shied away from internal reform - we have revolutionised the internal working of the Union - uplifting Regional Officers and putting a focus on developing grassroots connections with individual students. We wrote an entirely new constitution - gave massive powers and new responsibilities to ISSU regions and created a more effective union.

More than this we engaged more individual students face to face in the last year than we have ever done before - training 1,460 students on their councils, 557 students at regional councils and another 1,014 students across dozens of other events throughout the year, including 250 students at a members townhall to get their views on the state exams. This year we have also had over 80 working group members. INTRODUCTION

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Through surveys and messages we worked with well over 35,000 students to represent their views. Our Communications team, Secretariat and NSE worked day in and day out to answer all of the hundreds of questions through emails, Instagram and on the phone helping students through this crazy time.

What we are most proud of (and what I hope is evident from this report) is that we have spent this year delivering real change for students. We put a focus on not playing a PR game, but instead focusing on delivering changes and progress to strengthen the student voice and make life better for our members at the grassroots We cannot fit everything into one report and there is still work being done - all of our officers are still working until July 10th finishing projects and solidifying gains. But from what we have included you can see the work that has been done to date.

In this last year we have given everything, many late nights, thousands of hours and incalculable effort. And it has shown the most growth, the most change, the best grassroots engagement and the best year for student voice we have ever seen. I would like to thank the 12 NSE officers, each of the 44 Regional Officers, our forever steady staff members Rob O'Donnell, Suzanne Coombs and Alison Dervan, the Monitoring Committee and the over 80 students who make up our national working groups. Most importantly - I have to thank you, the student. We are here to represent you and work each day to improve your life and protect your voice. I hope you feel we have done right by you and delivered on our promises. You are the central pillar of everything we do and I hope you feel that you can make change - that you too can be part of something bigger and create a better place for students in Ireland. It’s not easy, it is very, very difficult and challenging; but anything worth fighting for is never simple.

Reuban Murray, ISSU Uachtarán (President) NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS

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STATE EXAMS 2021 / NA SCRÚDUITHE STÁIT 2021

In November of 2020 Minister Norma Foley formed the Advisory Group on the 2021 State Exams. This was a group of education stakeholders who met to discuss and share views about the best step forward for the exams. ISSU Uachtarán Reuban Murray and Education Officer Alicia O’Sullivan sat on the Group as the representatives of students. Over Christmas 2020 we submitted our first submission on how the state exams should

run (this was before there was a consideration that schools would close) view submission here. You can view all the information around the advisory group - as well as read the minutes

of its meetings here. After schools closed for the first time we issued a letter to Minister Foley calling for an emergency meeting of stakeholders. In January we wrote a letter to Minister Foley, each of her chief officials, the SEC, all Education Stakeholders, all the Directors of Schools in every ETB across Ireland, and to the Members of the Oireachtas Committee on Education calling for an alternative for the state exams. We ran a large-scale survey of students around the Leaving Cert, Junior Cert, school closures and the return to school. Alongside this we ran an online town hall event with over 250 students to discuss the same issues and give our membership the chance to raise their concerns. We combined the qualitative and quantitative data to form our official policy platform for the state exams and campaigned for choice for students. Following this we presented the findings of our report at the next advisory group meeting, setting the agenda of the meeting and clearly articulating the views of our members. Following this the Minister announced a new round of negotiations centred on deciding a non-exam alternative option for students. We worked tireless as part of these

negotiations to get the best deal for students. View press release here. NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS

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STATE EXAMS 2021 / NA SCRÚDUITHE STÁIT 2021

When the ASTI withdrew from talks we played a very vocal role in trying to apply pressure to return to talks -view our statements here. On February 17th, the Department of Education finally announced that students will be given the choice of accredited grades and sitting the exams. We also advocated for increased choice in the written papers and the Department agreed to this. Throughout this process, we made a conscious effort to make the information easy to understand for students and we ran a series of FAQ posts on our social media - view here. We also held a number of Instagram livestreams answering questions. Most importantly we help a livestream with Minister Foley to answer students' questions about the state exams announcement directly. Following the announcement we continued to work and advise students as to their rights, including releasing an open letter for students to clarify their rights to their schools - link here.

SCHOOL CLOSURES AND REOPENING 2021 / DÚNADH AGUS ATHOSCAILT NA SCOILEANNA

On 4th January 2021, the ISSU called for schools to reopen for 3rd, 5th, 6th year and SEN students, and children of frontline workers to be facilitated to go into school to receive online tuition if it was not possible for them to do so at the time. This decision was made at a point in time when the Department of Education made it clear to the ISSU that all students would be returning to school, and so was an attempt to come to a balanced and pragmatic compromise that minimised the number of students in schools. On 7st January 2021, the ISSU NSE joined calls for the closure of schools to continue and criticised the Department of Education’s failure to communicate effectively with students and the wider education community.

NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS

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In February 2021, the ISSU launched the Online Learning Hub. This Hub included remote teaching guidelines, students’ online education rights, template emails to assist students in contacting teachers, and a guide to using online learning space across various platforms. The ISSU engaged with the Department of Education and other education stakeholders to get a public health assurance that schools would be safe environments once all disease prevention and control measures were fully implemented and adhered to before the phased return to school commenced. The Leas-Uachtarán and Communications Officer engaged with the Department of Education to secure a question and answer video session on the phased return and students’ concerns with the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn. They also engaged with the DES communications department to ensure that their communications with students were clear, and comprehensible, and won the trust and confidence of students.

SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 / SCOILEANNA I RITH NA PAINDÉÍME

In June 2020, the ISSU and National Parents Council Post-Primary (NPC-PP) jointly launched a survey to ascertain the views and opinions of students and parents on the reopening of secondary schools in Ireland. This survey received 11,500 responses. In August 2020, the ISSU wrote to the Minister for Education outlining the serious concerns students have regarding the reopening of schools. This coincided with the ISSU #Safety4Students hashtag trending on Twitter at #1 in Ireland. The ISSU made two submissions on school during Covid-19 to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education: The Reopening of Schools and the Leaving Certificate Calculated Grading Process (September 2020) and Ensuring that Schools are Open in a Manner which is Both Safe and Sustainable (October 2020). NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS

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On 26th November 2020, the Uachtarán appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education to discuss the safe and sustainable opening of schools. He particularly stressed the serious issue of the over assessment of students in exam years and the effect this was having on them.

STATE EXAMS 2020 / NA SCRÚDUITHE STÁIT 2020

The International Officer, in communication with a number of relevant officials, advocated for provisions to be put in place that would allow Irish students who received CAO offers after international deadlines to apply when they received their offers.

Exam Supports 2,000 students registered to sit the 2020 Leaving Cert exams - these students had lost 3 month of their final school year and the Department of Education informed us that they intended to provide no school/tuition support for these students. The Uachtarán ran a project with a number of online study aids to provide their services and help to these SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 students for free. Link. We sourced dozens of supports and websites securing discounts of up to 85% - displaying discount codes and links to free resources so these students could give their exams their best shot.

Standardisation Process We lobbied the Department of Education to ensure no student was unfairly disadvantaged in the standardisation process. - following this the Department removed school profiling and reduced the overall number of grades reduced by the standardisation process.

Helpline and FAQs The Uachtarán worked with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, the National Parents’ Council, and the Department of Education to run a helpline for students receiving their CAO offers, inputting into the work and running the social media side running a series of FAQ posts answering students' questions. Link. NATIONAL EVENTS

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SKILLS ACADEMY 2020 / SCOIL NA SCILEANNA

Skills Academy was held from the 24th-25th August 2020 virtually for the first time. It brought 32 attendees from around the country to gain new skills to empower them to take action as student advocates. Workshops ranged from general introductions to activism, to more specific training on direct provision and negotiation skills. It also included panel discussions on equality and young people in politics.

REGIONAL COUNCILS OF SCHOOLS / NA COMHAIRLÍ RÉIGIÚNACHA

This year the ISSU’s calendar was filled with the Regional Council of Schools events during the months of November and December. 20 Regional Councils took place over 22 regions with over 550 students attending. These events were led by the Student Council SSuCppHorOt OOffiLceSr, t hIeN St uCdeOntV CoIuDnc-i1l C9oordinator, and the relevant Regional Officers. These events gave the ISSU the opportunity to engage with the student councils of Ireland, to get feedback on the workings of the ISSU, and to promote the power of student voice across Ireland. Officers collaborated to deliver region specific workshops that gave the students a space to discuss issues that may be present in their region. These workshops gave students the chance to brainstorm possible solutions and how they, as a student council, can be proactive and raise awareness in their local community. The Regional Councils also saw the democartic election of 44 regional officers, who now are dedicated and engaged officers who work daily to better the ISSU at a regional level. NATIONAL EVENTS

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EXTRAORDINARY ASSEMBLY / AN CHOMHDHÁIL ÉIGEANDÁIL

The first ISSU Extraordinary Assembly took place on 31st March 2021. This event, organised by the NSE, was held to adopt a new Constitution and Annual Assembly Procedure document. Directive policies which were rolled over from Annual Assembly 2019 were also debated. 154 students from across the country attended the event.

ISSU TOWN HALLS / COMHCOMHAIRLÍ ADIÉ

The ISSU held two town halls regarding the Leaving Certificate and Return to Schools 2021. The first Town Hall, which took place in January, focused on the reopening of schools and state examinations and was attended by 202 students. The second Town Hall, which took place following the announcement of the accredited grades process and plans for the state exams, was attended by 264 students. SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 UACHTARÁN

R E U B A N M U R R A Y

GUIDANCE COUNCELLORS

At the beginning of our term I campaigned with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, the National Parents’ Council, Children’s Rights Alliance, and UNICEF to strategise together to improve guidance counselling for students. This resulted in us successfully reversing the cuts to counselling made in 2012, and restoring full-time guidance counsellor hours for schools. This means that in the coming years students will have far greater levels of guidance from their schools.

WHAT DID I DO WITH MY YEAR?

I spent almost 100% of my time working and fighting for concessions for students in the 2021 State Exams - from calling for extra choice in the exams before Christmas and working alongside the Education Officer, Alicia, to lead our strategy and negotiations in securing a choice for students. I spearheaded our policy on these points and almost my entire year was SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 focused on the impacts of Covid-19 on the student body. From speaking in the Oireachtas to liasing with the party spokespeople - from writing the report with the team to our meeting with the Minister - a great deal has been done. I have left these at the above sections - but while reading this you should also read those points as that was where the majority of my time was spent.

REGIONAL OFFICER REFORM

Completely overhauled the way we work with the regional officers - giving them a lot more autonomy, training, access to opportunities and giving them the chance to really change and be part of the work. Implemented a NSE/ROB meeting every 6 weeks. Completely overhauled the ROB Training and upscaled it. Drafted the regional officer guide. UACHTARÁN

R E U B A N M U R R A Y

TOOK MY GAP YEAR

As promised, I took a gap year to fulfill my role full-time. This gave us the chance to achieve so much more in the last year and I worked with the SLT to draft a policy proposal we can bring to the next Annual Assembly about how a sabbatical president might look.

HELD MORE EVENTS OUTSIDE DUBLIN

I implemented a constitutional reform that 50% of all ISSU Events must be held outside of Dublin.

SET-UP ISSU TOWN COUNCILS

SI ChaHve OintOrodLuSce dI Nco nCstiOtutVionIaDl a-m1e9ndments that state there will be a meeting every month of all the student councils, ISSU reps and the regional officer. There has been a massive amount of piloting, child protection, data protection and parent consent red tapes to work through and a great number of guides have had to be drafted for these meetings to become a reality - but all the work has been completed and we are going to be able to implement these meetings as soon as the constitutional amendments is passed,

SET UP A GET INVOLVED SECTION

The get involved sections was set up on the website as a way for students to get involved. We have also been working directly with a number of councils that got in contact to give them support and advice. UACHTARÁN

R E U B A N M U R R A Y

TRAINING STUDENT COUNCIL LIAISON TEACHER

Unfortunately this was a project that got slowed right down due to the constant and continuous bombardment Covid-19 had on our term - but we did not ignore it - we instead pivoted and have been drafting a Student Council Charter and a Student Council Liaison Teacher Charter to provide document projections for councils and liaison teachers and to give a platform for students to hold their council to account.

GATHER SUPPORT FOR OUR GOALS AND VISIONS AND STRENGTHEN OUR PARTNERSHIPS.

There has been a massive amount of networking and discussions with stakeholders -this is what has given the support we needed to implement our many successful campaigns this year. Luke Casserly and I ran a series of meetings with the political parties to provide poSlitiCcaHl sOupOpoLrt Sa nIdN t hCroOugVhoIuDt -th1e 9year we have been reaching out to various organisations - holding bi-lateral meetings with stakeholders outside of the Advisory Group and developing the ISSU’s standing and relationship. LEAS-UACHTARÁN

L U K E C A S S E R L Y

This term, as Leas-Uachtarán, my primary aim was to assist and support the Uachtarán in his work leading the Union and supporting the NSE on a day-to-day basis. This involved, but definitely was not limited to, attending Senior Leadership Team meetings, attending meetings with stakeholders, doing media, and strategic planning. I also engaged with individual officers to offer them support and advice on their work and campaigns where needed.

EXAMCRAFT JOURNALS

At the beginning of the year, I teamed up with the Oifigeach na Gaeilge and Communications Officer to work with Examcraft to include ISSU and student voice related material in their academic journals, used widely in post-primary across the country, for the 2021-22 academic year.

STRATEGIC LOBBYING SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 I worked with a group of officers to establish relationships and raise key issues with political representatives from a range of Government and Opposition parties near the beginning of the year.

VOTE AT SIXTEEN

Along with the Secretary and Equality Officer, I established a national working group on vote at sixteen. Since it was established, we have lobbied representatives from a range of parties to progress legislation on the lowering of the voting age and have worked on campaign and media strategy to be rolled out when the issue appears in the Oireachtas. More information on this can be found in the full WG report below. LEAS-UACHTARÁN

L U K E C A S S E R L Y

STATE EXAMS

I provided support to the Uachtarán and Education Officer in their preparation, planning and advocacy around the state exams, and in particular their meetings as part of the DES Advisory Group, as well as engagements with individual stakeholders. I assisted in drafting submissions, emails and press releases on this matter and also took part in engagements with stakeholders, including the ASTI and JMB.

REOPENING OF SCHOOLS

In the lead up to and during the phased return to schools in 2021, I engaged closely with the Department of Education to ensure that there was an assurance from public health officials that schools would be safe environments once all controls and measures were implemented and adhered to. From there, in collaboration with the Communications Officer, I engaged witSh CtheH DOESO coLmSm uInNica tCionOs VunIitD to- 1en9sure that their communications with students was student-centred and worked to win the trust and confidence of students. As part of this process I secured a question and answer video session between the Communications Officer and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ronan Glynn. I also appeared on the RTÉ nine o’clock news as a spokesperson for the ISSU on this issue.

AEP

I collaborated with the Ombudsman for Children to write a joint letter to the Minister for Education calling on her to extend the Applied Education Provision Programme to students who have immediate family members who are Very High Risk - allowing them to receive tuition remotely, rather than putting their family at risk by attending school in-person. LEAS-UACHTARÁN

L U K E C A S S E R L Y

CONSTITUTION & EA

Near the end of the constitutional review process I took a prominent role in putting the final touches on the constitution and the Annual Assembly procedure document to have them ready for the Extraordinary Assembly event, along with a group of other officers. I also worked with the Secretariat and NSE Secretary to plan and prepare for the EA event.

RELIGION WORKING GROUP

I supported the International Officer in establishing the national Religion Working Group. Further information on this can be found in the WG report below.

MEMBERSHIP REVIEW

I wrote the terms of reference and plan for a steering committee for a membership review process which aims to evaluate and make recommendations for reform regarding the union’s SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 membership structure. Due to capacity issues, I did not get to commence this group, however I have proposed that it be conducted by the next NSE.

MEDIA

Throughout my term I have acted as an ISSU spokesperson on a number of issues on a range of media platforms including RTÉ News, RTÉ Radio One, Newstalk, The Irish Times, Shannonside FM, and MidWest Radio.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Throughout my term, I have met with a number of stakeholders and partners, including but not limited to: SIPTU, IGC, Unicef, ASTI, NPC-PP, TCDSU, ICTU, Forsá, Department of Education, and the DES Inspectorate. RUNAÍ

M A T T H E W C O L G A N

The NSE Secretary was responsible for the planning and preparation for meetings of the NSE, distribution of meeting minutes and agenda, and the organisation of all NSE documents and folders. The NSE Secretary resigned his position in April 2021.

Over the course of his term, the NSE Secretary worked on the following: Planning and Preparation of ISSU Town Hall Events. Uploading NSE minutes on the ISSU website. Vote at 16 Working Group. Media appearances on a number of issues, including the 2021 State Examinations.

MEMBERSHIP REVIEW

SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 EDUCATION OFFICER

A L I C I A J O Y O ' S U L L I V A N

This year my focus was in the incorporation of student voice into pressing educational issues, Covid-19 meant alot of my focus was on airing the voices of the 6th year students across the country and ensuring their needs and wants were being heard. The role of Education Officer , in my view, has drastically developed over the 2020,21 term, the role still includes policy writing, reports and presentations but as the Union itself has grown this role has become more advocational and representative.

STATE EXAMINATIONS

The State Examinations were the biggest focus of my term, the President and I sat on the Advisory Group for the State Exams which started November 2020 and still continues. We first created a submission on the State Exams in the Christmas period, which included more changes to exam papers, supports for students and recommendations against the use of online forums for oral examinations. Following this Post Christmas led to the unfortunate introduction of a new strain of Covid which led to the closure of schools. As representatives for students we continued to SupCdaHte OouOr cLallSs e aIcNh tiCmeO pVubIlicD h-e1alt9h changed, as this is the only health advice we can base our decisions off. We then called for schools to close and online learning began to take place. We worked on ensuring online learning was the best it could be with support and continued guidance from the DOE. As the time students missed from in person learning began to increase, we decided to develop a national and public survey for 3rd and 6th Year students, which has over 10,000 responses and went through a rigorous validation process. This survey, followed by a townhall consultation with over 200 students allowed the President and I to lead on producing the ISSU State Exams Report, the turnaround was less than a week which is something I am very proud of our Union for. We then published and presented the findings to the Advisory Group and ISSU changed the course of the conversation towards giving 6th Year students a choice of the Leaving Certificate and calculated grades and for 3rd Years to get changes similar to that of 2020. Not only this but the President and I met with stakeholders outside of the Advisory Group to build relationships and advocate one on one for students. We also took part in bilateral negotiations with the Department of Education where we brought forward proposals, timelines and recommendations. EDUCATION OFFICER

A L I C I A J O Y O ' S U L L I V A N

SENIOR CYCLE REFORM

I opened a call for a diverse National Education Working Group to work mainly on Senior Cycle Reform, after recruiting 10 students from across the country we began developing the ISSU Senior Cycle Reform Report. This included working with the ESRI to develop a sample pool reflective of the second-level student population of Ireland and a comprehensive survey to hear the views of students across many areas the 5 areas were: 1. Curriculum, 2. Examinations and Progression, 3. Mental Health and Wellbeing, 4. Equality Within Education, 5. Subjects. In order to publish substantial views of students we also held an online Town Hall event during the ISSU EA 2021 which were then included in the Report. For representation we also met with many organisations, education stakeholders and groups. The report was launched by Former Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn at the Senior Cycle Reform Symposium on April 7th, this event was attended by students, parents, managing bodies, education stakeholders, education spokespeople, the NCCA and the Department of EdSucCatiHonO. TOhisL RSep oIrNt w iCll OforVm IthDe -b1as9is for future lobbying by the ISSU on Senior Cycle Reform.

RSE

RSE is a crucial area in need of reform, this review has been finished by the NCCA and includes the views of students. Considering the work done by ISSU and many other organisations to influence and ensure RSE Reform, I did not want to do work already done. The research and work is essentially done for RSE Reform; it simply needs to be implemented by the Minister for Education and Department of Education. As of this, I went about, alongside the Welfare Officer and Equality Officer, looking for a more permanent position of student voice facilitated by ISSU in regards to curriculum and assessment development. Because of the timing of the State Examinations this conversation is ongoing and a very important one for ISSU, as a stakeholder in education, to have an equitable stance in these developments as other stakeholders. EDUCATION OFFICER

A L I C I A J O Y O ' S U L L I V A N

MENTAL HEALTH BOOKLET

On the return to school, India Kennedy (RO), Molly Gordon Boles and I developed a Mental Health Booklet with other colleagues in ISSU including the Welfare Officer and was supported by the Ombudsman for Children, the ETB and the Irish Parents Council, Jigsaw and SpunOut. This resource was sent to every member school of ISSU in an attempt to help and support students mental health and wellbeing on the return to what would be a difficult and different school year.

APPRENTICESHIPS SUBMISSION

Progression after second-level is heavily dominated by pressure to attend a third level institute, but there are many other opportunities for students to opt for. I wrote the ISSU Submission to Inform the Apprenticeship Action Plan 2021-2025. It is vital that ISSU expands its SreCpreHseOntaOtioLn San dI Ncon CsuOlts VwitIhD th-e1 lik9es of USI in this work. EDUCATE TOGETHER SECONDARY SCHOOLS SUBMISSION AND PRESENTATION

The President and I were invited to respond to the Educate Together Secondary Schools Report conducted by the ESRI. This allowed us as Officers to see the great work being done in ETB schools and positive actions done that would be great to have implemented in every second-level school. We then presented our comments on their event to launch the Report.

COLLEGE AWARENESS

I helped organise and take part in a webinar around accessing third level, the different routes and opportunities available to students. EDUCATION OFFICER

A L I C I A J O Y O ' S U L L I V A N

MEDIA

Over my time as Education Officer there were many opportunities for media appearances to promote and bring awareness to issues or projects, most surrounding the Leaving Certificate 2021. I appeared on Virgin Media News, RTE News, A Lust for Life Podcast. I featured on many print media including The Irish Times, and many live streams including with the Labour Party and podcasts including A Lust for Life ‘It All Works Out’.

SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 STUDENT COUNCIL SUPPORT OFFICER

T A R A T O Y E

ROB COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT

This year the role of student council support officer was mainly focused on growing the union internally with improved communication between Regional Officer Body and the National Student Executive and externally with the regional council of schools events.

STUDENT COUNCIL RESOURCES

Student Council Handbook The ISSU was lacking a resource that students could use in the beginning stages of the formation process of a student council. I gathered a group of engaged and committed regional officers to help in the creation of this. Our aim is that the ISSU can use this resource in years to follow, to aid student councils in the early stages of their student activism journey. Student Council Guidelines During Covid-19 SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 This year, there were many difficulties with student council elections, when restrictions due to Covid-19 were placed on schools. In order to combat this I worked with a range of officers to create a resource that was available to schools, which laid out guidelines on how to safely hold democratic elections for the incoming student councils. STUDENT COUNCIL SUPPORT OFFICER

T A R A T O Y E

REGIONAL OFFICER ROLE AND REGION REFORM

As a former member of the ROB, I was aware of the issues that came with the role of regional officer. I felt that this year it was important for the Student Council Support Officer to focus on redefining that role and to work to improve communication and engagement with the ROB as a whole. Firstly, I worked with the Regional officers to reform the regional layout to maximise engagement with member student councils for the upcoming regional council events. Following the formation of the new regional layout, I worked with the regional officer to closely examine and identify the issues with the role and responsibilities of this officer position. This year we ensured that the regional officers had a vital role in the decisions and workings of the ISSU.

REGIONAL COUNCILS

ThSis CyeHar OthOe ILSSSU IhNeld C20O rVegIioDna-l 1co9uncil of schools events with over 550 students attending across 22 regions around Ireland. These took place over the November - December months. I worked closely with the regional officers, the student council coordinator and the communications officer to ensure the smooth organising of these events. These events gave me the opportunity to communicate with the students directly, and the space to listen to the students to understand their school experience and how the ISSU could work for them. As a result of the regional councils, the ISSU now has 44 engaged and proactive regional officers. STUDENT COUNCIL SUPPORT OFFICER

T A R A T O Y E

MEMBERSHIP

As a key part of my role as student council support officer was to liaise with student councils, I got the opportunity to oversee and input into the acceptance of membership on behalf of the NSE. I worked closely with regional officers and the student council coordinator to promote membership through the regional councils, and projects and networking being carried out by the regional officers.

REGIONAL OFFICER TRAINING AND COORDINATION

This year, as the union continued to grow, I felt that as the student council support officer it was vital that we had a strong ROB, in order to have the capacity to continue to communicate with the students. I focused on ensuring that the ROB had the necessary training to gain the SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 skills they would need for their coming term. Once the regional officers were fully equipped, I ensured that they were utilizing the skills they had gained by being an active officer in the ISSU. I have advised and assisted the regional officers throughout their term to ensure that they are all reaching their full potential. WELFARE OFFICER

M A T T H E W R Y A N

PERIOD PRODUCTS

At the very start of my term, I put out a call for a working group on the topic of Period Products & Period Poverty. A group of 7 students, along with the Equality Officer and Leas- Uachtarán, was formed. The Working Group has worked for the entire duration of my term. They have met with various 3rd party organisations, like BeLonG To, Any Time Of The Month and The Homeless Period Ireland.They have produced a survey that will be launched nationwide. Due to the constraints of the Leaving Certificate situation, the survey was delayed. The current launch date is 10th of May, 2021. They have also liaised with senators such as Annie Hoey and Rebecca Moynihan to support the Period Products (Free Provision) Bill.

OIREACHTAS SUBMISSION ON BULLYING

At the start of February, the ISSU was invited to make a submission to the Oireachtas SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science titled “School Bullying and the Impacts on Mental Health''. The ISSU was given approximately 1 weeks notice to produce the submission. I was tasked with producing this submission along with the Welfare Team. I surveyed internal student officers to provide data for the submission. The submission is available here.

TEXT50808 PARTNERSHIP

Earlier in the year, I liaised with the crisis support text service “Text50808” to start the process of ISSU becoming a keyword partner. Text50808 is a free 24/7 text service that provides immediate support to anyone in crisis, big or small. ISSU is now an official keyword partner with Text50808 and students can text the word “ISSU” to the number “50808” to receive immediate help and support. WELFARE OFFICER

M A T T H E W R Y A N

WORK WITH ACTIVE* CONSENT

This year, I worked very closely with the NUI Galway based research and awareness program “Active* Consent”. Active* Consent work to raise awareness around consent, sexual assault and safe sex. I worked very closely with their team lead and research fellow Dr. Siobhán O’ Higgins. I organised two focus groups with Active* Consent and our internal officers. These focus groups aided in the design and refining of Active* Consent’s new course that will be rolled out to transition year students in the coming months. I then went on to co-facilitate an Active* Consent workshop. Over the last year, we have built a very close and beneficial working relationship with Active* Consent.

RSE REFORM

This year, I worked with the Education Officer and Equality Officer in ensuring that student voiSceC is HheOardO inL thSe pIrNoce Css Oof VRSIED re-fo1rm9. We engaged with the NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) to achieve this. The process of RSE reform has been ongoing within the NCCA and is almost complete and is awaiting finalisation and implementation. As a result of this, we began discussion with the NCCA on how the ISSU could become a key stakeholder in curricular reforms permanently. These conversations have been extremely successful and are still ongoing.

INTERNAL WELFARE POLICY

This year, I drafted the unions first ever internal welfare policy. This policy was written by myself and the Welfare Team. This policy looked at the way we work as a union internally. It addresses issues such as officer burn out, NSE officer working hours and internal communications in the union. The policy aims to ensure a more balanced and healthy approach to the way we work as student officer and reminds us to keep our own well-being and welfare at the forefront of our work and minds. The policy can be viewed here. WELFARE OFFICER

M A T T H E W R Y A N

WELFARE TEAM FORMATION + MAKING TEAM CONSTITUTIONAL

I formed the unions first ever Welfare Team. A call was put out when the new Regional Officers took office. From there, a team of 5 RO’s was formed. They have worked alongside me since their formation and have been of massive benefit to the union both externally and internally.

MEDIA

This term, I had the opportunity to represent students in the media on various occasions including the 6:01 news, Prime Time, The Irish Times and many more. This media representation really helped to put student welfare on the agenda for many issues, most noStabClyH thOe leOavLinSg c IerNtif icCatOe sVituIaDtio-n1. 9

GRMA DAY

I lead the union's involvement in the event known as “GRMA Day”. I worked with the Secretary to help bring the student perspective to this event. The event, lead by the NAPD and Irish Defence Forces, along with Uachtarán Michael D. Higgins, aimed to say “Go Raibh Maith Agat (GRMA)” to all those involved in the safe reopening of schools and those who worked towards ensuring the safety of students in schools. WELFARE OFFICER

M A T T H E W R Y A N

DRUG EDUCATION RESOURCE

I worked with the Education Officer, drug awareness organisation Alexs’ Adventure and Roscommon Comhairle na nÓg to produce a drug education booklet titled “Glan: Young Choices, Future Lives”. This booklet aims to raise awareness about drugs, their effects and what they are. It is a non-biased resource containing only accurate facts surrounding drugs. Due to the leaving certificate situation, the publication of this resource has been delayed but it will be launched before the end of my term.

WORK WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

I engaged with many stakeholders including the: NEPS (National Educational Psychological Service) on their return to school well-being plan, SThCe HIGOC (OInsLtitSut eI oNf G CuidOanVceI DCo-u1ns9ellors) on issues such as mental health support for students and the CAO process. Active* Consent as described above.

NSE/ROB BONDING NIGHTS

I aimed this year to help create a positive internal working environment for all officers in the union. In this spirit, I planned a series of bonding nights with the 2019-20 Regional Officers and NSE. I then worked alongside the Welfare Team to host bonding nights with the 2020-21 Regional Officers and NSE. EQUALITY OFFICER

S A O I R S E E X T O N

The role of the Equality Officer is broad and often difficult to navigate, but this year the projects were streamlined into a plethora of diverse ideas and campaigns. The Equality Officer worked in collaboration with other NSE officers to further an atmosphere of equity and unity. The projects worked on this year ranged from Accessibility and Disability issues to resources and information on the Black Lives Matter movement and how to combat xenophobia.

ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES

In February 2021, the Equality Officer wrote Internal Accessibility Guidelines that operate as recommendations on digital engagement to ensure that the union is as equitable as possible. The document was passed by the NSE, as well as an abbreviated version being created for the Annual Assembly Election Campaigns.

VOTE AT SIXTEEN SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 This year, the Equality Officer worked in conjunction with the Leas-Uachtarán to set up the Vote at Sixteen Working Group. The purpose of the Working Group was to have a structure dedicated specifically to advocating for the voting age to be lowered to 16. The Equality Officer attended meetings with various stakeholders, as well as assisting the Leas-Uachtarán and Working Group in general.

BLM RESOURCES

At the beginning of the 2020-21 term, the Equality Officer worked in conjunction with the rest of the NSE to create Black Lives Matter Resources. This document contained information about microaggressions, racist language and resources to combat xenophobia and racism. As well as that, the Equality Officer represented the union in INAR (Irish Network Against Racism) meetings, bringing the student perspective to the table. The Equality Officer also received training from Wheel.ie entitled “Diverse Leadership in our Sector”. EQUALITY OFFICER

S A O I R S E E X T O N

PERIOD POVERTY

The Equality Officer worked in conjunction with the Welfare Officer to advocate against period poverty. A working group was set up by the Welfare Officer to focus on the fight against period poverty, which the Equality Officer assisted in the running of. The Equality Officer liaised with key stakeholders and partner organisations, such as Anytime of the Month to ensure that the union was on the right track to achieving period equity for all.

SEXUAL HEALTH

The Equality Officer worked in conjunction with the Welfare Officer to spread awareness and advocate for adequate sexual health in the education system. Vital work was done alongside Active* Consent, where several officers reviewed the course that the organisation had put VtogOethTeEr f oAr TTra nSsiItiXonT YEeaEr sNtudents. As well as that, the Equality Officer represented the unSionC oHn OvarOiouLs Slo cIaNl a nCd OnaVtioInDal -m1e9dia outlets on several different occasions, talking about sexual health and Relationship and Sexual Education.

DISABILITY AT SCHOOL DURING COVID-19

This year was like no other, and therefore the Equality Officer liaised with various disability organisations to ensure that the union equitably represented the needs of students with disabilities. The organisations that the union received submissions from were ASD Ireland, Down Syndrome Ireland and Dyspraxia Ireland. Several officers also participated in the Epilepsy Day of Awareness in collaboration with Epilepsy Ireland. The Equality Officer also received ENABLE training from OBESSU. EQUALITY OFFICER

S A O I R S E E X T O N

DISABILITY OFFICER

At the Extraordinary Assembly, the Equality Officer proposed the creation of the Disability Officer. This new role was proposed, in order to have official representation for disabled students both internal and external to the union. The mandate of the officer centres around the Accessibility Guidelines, upholding the EU Web Accessibility Directive as well as upholding the values of Universal Design.

LGBT+ ISSUES AND GENDER EQUALITY

This year, the Equality Officer worked to educate and spread awareness on issues concerning the LGBT+ Community and gender equality. At Munster Skills Academy, the Equality Officer facilitated a discussion between a number of diverse panelists from VorgOanTisaEti oAnsT su SchI aXs BTeElonEgNTo and TENI (Transgender Equality Network of Ireland). As well as SthCatH, tOhe OEqLuaSli tyI NOf fCiceOr, ValoInDgs-i1de9 the Communications and Oifigeach na Gaeilge represented ISSU at the UCC Queer Conference. Alongside the Uachtarán Oinigh, the Equality Officer represented ISSU at NWCI (National Women’s Council of Ireland) network meetings and consultations. The Equality Officer also represented the union on local and national media in conversations surrounding gender neutral bathrooms and holding students to equal standards when it comes to uniforms regardless of their genders. Finally, the Equality Officer created the internal LGBT+ Network, intended to create a community of unity and empathy between members of the LGBT+ Community and Allies.

TRAVELLING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The Equality Officer got in contact with the Travelling Community youth engagement organisation Involve. The union contains no active members of the Travelling Community, and the Equality Officer is working to ensure that this is a priority going forward. EQUALITY OFFICER

S A O I R S E E X T O N

DISABILITY OFFICER

LGBT+ ISSUES AND GENDER EQUALITY

TRAVELLING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Y V O N N E F A R R E L L

Work carried out by the International Officer Yvonne Farrell this past year are as follows:

INTERNATIONAL PROCEDURE DOCUMENT

Over the last few months an Internal International Procedure Document was created by the International Officer. This document outlines the process of how international opportunities will be delegated within ISSU. It was passed by the NSE. It ensures that opportunities are divided out equally and to appropriate applicants.

RELIGION WORKING GROUP

The International Officer invited the Leas- Uachtarán to work on a project around making schools more welcoming for all religions. The Religion Working Group discusses how to make the Religious Curriculum more inclusive in schools. VOTE AT SIXTEEN SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 SCHOOLS OF SANCTUARY

In collaboration with Regional Officer Adam Lambe from the Cavan/ Monaghan Region, a project was formed in partnership with the Schools of Sanctuary Initiative. Training was held for Regional Officers and a follow up training is to be held over the Summer to begin the programme in the new school year.

OBESSU ENGAGEMENT

Throughout the year the International Officer has regularly communicated and worked with OBESSU. This includes attending statutory events and bringing back opportunities to the NSE and ROB. The International Officer has collaborated with other student unions such as SSUNI and CSU throughout her term. INTERNATIONAL OFFICER

Y V O N N E F A R R E L L

SDG WEEK

In collaboration with the Sustainability Officer, a Working Group was formed to promote the Sustainable Development Goals. An online campaign was organised by these two officers.

OBESSU EDUCATION REFORM WORKING GROUP

Early this year the International Officer was elected onto the OBESSU Education Reform Working Group. She worked closely with student representatives from across Europe to compare and contrast the different education systems in Europe.

EUROPEAN CHANGE MAKERS

This year the International Officer as well as other ISSU representatives were elected to become ECMA Multipliers. This project was organised by OBESSU and will continue on into VOTE AT SIXTEEN theS foClloHwOingO yeLarS. I t IaNim sC toO teVachI Dyo-u1ng9 people activism skills and allows students to work together on a national and international level

OBESSU POOL OF TRAINERS

The OBESSU Pool of Trainers initiative invites young people from across Europe to be facilitators in OBESSU. The International Officer was elected this year into this role and she follows many other past ISSU representatives to do so. In the upcoming few years she will be hosting events and workshops for OBESSU. INTERNATIONAL OFFICER

Y V O N N E F A R R E L L

FOREIGN MINISTERS FOR EDUCATION

When the Leaving Cert Results date was postponed last year, the International Officer reached out to the Departments of Education and/or Irish Embassies in countries where a lot of Irish students go to. ISSU made contact with them to ensure that Irish students would not be disadvantaged in the admissions process as their results were coming out later. The results were very positive and all respondents said that they were aware of the moved results date and were making accommodations for Irish students.

OBESSU GRANTS

Last summer OBESSU advertised microgrants for member unions. The International Officer helped three NSE Officers apply for these grants. Two were successful. The International Officer oversaw the implementation of these grants. VOTE AT SIXTEEN ISSSCUH IONOTLESR NINA TCIOOVNIADL-1 R9EPRESENTATION

Following on from the creation of the International Procedure Document, the International Officer has worked all year to get as many ISSU representatives on OBESSU and International Working Groups. With the growth of the union it has been vitally important to this officer to get as many Irish students representing ISSU abroad as possible.

OTHER WORK

The International Officer has done numerous media work over the year eg. Drive Time and Prime Time. She also helped organise or facilitated Skills Academy, Annual Assembly, the Town Hall Events and the Kildare Regional Council. COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

E M E R N E V I L L E

This year, I focused the Communications role on creating ‘brand ISSU’, a more accessible, consistent union for students. This was done by creating the unions first brand guidelines document, the first media policy document and ensuring the union was successful in its transition to becoming a bilingual union, amongst other things.

It was important that we opened up the union and created a space where anyone could get involved. It is vital that we keep students connected and we did this by enhancing the way we use our social media platforms.

BRAND DOC & MEDIA POLICY

At the start of my term, I wrote the unions first brand guidelines policy (found here) to reference the rest of my work from. These guidelines include the brand colours, logo use and preferred fonts to ensure a consistent, professional look on our social media. I followed this bVy OwrTitiEng AtheT M SedIiXa PToElicEy dNocument which is followed to ensure that we are accurately utiSlisCingH ouOr sOocLiaSl m eIdNia tCo cOonVneIcDt w-i1th 9students.

WEBSITE AND TRANSLATIONS

I overhauled the ISSU website (found here) to ensure that it was not only visually appealing and in-line with the brand guidelines but more accessible for students. As the ISSU is a bilingual union, the Oifigeach na Gaeilge translated the website so that there is now an option to access the website and resources entirely as Gaeilge. The new website was lOauTncHheEd oRn SWepOtemRbKer 18th in time for the return to school.

DESIGN

As communications officer, it was my responsibility to liaise with the other officers in the design process of their various campaigns and documentation. COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

E M E R N E V I L L E

I worked on various projects such as the ‘How’s Your Head?’ mental health manual with Donegal Regional Officer, India Kennedy, the ‘Student Councils During Covid-19’ guide with Student Council Support Officer, Tara Toye, the ‘ISSU Report on the 2021 State Examinations and Return to School’, and the design of the iConnect Card to name a few.

POSTERS AND UNION VISIBILITY

This year due to Covid-19, the ISSU unfortunately couldn’t hold any event in person. I didn’t want to let this stop us from opening the union up to more students, so I brought the union to them. I designed ISSU posters for schools to assist students in learning about the union without having to attend any events, all which are available on our website in English and trí Ghaeilge.

ISSU IT VIDEOS VOTE AT SIXTEEN WhSenC sHtudOenOtsL wSen tI Nint oC thOe VseIcoDnd- 1ro9und of online schooling, I worked with Regional Officers and the communications team to create a series of online video tutorials for students to assist them with their online education.

EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS

Throughout my term, I worked with a number of external organisations on behalf of second- level students. Listed below are the organisations I worked with. Examcraft Journals Department of Health Active* Consent Global Student Forum Univeristy College Cork Queer Conference Ombudsman for Children Teaching Council of Ireland Comhairle na nÓg Department of Education & Skills Foróige COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

E M E R N E V I L L E

MEDIA

As a Leaving Certificate student on the NSE, I did a number of interviews with various news outlets, radio stations and television stations in the midst of the Leaving Cert fiasco. I worked with the Irish Times, RTÉ PrimeTime, RTÉ Radio One, Virgin Media News and Raidió na Gaeltachta to name a few.

VOTE AT SIXTEEN SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 OIFIGEACH NA GAEILGE

K A T I E H A L P I N - H I L L

An rud is tábhachtaí domsa agus mé ag tosnú mar Oifigeach ná go n-aithnítear an Ghaeilge agus ról na Gaeilge san Aontas sna blianta atá romhainn. Bhí gá le ról an Oifigigh a neartú agus a soléiriú. Chun é seo a bhaint amach, scríobh mé scéim teanga don Aontas agus chinntigh mé go raibh córas aistriúcháin buan agus leantach ann i dtaobh na meáin shóisialta chomh maith le h-acmhainní do dhaltaí agus a gcomhairle. Dheineas tionscnaimh ar bhonn sheachtrach chomh maith, cosúil le Traenáil na nOifigeach le Conradh na Gaeilge agus ionadaíocht a dhéanamh ar dhaltaí ar chúrsaí oideachaise na Gaeilge, go háirithe maidir leis an dréacht-shonraíocht T1&T2 a fhoilsíodh i rith mo théarma.

My focus as Oifigeach na Gaeilge this year was the consolidation of the role of the Irish language in the union. This included writing the union’s first language scheme, as well as smaller initiatives such as committing to regular translation of posts and resources throughout the year. This was done in addition to work regarding Irish language educational policy, such as the Senior Cycle specifications that were published during my term, and other projects such as training days for Gaelscoil students, the establishment of Grúpa Oibre na Gaeilge and VOTE AT SIXTEEN geSneCralH NSOE wOoLrk.S IN COVID-19 SCÉIM TEANGA AN AONTAIS / THE IRISH LANGUAGE SCHEME

Ba í Scéim Teanga an Aontais an chéad scéim teanga a scríobhadh agus a chuireadh i bhfeidhm san Aontas. Cinnteoidh sí leanúnachas in obair na n-Oifigeach Gaeilge as seo amach, chomh maith le tábhacht agus obair na teanga a aithniú agus a leanúint.

Scéim Teanga an Aontais was the first language scheme ever written and implemented in the ISSU. It will ensure longevity and continuity in the work of the Oifigeach Gaeilge, as well as ensuring that the importance and work regarding the Irish language itself is recognised and continued by future officers. OIFIGEACH NA GAEILGE

K A T I E H A L P I N - H I L L

GRÚPA OIBRE NA GAEILGE

Bunaíodh Grúpa Oibre na Gaeilge ag tús an téarma leis an bpríomh-aidhm acu cabhair agus comhairle a thabhairt don Oifigeach Gaeilge i rith na bliana ó thaobh aistriúchán, polasaí oideachais agus feachtais. Dhírigh an grúpa ar an aistriúchán, go h-áirithe aistriúchán a bhain le h-acmhainní do dhaltaí cosúil leis na treoirlínte a leanadh nuair a athoscail na scoileanna ina dhiaidh an Nollag. An chéad ghrúpa riamh a stúiríodh go h-iomláin trí Ghaeilge san Aontas a bhí ann! Is féidir an obair a dhein an grúpa a léamh anseo.

Grúpa Oibre na Gaeilge was set up by the Oifigeach Gaeilge at the beginning of the year to provide assistance to the officer regarding campaigns, policy and translation. The group primarily focused on translation of student resources, with key graphics and documents translated such as the safety guidelines given on the return of the schools. The Grúpa was the very first working group in the Union to be completely run through the medium of Irish! You cVanO seTe Eth eA wTork S coImXpTletEedE bNy the Grúpa Oibre here. SCHOOLS IN COVID-19

AISTRIÚCHÁIN / TRANSLATION

Cuireadh an-chuid béime ar an aistriúchán i mbliana mar nach raibh acmhainní an aontais ar fáil as Gaeilge go dtí seo. I measc cáipéisí eile, d’aistrigh mé suíomh idirlín nua an Aontais, téacs dos na meáin shóisialta, cúrsaí teagmhála do ghaelcholáistí, póstaeirí comhionannais / meabhair shláinte srl.

There was a need to emphasise the importance of translation surrounding the documents and resources of the union. I translated the new ISSU website to Irish, alongside all outreach and correspondence with Gaelcholáistí, resources such as equality / mental health posters and I ensured that the union has an increased social media presence as Gaeilge. OIFIGEACH NA GAEILGE

K A T I E H A L P I N - H I L L

TRAENÁIL NA N-OIFIGEACH

I mí na Samhna, eagraíodh Traenáil na nOifigeach i gcomhpháirt le Conradh na Gaeilge, ag mealladh 72 daltaíar fud na tíre scileanna nua a fhoghlaim maidir le cur chun cinn na Gaeilge. Bhí ceardlanna ann ar nós abhchóideachta na Gaeilge, postanna Gaeilge, cúrsaí oideachais agus an Gaelscolaíocht.

Traenáil na nOifigeach was held virtually in November. It brought 72 attendees together online from around the country to gain new skills to empower them to take action as Gaeilge advocates in their own schools. Workshops ranged from general introductions to Gaeilge activism, to career and professions as Gaeilge to Gaeilge educational policy and Gaeloideachais.

AN T-AONAD UM OIDEACHAIS GAELTACHTA / TVHOET EG AET LSTIXATCEHETN EDUCATION UNIT SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 Shuígh an t-Oifigeach Gaeilge ar an gCoiste Comhairleach den Aonad um Oideachais Gaeltachta faoin Roinn Oideachais. Is féidir níos mó eolais a fháilt faoin Aonad anseo.

The Oifigeach Gaeilge sat on the Advisory Committee for the Gaeltacht Education Unit in the Department of Education. More information about this unit can be found here.

CONRADH NA GAEILGE

Polasaí Oideachais: Bhí ADIÉ mar bhall de ghrúpa oibre curtha le chéile ag Conradh na Gaeilge le h-obair a dhéanamh ar pholasaí oideachais. Mar chuid den obair seo, bhí an Aontas páirteach in abhchóideacht chun síneadh ama a chur leis an bproiséis chomhairliúcháin ar dhréacht-shonraíocht Gaeilge na hArdteiste. OIFIGEACH NA GAEILGE

K A T I E H A L P I N - H I L L

Tionscnaimh Eile: Bhí an Aontas páirteach san bhfeachtas #AireSinearachAnois, a chur an gá le h-Aire Sinsearach don Ghaeltacht chun cinn. Bhí an Aontas páirteach sa tionscnamh ‘Gaeltacht X’, suíomh Instagram curtha le chéile ag Conradh na Gaeilge chun coláiste samhraidh ar líne a chur ar fáil.

Educational Policy: The ISSU worked with Conradh na Gaeilge in order to advocate for an extension to the consultation process regarding the draft specifications on Irish language education. The ISSU also sat on a working group established by Conradh na Gaeilge which included other education stakeholders and relevant Gaeilge organisations in order to lobby relevant bodies to extend the process. Other Projects: The union was involved in the #AireSinsearachAnois campaign which advocated for the establishment of a Senior Minister for the Gaeltacht and Gaeilge. VOThTe Eun iAonT w aSs IinXvoTlvEedE inN the ‘Gaeltacht X’ project, an initiative that aimed to recreate SsuCmHmeOr IrOishL coSll eIgNes oCnlOineV duIrDing- 1the9 pandemic.

SUSI GRANTS ANNUAL ADVISORY GROUP MEETING

Bhíos mar ionadaí ar chruinniú an Choiste Comhairleach SUSI. I attended the annual SUSI Grants Annual Advisory Group meeting with President Reuban Murray.

UNION OF STUDENTS IN IRELAND / AONTAS NA MAC LÉINN IN ÉIRINN

Comhoibrigh mé le h-AMLÉ ar aighneacht ar leasú scéime SUSI don Roinn Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais. Chuir an aighneacht seo béim ar an tábhacht a bhaineann leis an leasú agus nithe na scéime gur féidir feabhas a chur leo. Labhair mé ag Tuairisc AMLÉ ar Mhúineadh na Gaeilge. Is féidir an tuairisc a léamh anseo. OIFIGEACH NA GAEILGE

K A T I E H A L P I N - H I L L

I led a collaboration between the ISSU and USI on a joint submission on the reform of SUSI to the Department of Further and Higher Education. This submission emphasised the importance of making significant changes to the SUSI grant to ensure that it is accessible to all. I spoke at the launch of the USI Report on the Teaching of Irish. This report can be found here.

EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS / NSE COLLABORATION AND PROJECTS

D’oibrigh mé le h-eagraíochtaí eile i rith mo théarma: i measc na h-oibre seo, d’oibrigh mé le Examcraft, Active* Consent, an Coiste Chomhairleach don deontas SUSI, Comhdháil Aerach UCC agus Education Futures.

During my term, I worked on projects with external organisations such as Examcraft Journals, Active* Consent , the SUSI Advisory Group, UCC Queer Conference and Education Futures.

VTaoObhT Eam uAigTh SdeInX GThaEeiElgeN, d’oibrigh mé leis an gCoiste Gnó ar thionscnaimh agus imeSaCchtHaí Oa OreaLchStá iIl, Nco sCúiOl leVis IaDn -g1Co9mhdháil Éigeandála agus Scoil na Scileanna inar eagraigh mé ceardlann bainteach leis an nGaeilge le Conradh na Gaeilge. Bhíos páirteach in SobUairS uIllm GhúRchAáiNn aTguSs aAn pNroNiséUasA chLom AhaDirlViúcIhSáinO dRonY A rGdteRisOt agU dPul aMr aEghEaiTdhI, NchGomh maith le h-athoscailt na scoileanna. Bhíos páirteach i ngrúpaí oibre éagsúla, cosúil leis an ngrúpa oibre a bhí ag plé leis an mbunreacht.

Outside of Irish language advocacy, I worked with the NSE on various projects and on the organisation of our national events, such as the Extraordinary Assembly and Skills Academy in which I organised a workshop based around Gaeilge activism with Conradh na Gaeilge. I was involved in the NSE discussions and preparations during the Leaving Certificate 2021 discussions involving the State Exams and the reopening of schools. I was involved in different internal working groups, including the Constitutional Review working group which worked in tandem with the NSE to successfully propose the new constitution of the union. OIFIGEACH NA GAEILGE

K A T I E H A L P I N - H I L L

NA MEÁIN / MEDIA

Labhair mé ar son ADIÉ leis na meáin Gaelacha i rith mo théarma - ina measc: TG4, Nuacht RTÉ, Raidio na Gaeltachta, The Irish Examiner, The Irish Times & Morning Ireland.

I represented students and the ISSU on Irish-language and other media - including but not limited to TG4, Nuacht RTÉ, Raidió na Gaeltachta, The Examiner, The Irish TImes, Morning Ireland.

VOTE AT SIXTEEN SCHOOLS IN COVID-19

SUSI GRANTS ANNUAL ADVISORY GROUP MEETING SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER

B E T H D O H E R T Y

OVERVIEW

This was the first full-term of the Sustainability Officer role and as such a lot of the work focused on defining the role and sustainability within the Union as a whole. Key areas of focus included: consultation with students to build a clear mandate from members, working on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), building relationships with other stakeholders, and creating platforms for students to meet with decision-makers and have their voices heard.

DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTATION

The ISSU Digital Sustainability Consultation was held on August 15th 2020 and gathered 40 participants from all over the country to virtually discuss the challenges and solutions to deliver for students regarding all 17 SDGs. VOTE AT SIXTEEN ThSe CdaHy cOonOsisLteSd oIfN a pCanOelV wIitDh -sp1ea9kers from a variety of perspectives, followed by workshops for participants surrounding activism and advocacy. Participants then broke into SdisUcuSssIio Gn gRroAupNs loToSkin Ag aNt tNhe UkeAy cLha AllenDgeVs IsuSrrOouRndYin gG thReirO arUeaP of MsusEtaEinaTbiIliNty,G and the solutions that can be implemented by the ISSU. In total, the 5 discussion groups produced 108 action points that will work to provide a framework for the work of Sustainability Officers in the Union. The full report of the Consultation can be found here.

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY GROUP

From October 2020, the ISSU was represented in the Department of Education Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Consultation Advisory Group. The Advisory Group focuses on developing the Department of Education’s Strategy for ESD for 2021-2030. This strategy will drive how education on sustainability and student empowerment is incorporated into education at all levels for the next 10 years. SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER

B E T H D O H E R T Y

In the Advisory Group, ISSU raised the importance of student voice in the formation and implementation of the strategy, the need for a skills-based approach, and the need for intersectionality in the strategy. The ISSU’s recommendations and input were included in the final paper sent out for consultation in April 2021.

The ISSU was invited to a subgroup of the Advisory Group to shape the consultation process of the strategy to ensure effective student consultation, and designed the survey sent to schools for student input.

The ISSU also built relationships with the various other stakeholders on the Advisory Group. The consultation process for the Strategy will run until September of this year, and representative consultation of students is now included as a key priority as a result of ISSU’s advocacy.

ESD FOCUS GROUP - AN TAISCE VOTE AT SIXTEEN ThSe ECSDH FOocOus LGrSou IpN, as CdisOcuVssIeDd i-n1 m9ore depth in the Working Group report, worked on the first reform of the Green Schools programme with An Taisce, outlining key priority areas SforU chSanIg Ge sRucAh aNs sTtuSde Ant NemNpoUweArmLen tA, aDndV prIoSpoOsaRls Yfor GrefRormO oUf tPhe pMroEgrEamTmIeN. G

DEBATE YOUR DECISION MAKERS

In September 2020, the ISSU formed a Working Group of 25 students and Regional Officers to organise a series of events in which students could meet directly with their decision-makers (councillors, TDs, MEPs etc) to develop and debate solutions for all areas of sustainability. The WG was split into 6 regions- Connacht, Cork, Dublin, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. Initially, the events were intended to take place as 6 separate events in February 2021 however due to the Leaving and Junior Certificate advocacy work being done by the Union at this time, the decision was taken to merge the events into a two-day national event that took place on the 8th-9th April 2021. The outcomes of the event can be found in the WG report. SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER

B E T H D O H E R T Y

STUDENT COUNCIL RESOURCE

In progress, see ESD WG report.

SDG ACTION WEEK

SDG Action Week took place from September 20th to 30th 2020. As part of the week, the ISSU formed an internal Working Group with the Sustainability Officer, International Officer and four Regional Officers. The ISSU sent out a guide to the 17 SDGs to all Member Schools, along with advice and suggestions for actions students can take in their schools, communities and nationally to create change surrounding each of the SDGs. Summaries of several SDGs were also posted to the ISSU social media accounts throughout the week.

CLIMATE ACTION BILL AND JOCCA PRE- VLEOGTIES LAATT SIIVXET ESECNRUTINY REPORT SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 In January 2021, the ISSU reached out to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action (JOCCA) regarding the proposed Climate Action Bill undergoing Pre-Legislative Scrutiny SUSI GRANTS ANNUAL ADVISORY GROUP MEETING with the Committee and raised the importance of student voice in this process. The ISSU was then invited to make a submission of thoughts regarding the Committee’s input on the Bill aDndE dBidA soT iEn cYonOsuUltaRtio nD wEithC RIeSgiIoOnalN O ffMiceArs,K mEemRbeSrs of Fridays for Future, and with regard to the Digital Sustainability Consultation Report. The submission was sent to the JOCCA on Tuesday 9th February 2021.

CLIMATE ACTION SHORT COURSE

The Sustainability Officer worked with the developers of the Junior Cycle Climate Action Short Course, integrating the ISSU as a supporting organisation and providing feedback on the course as well as organising meetings with the developers, Fridays For Future and SCAN. This is discussed in more depth in the ESD WG report. SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER

B E T H D O H E R T Y

RELATIONSHIPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS

This term, the role of the Sustainability Officer was further defined, and relationships were built with key stakeholders such as An Taisce, SEAI, ECO-UNESCO, UNICEF, FFF, the Department of Education, Worldwise Schools, NYCI and others.

NSE COLLABORATION

Throughout the term, the Sustainability Officer provided team support and help where necessary.

The Sustainability Officer was a member of the Constitutional Reform Working Group, and aided in reforming the previous Constitution. The Sustainability Officer aided in the organisation of Skills Academy 2020. VOThTe SEu sAtaiTna bSiliItyX OTffiEceEr aNided in coordinating the January 2021 ‘State Examinations and SReCtuHrn Oto OScLhoSol ’ IsNurv eCy OwhVichI Drea-c1he9d 25,000 students, and in preparing the Return to School section of the report. SUThSe IS uGstRainAabNilitTy SOf fiAceNr aNideUd Ain Lco oArdDinaVtinIgS tOheR crYea tGionR oOf thUe POn MlineE LEeaTrnIinNg GHub during January 2020 school closures. DEBATE YOUR DECISION MAKERS

CLIMATE ACTION SHORT COURSE UACHTARÁN OINIGH

C I A R A F A N N I N G

The role of Honorary President is to work in an advisory capacity with the NSE, impart knowledge and expertise from the previous NSE term and guide the NSE into their roles.

HANDOVER & ADVISORY CAPACITY

As such, I led the handover process for the new NSE and their induction into their new roles, ensuring a smooth transition from one NSE to the next. Throughout the term I acted as an advisory figure for any questions officers may have and provided input from my previous experience on past NSE terms.

CONSTITUTION

This term, the work that began in 2019/20 on the ISSU Constitution was continued, led by the Honorary President with input from the NSE and ROB. A new Constitution was written to clarify procedures and internal regulations of the ISSU, and to reflect the realities of its aim, pVuOrpoTseE a nAd Tca pSaIbXilitTiesE. TEhNis was finalised when it was proposed to membership at the SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 Extraordinary Assembly, and passed by a majority vote.

ISNUTSEI RGNRAALN WTSO ARNKNINUGA LG RAODUVPISSO RY GROUP MEETING

I was a member of the Period Products working group and met with Anytime of the Month and politicians working on the Period Products Bill. I was a member of the Student Rights in the Workplace working group, which worked with ICTU to develop resources to inform students about their rights in the workplace. UACHTARÁN OINIGH

C I A R A F A N N I N G

EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION

ISSU nominated me to sit as a member of the NYCI Policy and Advocacy Committee and I was elected to the Board of NYCI. I worked with the NWCI on their women’s mental health campaign, advising about their dissemination of information regarding the campaign. I also met with NWCI regarding the challenges facing young women with regard to leadership. I attended a workshop with Active Consent.

VOTE AT SIXTEEN SCHOOLS IN COVID-19

SUSI GRANTS ANNUAL ADVISORY GROUP MEETING WORKING GROUPS

G r ú p a í O i b r e

Period Poverty Working Group Welfare Team Equality Team Education Working Group Grúpa Oibre na Gaeilge / Irish Language Working Group Dabate Your Decision-Makers Working Group Vote at Sixteen Working Group Religion Working Group Education for Sustainable Development Working Group WORKING GROUPS

P E R I O D P R O D U C T S W O R K I N G G R O U P

MEMBERSHIP

Aisling Dillon Ellen Quigley Hannah Joung Kate Coll Lynne Gavin Racheal Diyaolu Ríona Nolan Saoirse Exton Ciara Fanning

OVERVIEW

The Period Products Working Group was formed at the beginning of the NSE term by the Welfare Officer. As a group, they have worked together through the term to steer the unions work on period products and period poverty. The group have met with key stakeholders and organisations such as BeLonG To, Anytime of the Month and The Homeless Period Ireland. They have also met with TD’s and Senators, such as Sen. Rebecca Moynihan and Sen. Annie Hoey to aid in the lobbying process to get the Period Products (free provision) Bill passed. The working group has also created a survey that is to be launched nationwide on the 10th of May. This will survey not only students, but teachers and parents as well. The data collected from this survey will then be collated into a report and presented to the VOGoTveErn mAeTnt aSndIX usTedE aEs aN key lobbying tool for the Union moving forward. WORKING GROUPS

W E L F A R E T E A M

MEMBERSHIP

Anna Keyes Ben Connoly Niamh Carolan Suzy Alim Chloe Anderson

OVERVIEW

This year, the Welfare Officer formed the unions first ever Welfare Team. This was a group of 5 Regional Officers, selected after an application and respective interview process. The Welfare Team has worked alongside the Welfare Officer since their formation on projects such as Inclusivity Training, NSE and ROB Bonding, ISSU Oireachtas Submission, Mental Health Resources, Stakeholder Meetings and the drafting of the Unions first ever Welfare Policy.

VOTE AT SIXTEEN WORKING GROUPS

E Q U A L I T Y T E A M

MEMBERSHIP

Evan Pereira Saskia Eiffe Florence Goodayle Ifunanya Chukwuewuzie Josh O’Dwyer Oisín Putt Suzane Alim

OVERVIEW

The Equality Team was set up by the Equality Officer in July of the 2020-21 term to provide assistance to the officer regarding campaigns, policy and the officer’s general remit. The group contained students from a diverse range of backgrounds, ensuring that discussions were held in intersectional ways. They discussed a variety of issues throughout the year from making sensory rooms available in all schools to changes to school policy and curriculum regarding racism. As well as that, they were in the process of planning for an Accessibility Focus Group and the Equality Consultation throughout the entirety of their term, although this was hindered due to Covid-19.

VOTE AT SIXTEEN WORKING GROUPS

E D U C A T I O N W O R K I N G G R O U P

OVERVIEW

Following an open call for members for an Education Working Group, 10 students were selected with different abilities and interests. The group had their first meeting in November and started working officially in January.

The purposes of this Education Working Group were the following; 1. To help the Education Officer with her duties 2. To work on Senior Cycle Reform

The group were very helpful to both the Education Officer and the organisation as a whole as they brought in an ‘outside’ perspective that differed greatly from that of the NSE and ROB during the Leaving Certificate 2021 negotiations. The bigger project that was undertaken was a Senior Cycle Reform project which would produce a Senior Cycle Report which would consist of:

1. National Survey in conjunction with the ESRI 2. Townhall Consultation with students 3. Consultation meetings with stakeholders/organisation/relevant bodies

SAMPLE POOL

Jack McGinn and Rob O’Donnell created a sample pool which consisted of 5th year students and 6th year students.This sample pool was to ensure representative data was VOreTceEive dA. TTh Sis ImXeTanEs EwNe had a representative amount of school based on their characteristics (DEIS, Fee-paying, All-boys, All-girls, Co-Ed, Location, etc). All schools surveyed were ISSU member schools. The selection process was overseen by the ESRI. 50 member schools invited to take part, 39 took part, 32 in the final report. There were not enough responses from 7 schools that took part and therefore their data was not included in the report. WORKING GROUPS

E D U C A T I O N W O R K I N G G R O U P

CONSULTATION

FIrish Guidance Counsellors Ben Murray from National Council of Curriculum and Assessment Cork Chambers of Commerce Dr. Áine Hyland Dr. Alice Feldman Irish Guidance Counsellors The Ludgate Hub Skibbereen National Centre for the Blind of Ireland National Council of Special Education National Student Executive (NSE) - ISSU Regional Officer Body (ROB) - ISSU

SURVEY CREATION AND PROMOTION

(All with guidance from Economic and Social Research Institute) The Survey was divided into 5 sections 1. Curriculum 2. Assessment 3. Wellbeing 4. Equality 5. Subject Specific

VOQuTesEtio AnsT w eSreI XwrTittEenE aNnd distributed for feedback from the ROB, NSE, and various organisational groups. Questions were revised and edited many times to ensure they were unbiased, not leading, and easy to understand. The ESRI gave their professional input to the layout and format of the survey. The survey was put into survey monkey. WORKING GROUPS

E D U C A T I O N W O R K I N G G R O U P

The survey was launched to 39 schools, schools were given about 10 days for completion. Completion of the survey was coordinated by members of the ROB, NSE, and Education WG within schools The Survey closed on Sunday night (29th of March) and analysis began.

TOWNHALL AT EXTRAORDINARY ASSEMBLY

(The townhall event took place on Wednesday the 31st of March 2021 from 1:50- 2:50. The facilitators met with over 100 secondary school students. There were both Junior and Senior cycle students. The questions were based on survey topics e.g the curriculum, the examination process, mental health and wellbeing in schools, equality within education. The students were given the chance to talk about the problems with the Senior Cycle system whilst also suggesting solutions. Notes were taken and the data gathered was included in the report.

REPORT

The data from the survey, the town hall consultation and information from the meetings with the relevant groups was included in the report. There was a detailed run of the analysis on the data, and a significant amount of time cross referencing and making graphs. Following this, the data and analysis was written up in the report. VOFinTaElly tAheT In pSuIt Xof TprEojeEctNs from NSE, ROB and WG Members were added to their relevant section. WORKING GROUPS

E D U C A T I O N W O R K I N G G R O U P

SENIOR CYCLE REFORM SYMPOSIUM

The Senior Cycle Reform Symposium took place on April 7th, 11am-12:30. This aim of this event was to launch the Report and open a discussion around Senior Cycle Reform and its importance. The event was mainly aimed at Education Spokespeople, the Department of Education and Education Stakeholders, students, parents and teachers were also in attendance. A 7 minute student voice video was shown of students answering the question ‘Why is Senior Cycle Reform Important to me?’ (this is now available on the ISSU Youtube). The hosts of the event were Courtney Chambers and Grace O’Duffy There was a Facilitated Input Session hosted by Jack McGinn, Sofia Rea and Max Fulham. This opened the floor and led to a powerful discussion between politicians, stakeholders and students. The Questions used for this session were the following: What do you feel is the most pressing issue that needs to be addressed as part of Senior Cycle Reform? What do you believe the purpose of the Senior Cycle should be? What does a reformed Senior Cycle look like to you? What can you do to bring Senior Cycle Reform around faster? The Report was launched by former Minister of Education, Ruairí Quinn

EDUCATION WORKING GROUP MEMBERS:

VOCoTurEtn eAy CTh aSmIbXersT E E N M ax Fulham Eva McDonnell Mohammad Naeem Grace O’Duffy Sofia Rea Hannah Joung Lorianné O’Rourke Jack McGinn Katie McArdle WORKING GROUPS

G R Ú P A O I B R E N A G A E I L G E / I R I S H L A N G U A G E W O R K I N G G R O U P

ACHOIMRE / OVERVIEW

Bunaíodh Grúpa Oibre na Gaeilge ag tús an téarma leis an bpríomh-aidhm acu cabhair agus comhairle a thabhairt don Oifigeach Gaeilge i rith na bliana ó thaobh aistriúcháin, polasaí oideachas agus feachtais. Dhírigh an grúpa ar an aistriúchán, go h-áirithe aistriúchán a bhain le h-acmhainní do dhaltaí. An chéad ghrúpa riamh a stúiríodh go h-iomláin trí Ghaeilge san Aontas a bhí ann.

CONAS ATÁ D'INTINN?

D’aistrigh an grúpa an lámhleabhair a bhaineann leis an meabhair shláinte a scríobhadh ag tús na bliana agus mar sin, bhí sé ar fáil do ghaelcholáistí ar fud na tíre.

The working group translated the Mental Health Manual ‘How’s Your Head?’ to ensure that it was available to students in Irish-medium education.

AISTRIÚCHÁIN VOTE AT SIXTEEN

Chabhraigh an grúpa le h-aistriúcháin ginireálta, go h-áirithe i dtaobh na meáin shóisialta agus acmhainní i dtaobh meabhair shláinte, sábhailteachas i rith na paindéime agus comhairle na ndaltaí. WORKING GROUPS

G R Ú P A O I B R E N A G A E I L G E / I R I S H L A N G U A G E W O R K I N G G R O U P

The working group aided the Oifigeach Gaeilge in general translation, especially regarding the social media and resources surrounding mental health, student councils and public health advice during the pandemic and the return to schools.

I DO THUAIRIM

Dhearaigh an grúpa suirbhé do dhaltaí Gaelscoile, ag lorg tuairimí uathu faoin ngaelscolaíocht agus na h-acmhainní atá ar fáil dóibh i dtaobh leabhair scoile, acmhainní foghlama srl.

The working group designed a survey for Gaelscoil students regarding Irish-medium education and the resources (such as school-books and learning resources) available to them in Irish. While this project was not completed due to time constraints, it has been included to acknowledge the hard work of members of the group in laying the groundwork for the next Oifigeach Gaeilge on this project. CONAS ATÁ D'INTINN?

BALLRAÍOCHT / MEMBERSHIP

Andy Muldowney Aoife O’Dea Ben Connolly Jake Fitzgerald James Ó Muirithe AISTRIÚCHÁIN VOJeTssEica ADuTnn Se IXTEEN Joe Bosonnet Meg Foley Rhiannon Nic Ghabhann WORKING GROUPS

D E B A T E Y O U R D E C I S I O N - M A K E R S W O R K I N G G R O U P

OVERVIEW

The Debate Your Decision Makers Working Group was formed in October 2020 by the Sustainability Officer to organise several regional events across the country. The aim of these events was to provide a platform for students to discuss sustainability, develop solutions and meet directly with their local, national and European decision-makers and representatives. The initial premise was 6 separate events organised by the 6 sub-groups: Connacht, Cork, Dublin, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. However, as the COVID-19 situation evolved, the WG decided to merge into a two-day national event taking place from April 8th-9th using Discord and Zoom as its digital platforms. The event consisted of national events with all participants, as well as regional-specific events.

THE EVENT

ThSe WCoHrkiOngO GrLouSp wIaNs f oCrmOedV inI NDo-ve1m9ber 2020. Since it was formed, it has worked under four areas of focus: WDeObaRteK & Messaging Media Coalition Building Lobbying

National sessions Opening session: the event opened with a virtual address from Grace O’Sullivan MEP, VOfolTloEwe dA bTy thSeI IXrishT UENE YoNuth Delegates. Workshops: Two workshops were delivered to participants UNICEF and FFF partnered to deliver a general introduction to activism and its core principles The ISSU trainers delivered a training in building strategy for creating change WORKING GROUPS

D E B A T E Y O U R D E C I S I O N - M A K E R S W O R K I N G G R O U P

Inter-party panel: The second day of the event began with a discussion panel with representatives from all major parties to discuss climate action and how they will deliver change. A recording of the session can be viewed here. Closing session: The event finished with a closing session in which participants from all regional groups presented what they had discussed over the last two days, coming together to share ideas and bring the event to an end.

Connacht-Munster Participants started with icebreakers and then moved on to identify issues they saw with United Nations SDGs 4 & 5 Education and Equality. Participants then began to create solutions to these issues. On day 2; participants began in the Connacht/Munster session by completing their solutions and ensuring everyone had a role during the presentation to decision-makers. The Connacht/Munster Region were delighted to be joined by Minister for State, Anne Rabbitte, Deputy Rose Conway Walsh, TD, Cllr Susan Gallagher and Cllr Declan Burgess. The decision-makers interacted with students on their issues and spoke about how theSseC isHsuOes OcoLuldS b Ie Ntac CkleOd. VAftIeDr s-tu1d9ents met with decision makers, they enjoyed some time chatting with each other and playing fun quizzes.

Cork Day 1 of the Cork event focused on both issues and solutions for their SDGs throughout the day, with an emphasis on solutions as well as teambuilding and forming connections through the digital space. On day two, the group met with decision makers and reflected on these discussions. The day ended with an opportunity for participants to network. Following the event, the Cork regional group was invited to meet with the Just Transition Greens to discuss their proposals further. WORKING GROUPS

D E B A T E Y O U R D E C I S I O N - M A K E R S W O R K I N G G R O U P

Dublin Dublin began with opportunities for participants to get to know each other, followed by brainstorming the key issues surrounding their relevant SDGs. This was followed by a World Cafe in which participants fed into the work of other groups using Miro. On Day 2, the group focused on discussing solutions for the issues they discussed the previous day, and then met with councillors in collaboration with the Ulster group.

Leinster On the first day we began with some icebreakers and an introduction to sustainability delivered by Beth Doherty. After our morning break we were delighted to welcome our SDG’s panel who shared with our group the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals in their daily work. That afternoon we held a quiz on the SDG’s with a one 4 all voucher up for grabs. On the second day we started off again with some energisers and then delivered a presentation on “Sustainability in Schools”. After that we welcomed Beth Doherty back to SprCesHenOt oOn tLheS U INNCR CC ROepVortI Dan-d1 A9reas of Focus. That afternoon we welcomed Aoife Anderson, a member of An Taisce’s Climate Ambassador Programme. Ulster On the first day, we had icebreakers and team building activities in the Ulster room where participants were introduced to the SDGs in a ‘Rank the SDGs’ game. We had the UN Youth Delegates come back to do a personal workshop with us, which we enjoyed by all. After the break, An Taisce gave a presentation on their plan with transport and how to factor SDGs into the goal that you want to achieve. Then everyone went back to the main room to do a workshop. VOOnT dEay AtwTo, aSfteIrX thTe EpaErtyN spokesperson panel, we met in the Ulster room and reaped on the first day, played an icebreaker and started to brainstorm questions for the decision makers. Then we went into conversation with decision makers for 1 hour on the topic of Good Health & Wellbeing and Equality, and after the break we had a discussion with a MLA on Education and Climate Change. WORKING GROUPS

D E B A T E Y O U R D E C I S I O N - M A K E R S W O R K I N G G R O U P

Summary and Impact Overall, 70 students from around the country attended the event. 90% rated the national sessions as very good or excellent, for 57% of attendees this was their first ISSU event, and all participants answered yes (94%) or maybe (6%) to whether they would attend another ISSU event. The event has also aided in expanding the ISSU's mandate around action on the SDGs.

MEMBERSHIP

Cork Leinster Anna Keyes Chloe Anderson Cian Walsh Doireann Broderick Eva McDonnell Evan Pereira Theresa Rose Sebastian Matthew Colgan

Connacht Munster AoSifeC OH’DOea OLS IN COVIDGe-a1ró9id O'Donovan Dakpe Glavee Kacper Bogalecki Darragh Hopkins Sadhbh Clancy Órlaith Nugent

Paschal Walsh Ulster Adam Lambe

Dublin Alana Cahoon (SSUNI) Ben Connolly Colin Bracken VChOayaT SEm itAh T SIXTEEN Conor Gannon Jessica Dunne Faye Maniti Sarah Clarke James McKenny Thomas Eve Jamie McElwain Saskia Eiffe WORKING GROUPS

T H E V O T E A T S I X T E E N W O R K I N G G R O U P

OVERVIEW

The Vote at Sixteen Working Group was formed by the Deputy President, Equality Officer, and NSE Secretary to lobby, campaign and create a strategy on the lowering of the voting age, which has long been an official ISSU policy.

MEMBERSHIP

Tammy Whelan Adam Lambe Aoife Murphy Jessica Dunne Oscar Farley Saoirse Exton SLuCkeH COassOerLly S IN COVID-19

WORK

The Working Group was formed in November 2020. Since it was formed, it has worked under four areas of focus: Debate & Messaging Media Coalition Building VOTE AT SIXTEEN Lobbying WORKING GROUPS

T H E V O T E A T S I X T E E N W O R K I N G G R O U P

WORK (CTD.)

The primary focus of the WG this year was lobbying politicians from a range of parties to progress legislation and action on lowering the voting age. So far, the WG has met and lobbied: Senator Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fáil) Senator Fintan Warfield (Sinn Féin) Neale Richmond TD (Fine Gael) Thomas Pringle TD (Independent) Minister Malcolm Noonan (Green Party) There are currently two pieces of legislation before the Oireachtas that would lower the voting age to sixteen for Local and European elections, and one that would initiate a referendum on the constitutional voting age. The WG has been encouraging all parties and representatives to support any legislation that would bring about the ultimate goal of votes at sSixCteeHn.O OLS IN COVID-19

The WG has also engaged with the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) to collaborate on campaigning on this issue.

Members of the Working Group have also been working on planning and writing scripts for campaign launch videos, devising a social media campaign, and planning for a coordinated lobbying strategy in the event of key votes in the Oireachtas.

This Working Group will be handed over to the next NSE to continue this work. WORKING GROUPS

T H E R E L I G I O N W O R K I N G G R O U P

OVERVIEW

This year the ISSU International Officer Yvonne Farrell assembled a diverse group of students from across the nation - the Religion Working Group. The purpose of this new working group is to look at how religious curriculum is taught in schools and how different religions are welcomed into schools. The group of students in this WG collectively decided with the Yvonne, on what they would like to do and see happen with Religion - The aims of this working group were to make Make schools and curriculum more diverse and representative of the students of Ireland Examine religious organisation’s roles in the Irish education system. Educate students on different Religions throughout Ireland, we need to ensure that students are getting their information from a proper educational setting on Religions and not external sources such as the media. Ensure that Religion is being taught properly throughout all school years SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 This working group was formed in April 2021.

One of the projects that we hope to do is a Religion Day event, that will educate students across the nation on the different religions around the world. Not only this it will connect students from all different backgrounds and religions. This event will ensure that students are properly educated on world religions and that students know ISSU is inclusive of all religions. We plan to make the religion curriculum more inclusive in schools across the nation in sVchOooTlsE.Fu rAthTer mSorIeX toT eEnsEurNe that schools are welcoming to all students regardless of their religion. WORKING GROUPS

T H E R E L I G I O N W O R K I N G G R O U P

AIMS OF THE PROJECT

The aim behind this project is to make schools and its curriculum more diverse and representative of the students of Ireland. We will examine religious organisation’s roles in the Irish education system and educate students on different World Religions throughout Ireland. With the widespread of misleading information, We want to ensure that students are getting their information on different Religions from a proper educational setting and not external sources such as the media. We need to ensure that Religion is being taught properly throughout all school years and that it is representative of the students involved. We believe education is the most powerful weapon in changing societies. Through this project we hope to build a diverse environment in schools where each student is welcomed with open arms regardless of their ethnic background or religious beliefs. Where each person in the school community (including teachers) are mindful and respectful of each other’s beliefs and co-operate with each other accordingly. We do this in the hope of creating an educated, aware nation and ending discrimation and sectarianism SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 WORK SO FAR

Identifying parts of the religious curriculum that needs changing. Identifying aspects of school life that need to be improved. This project is ongoing and this working group will begin implementing solutions soon.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

At ISSU, we want to promote equality in the way religion is being taught in schools. One way we plan to promote this is by celebrating the various different celebratory events in the World Religions around the globe such as Eid for Muslims and Shavuot for Jews. The Religion Working Group aims to lead the way by putting together a video in collaboration with appropriate organisations to mark a start to a trend that we hope others to continue. This action will also help highlight to students all around Ireland, the message that ISSU respects, values, is inclusive of and welcomes all religions despite having a Catholic majority WORKING GROUPS

E D U C A T I O N F O R S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T W O R K I N G G R O U P

OVERVIEW

This year the ISSU sat on the Department of Education and Skills (DES) Advisory Group on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in October 2020. This Advisory Group is working on the new ten year strategy for improving ESD in Ireland from 2021-2030. As part of our advocacy on ESD, the Working Group was formed to expand the focus of the ISSU’s work and to enable wider student consultation on the topic of ESD. It was formed in December 2020 with 8 members following an open application process. The WG focused on both input to the Advisory Group and separate projects to improve ESD.

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTATION PAPER

The WG began by going through the consultation paper for the new strategy, which will be sent out to students, parents, teachers and the general public to shape the strategy SCHOOLS IN COVID-19 and its implementation. The consultation paper includes student voice as a key pillar, as shown below. The WG also advised on the consultation process and emphasised the importance of consulting students, and ISSU should continue to work on this into the next academic year. The consultation paper and process can be found here.

SUBMISSION TO AN TAISCE AND GREEN SCHOOLS

In February 2021, the Donegal Regional Officer was working with An Taisce in her region VOanTd Erea AchTed SouIt Xto TcoEllaEboNrate with the WG to aid in the first reform of the Green Schools programme since 1997. The WG put together a document outlining the key areas for improvement in the programme: skills-based learning; adaptation for second-level; student voice and leadership; and broader action in the community. The WG then submitted solutions and recommendations under each of these headings. WORKING GROUPS

E D U C A T I O N F O R S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T W O R K I N G G R O U P

GREEN SCHOOLS REFORM

CLIMATE ACTION SHORT COURSE

The WG began by going through the consultation paper for the new strategy, which will be sent out to students, parents, teachers and the general public to shape the strategy SanCd HitsO imOpleLmSen tIaNtio nC. TOheV coInDsu-l1tat9ion paper includes student voice as a key pillar, as shown below. The WG also advised on the consultation process and emphasised the importance of consulting students, and ISSU should continue to work on this into the next academic year. The consultation paper and process can be found here.

STUDENT COUNCIL RESOURCE

E D U C A T I O N F O R S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T W O R K I N G G R O U P

SURVEY

SUMMARY

Work on ESD is crucial to enabling students to be informed about sustainability, to take action, and to amplify student voice. This year the WG made contributions to the DES on SthCe HneOw O10L ySea rI sNtra tCegOy VandI Dits- 1co9nsultation process, solidifying the importance of representative student consultation for the next 10 years. Additionally, the WG has worked to reform Green Schools and expand the presence of ESD within the ISSU.

MEMBERS

Aiyana Helder Caillum Hedderman Faye Maniti VOTE AT SIXTEEN Jamie McElwain Anabel O’Hora Roisin O’Rourke Theresa Rose Sebastian Anna Scott APPENDIX I a r s c r í b h i n n

The following press releases were issued over the course of this NSE term: Friday July 17th: ISSU Statement : Leaving Certificate Results Release and Progression Tuesday July 21st: PRESS RELEASE: Anxious Students and Parents Voice Health Fears, Seek New Supports Ahead of Schools Reopening Tuesday August 18th: ISSU issue Letter of Concern to Minister Foley regarding Calculated Grades Standardisation Process Thursday August 20th: ISSU Outlines Safety Concerns regarding Reopening of Schools Thursday August 27th: ISSU Statement : ISSU launches webpage with free and discounted Study Services for the Leaving Certificate students of 2020 sitting exams. Wednesday September 2nd: ISSU Statement on the 2020 Leaving Certificate Calculated Grade Results Thursday September 3rd: ISSU Launches Mental Health Manual to Support Students on Return to School Monday September 7th: PRESS STATEMENT: ISSU President comments on the Leaving Certificate Results 2020 Friday September 18th: PREASRÁITEAS: Seoladh an tSuímh Idírlín ANDIÉ nua as Gaeilge Wednesday September 30th: PRESS RELEASE: 2020 LEAVING CERTIFICATE CALCULATED GRADING ERRORS Friday October 2nd: PRESS RELEASE: ISSU & USI Issue Joint Letter to Education Ministers regarding Leaving Cert Results & Higher Education Places Thursday October 22nd: PRESS RELEASE: Schools Remaining Open During Level 5 Monday November 16th: PRESS STATEMENT: ISSU Education Officer wishes Leaving Certificate students of 2020 the best of luck in their examinations Thursday January 7th: PRESS STATEMENT: Survey Student Views on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations 2021 Thursday January 7th: NEWS RELEASE: Statement from the ISSU National Student Executive (NSE) regarding Extended Closure of Schools Tuesday January 12th: PRESS STATEMENT: ISSU Call for Rethink of 2021 State Examinations Tuesday January 20th: PRESS STATEMENT: ISSU Survey Results: Students Want Choice & Clear Communication from Department on State Examinations & School Reopening Monday February 8th: ISSU Statement: New Resource Hub Available for Students Partaking in Online Learning Thursday February 11th: ISSU Statement on the Withdrawal of ASTI from Bilateral Talks Wednesday February 17th: ISSU Statement : ISSU Welcomes and Supports Decision on State Examinations Tuesday April 6th: PRESS RELEASE: ISSU Publishes Senior Cycle Reform Report; Outlines Students Views & Wishes Going Forward Tuesday May 4th: ISSU Statement: ISSU strongly welcomes Minister Foley’s announcement on potential legislative change to ensure adequate RSE Wednesday May 5th: ISSU Statement: ISSU Supports Moves to Lower Voting Age to Sixteen