Geography - #LC2017 - Maeve Richardson

 Maeve Richardson - St. Annes Secondary School Tipperary TownGeography as per usual involved a lot of writing and very little time to think. It was a generally alright paper though.

I was jumped straight to question one, well the second part, I had to wait on graph paper to do my sketch map! So I wrote about intrusive and extrusive volcanos. And then picked human activities with flood defences and wrote about the river Rhine.Moving on to regional I had hoped for a map of Ireland but did India instead there was no difficult features here. Followed by tertiary activities in Paris (Tourism in my case) and then primary activities in Ireland for which I picked Dublin's agricultural sector.I then did my short questions when I felt more confident about the exam. I didn't analyse these really I moved quickly but did notice there was no question on glaciers on its own.Moving to human I found this alright. It wouldn't be my strongest section. It was quite similar to both the mock papers going around. Ethnic and religion differences made an appearance to keep up with current events. I honestly shot through this section and I can't remember what question I did.Finally, I did Geoecology. I chose the human interaction question with the three headings. I was delighted to see this as if that question wasn't there I probably would've walked out of the exam! So with five minutes to spare I finished feeling as if someone had tried to hammer my hand to pieces.#StateExams2017 

Minister David Stanton T.D. Launches the Irish Second-Level Students' Union's Charter for Inclusive Schools

DATE: 22.3.17 - 12pmMinister David Stanton T.D. Launches the Irish Second-Level Students' Union's Charter for Inclusive SchoolsThe Minister with special responsibility for Equality, Integration and Immigration, David Stanton TD was on hand today to launch the ISSU Students' Charter For Inclusive Schools. The launch took place in the Clock Tower Building in the Department of Education on Marlborough Street.Minister Stanton stated “ I applaud the initiative taken by the ISSU in developing the Charter – I believe successful integration can be achieved by migrants and non-migrants working together and that students can be active participants in the process.”In November last year, the Irish Second-Level Students' Union hosted the Tool's For Inclusive Schools event, in conjunction with OBESSU's (Organising Bureau of European School Students' Unions)  'Seeds for Integration' and National Youth Council of Ireland 'One World Week' focusing on the integration of migrant and refugee students in second-level schools across Ireland. The aim of the event was to consult with second-level students and create a 'Students Charter for Inclusive Schools'.Although schools in Ireland are now more diverse than ever (with one in eight students having been born abroad) the Irish Second-Level Student's Union felt that this issue was not talked about or celebrated in schools. The ISSU Student's Charter for Inclusive Schools is an agreement imagined, designed and written by students who want to make our schools more inclusive of students from migrant, refugee, and minority backgrounds. The Charter also calls on key educational stakeholders to take concrete steps to promote inclusion at second-level education.The Charter features points such as:

• As students, we want a curriculum that adopts a critical perspective towards privilege and history
• As students, we do not judge or fear differences in viewpoints

And

• As students, we call on the Government of Ireland to 'cherish all children of the nation equally' and remove any barriers in schools admissions policies.

 The event, organised by the ISSU International Officer, Ellen O'Rourke was attended by representatives from second-level schools and organisations working in the educations sector as well as organisations representing migrant and minority groups in Ireland.The Irish Second-Level Students' Union will distribute a copy of the Charter to any School's Student Council that wishes to display the Charter in their school.-ENDS- 

Women in Leadership- If She Can Do It, So Can I.

Sarah Harte is our ISSU Regional Officer for the West of Ireland.She was recently elected at our Regional Council in Galway this year. Here, Sarah shares her thoughts on women in leadership.As today is International Women’s Day, it is the perfect time to celebrate and highlight the importance of role models to young women and girls. The power of role models often goes unrecognised but they can have an immeasurable effect on the lives of young people, particularly girls. It is important to be able to see someone who you can identify with in a position to know that you can make it there.Historically, the vast majority of leaders in this country have been men. This often meant that women and their achievements were not acknowledged or written about leading to a lack of women that girls could look up to. That is not the case anymore as more and more women rise to the top of their fields. The playing field is becoming more equal but there is still hurdles facing many women. For example, just 22% of all TD’s at present are women and this is a record high. There are always certain challenges facing people who aim for power but men and women tend to face different attitudes and challenges. Having a lack of self-confidence can hold you back as it is the fundamental basis of any good leader. If you do not have faith in your own ability it becomes difficult to expect others to. This is something that is learned from early on in life. Putting yourself forward to head up a project in school may reflect into putting yourself forward for election in the future. This is something that some of my friends struggle with, some of the most intelligent girls I know underestimate themselves and therefore hold themselves back. As children, we emulate what we see in others and this does not end as we age. If you see self-confidence you will learn to mirror it. We mimic these behaviours without ever realising it from the people we watch. That is why it is important that there are women we can look up to. Another behaviour that we learn is the different ways in which we talk about ambitious men and women. Often, men are commended for taking the leap and putting themselves out there, while women are penalized. There are certain words and phrases that are reserved for strongly opinionated or outspoken women and I have been called a few of these in my time.Personally, I have always been drawn to strong women as people that inspire and motivate me. Films, TV shows and books with women at the helm have interested me since I was a child and in the last few months I have read books by and about Mary Robinson, Malala Yousafzai and Hillary Clinton. I admire these women greatly for their resilience, perseverance and sheer mental strength despite different adversaries. One thing that the above-named women have in common is that they all have varying levels of a high profile, political or otherwise. This is not the case with all role models or even most of them. They do not have to be the first female President of Ireland or the first woman with a real shot at winning the White House. They can be a local politician, a teacher or a Foróige leader. Someone who takes an interest in your future, who wants to see you get on well because maybe someone did the same for them. Their words of advice are the ones that you remember and they are the people you don’t forget.That is why it is just as important to have role models as it is to be one. I know that my 14-year-old sister learns more from me than she’ll ever admit. I feel like I owe it to her to set as good an example as I can. I know that she is watching me. I have had so many people look out for me and I know that they are there for me if I need them and that is something I will always be grateful for. 

Meet Our Officers: Glen Kiely

 I am a 6th year student of St. Munchins’ College, Limerick. I am passionate about education and learning, student voice, photography and fitness. I was appointed as Education Officer in August, with the hope that I could address the problems facing second-level education in Ireland today. I ran for this position because I felt that, with the ISSU, I could be an advocate for students and our education! During my term in office, I hope to confront various issues. I will be undergoing meetings with education spokespersons and publishing my, and the ISSU’s, thoughts on relevant matters. I hope to further student’s stance in their own education. That’s it from me, Glen.

Meet Our Officers: Ellen O'Rourke

 Hi I'm Ellen and I'm International Officer. I'm from Dublin and recently sat my Leaving Cert in St Louis High School, Rathmines. Soon I'll be starting European Studies in Trinity College; in the meantime, I'm very busy with ISSU! I ran for this post because I had such a good experience with student council in my own school(s) (at home + in the Middle East), and wanted to get involved in a bigger way - now I represent international students in Ireland as well as Irish students internationally (plus I thought ISSU was really cool - and I still do!). So far this year, I attended the OBESSU GA in Amsterdam, became a No Hate Speech Youth Ambassador and even spoke at the TY Expo. My main focus for this year is a campaign for the integration of migrant and refugee students in Irish second-level schools...I can't wait to share more details with you soon! If you really want to get involved, or even if you have any questions or ideas, please don't hesitate to email me ellen@issu.ie!

Regional Councils

Imagine a series of events held all around the country that were entry free but filled with such valuable information. Imagine a day in your province where you could connect with students from all the counties around you and share stories and experiences. Imagine a day aimed at not only students on a schools’ student council but any student interested and passionate about student voice. Imagine a day that could open so many new opportunities for you and introduce you to endless possibilities. That day is your local Regional Council. That day is about ISSU.The ISSU’s annual Regional Councils are a series of events that are incredibly inspiring. Often in school it can be hard to express your thoughts about school life but more importantly it can be difficult to find people that actually care and want to make a change. Regional Councils are a gathering of second-level students in each region around Ireland that are interested in Student Voice and who want to be part of making changes. Attending your local Regional Council can be incredibly refreshing and can really show you how much students can get involved in the world around you and open up lots of possibilities for your future.Prior to the event students can nominate themselves to the National Council of Schools which is an operational structure of the ISSU and is composed of 8 of the most reliable, hardworking and passionate students from around Ireland, 2 from each region. The National Council of Schools (NCS) work alongside the National Student Executive (who take care of the daily running of the ISSU) by raising issues from each region and by meeting during the year.The events are held in Munster (Cork), Leinster (Dublin), Dublin, West (Galway) and Donegal so that students around the green isle can connect locally. This is especially important because local issues can be discussed, for instance issues affecting students in Galway may be very different to those in inner city Dublin and so by Galway school students discussing issues on a separate day it is much much more effective.In essence, your local Regional Council is an amazing, educational and inspirational day while also being so much fun and a chance for you to meet some of the best people. It’s a day that young people around Ireland who are interested in student voice should attend, it's sure to be an unforgettable and unmissable experience!If this sounds like your cup of tea you can register here to join in on your local regional council and make a difference in your province! http://Click Here To Register! https://form.jotform.com/63133597556969