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FOREWORD
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back to the new academic year 201516. I have the honour of continuing to serve as
President of the IGC for the coming year, at this
critical juncture for guidance counselling in Ireland.
I am delighted to be offered this opportunity to
write the foreward of Bell Magazine a now wellknown and invaluable publication for us all involved
in Education. As I promised in my election
manifesto last year, I will continue to work tirelessly
to develop the Institute, and a model of guidance
counselling, befitting the demands of the future. In
the introduction to Bell magazine, which is of great
help to all staff and parents who are supporting
young people and not so young to make sense of
who they are and what they want to do in their
lives, I am outlining how I intend to continue, with
the support of our vice president Mai Kearns,
officers and members of the national executive,
branch officers throughout the country, and our
staff in Herbert Street, to fulfil this mandate over the
coming academic year.
As guidance counsellors, we work with individuals
of all ages, in multiple settings, meeting the
personal, educational and vocational needs of our
clients. The energy, depth and breadth of vision,
skills, training and care that our members bring t o
guidance counselling in Ireland, and most
especially to the clients in our care, is critical to
keeping our profession alive and vibrant. While the
majority of us still serve the needs of young people
in educational institutions, we are rapidly
expanding our services to the wider adult
population. The life-long nature of our work and
the associated challenges for clients can only
strengthen the case for appropriate guidance in
each sector – second level schools, colleges of
further education, adult/university and private. We
will continue to work with all sectors and to further
develop the Institute to be inclusive of and
supportive to all guidance counsellors.
It is only when access to appropriate guidance is
established as a basic human right that our clients
can fulfil their personal, educational and vocational
potential. I believe that it is the role of government
to support all children to achieve their potential,
through providing a universal entitlement to
guidance counselling support. The removal of the
dedicated guidance counselling service in 2012
has entrenched the privilege of those who are
already privileged, and undermines the prospects
of those from less advantaged backgrounds in
achieving their potential. Guidance counselling is
an entitlement to all, and not a luxury for only those
who can afford it. Within our schools and colleges,
Section 9C of the 1998 Education Act explicitly
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acknowledges this entitlement. The Department of
Education and Skills document “Guidelines for
Second-Level Schools on the Implications of
Section 9(c) of the Education Act 1998, relating to
Students' Access to Appropriate Guidance” (DES,
2005), requires that a guidance programme be
part of a school plan and identifies the central role
of the guidance counsellor, as well as the important
contribution of different members of staff, to the
delivery of a whole school guidance plan.
The removal of the ex-quota allocation of guidance
hours in second level schools and colleges of
further education in 2012 has challenged all of us
in education to look at new ways to implement our
obligations under this Act. I am committed to
working, on your behalf, to reverse the cut to
guidance counselling provision enabling you, the
guidance counsellor, the trained professional to
deliver a quality service to the students you serve.
The IGC, NCGE, ESRI, OECD,TUI and ASTI, all
conducted research on the provision of guidance
counselling in second level schools and colleges of
further education following the removal of the exquota guidance allocation. All bodies found that
there had been a substantial loss of service across
all schools. The IGC survey (2014) found a 2425% reduction in overall guidance provision, a
59% reduction in 1:1 counselling for students, and
that 20% of guidance counsellors were now
working as full time subject teachers. This severe
reduction in the resources available to those of us
who work in schools and colleges of further
education is also reflected in the resources
allocated to guidance counsellors working in the
adult education guidance services (AEGI), and to
those members working with unemployed clients
in the new Intro offices within the Department of
Social Protection (DSP). We will commission
evidence based research to build on our findings
to date to strengthen our negotiating position. I
and the National Executive will continue to work
with all the stakeholders to increase awareness of
the critical work we do and the damaging effects
of the cuts to guidance counselling provision.
The ‘Vision Document’ outlines the current and
serious challenges facing the Institute and, as
mentioned last year, is seeking legal recognition for
our profession to safeguard the title ‘Guidance
Counsellor’. We are working to ensure the highest
standards of training, of professionalism and
adherence to our code of ethics. During our 2014
Presidential campaign, Mai and I had the privilege
to meet with many Guidance Counsellors from
branches throughout the country. We continued
to visit branches throughout the year and had the
Editor Note
opportunity to listen to their opinions and
concerns, and hear their hopes for the future of
guidance counselling; and were heartened to see
so many familiar faces, as well as so many new
faces, at our recent National Conference in
Waterford. On these occasions, we were
impressed and humbled by both their
professionalism and their commitment to their
work and to students. The IGC conference was a
positive and worthwhile experience for all, and it
helped to equip and sustain members for the
many challenges that lie ahead for Guidance
Counsellors.
As promised last year, over the term of my
presidency, I will continue to endeavour at every
opportunity to communicate to the public, and to
those among us who influence allocation of
resources in our society, how vitally important it is
that every citizen of our country has ongoing
access to appropriate guidance to assist them in
progressing their career journey throughout their
lives. Next year’s Annual Conference will be taking
place from the 26th-28th February, 2016, at the
wonderful University of Limerick campus over the
entire week-end. Our colleagues in UL, who will be
acting as host, have pledged to do all they can to
make this a spectacular event for the Institute,
building on our success in 2015. So, please save
the dates in your diaries.
Finally, may I remind you that the most important
resource we have as colleagues and partners in
Education is each other. We need to be mindful of
the importance of self-care, particularly in these
challenging and stressful times. The IGC website,
www.igc.ie, is an additional resource available to all
members. As I stated in my manifesto last year, no
President can deliver on the goals of the IGC
alone, and I am proud to say that we have woven
together a national team of dynamic colleagues,
who work tirelessly to support our members you in
their role, and improve lines of communication to
all members so that we are informed of your
concerns.
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely
thank the pub lishers of Bell Magazine who are
delivering copies of this fine publication to all
Guidance Counsellors and to all school nationwide.
I welcome your comments and suggestions on the
future of guidance counselling. Working together,
we can achieve, succeed and support each other.
Ní neart go cur le chéile.
Welcome to the Winter Edition
of BellTime Magazine. We have
lots of interesting features in
this issue and encourage you
to promote our website - www.belltimemagazine.ie to
all colleagues, students and parents. On the website
they can access an abundance of programmes,
resources and competitions available in the world of
education & read our online digital editions free of
charge. Our new app "BellTime" is also available on the
AppleStore and Playstore and our Ibook is out now too!
We are encouraging all teachers and students to get
involved with our print and digital channels and have
some fantastic opportunities for teachers and students
to participate directly with us through our “write for
us” section and suggestions box. We want to hear your
feedback and to get you and your school involved with
the many opportunities BellTime Magazine will be
offering to all those involved in education. Not to
mention our competitions - You have the opportunity to
win a top of the range computer for your school and a
laptop for yourself simply by liking and sharing on
Facebook and entering the competition on
www.belltimemagazine.ie - Vote for Your School.
2016 promises to be an eventful year in Ireland with
the Centenary Celebrations, Engineers Week,
Shakespeare for schools and much much more.
Also, many thanks to Betty McLaughlin, President of
the IGC for introducing the Winter issue of BellTime
Magazine. Here at BellTime Magazine we have a lot of
exciting new ventures and opportunities for schools so
be sure to visit www.belltimemagazine.ie and our
social media channels to
keep up to date!
Enjoy the holidays,
Rachel Hanna - Editor
CONTENTS
Google - Call to Code - Coding Competition
BellTime Brand Ambassador & Contribute to BellTime Magazine
Education
The Lir Academy - Want to work in the Theatre, Tv or Film Industry?
Mary Immaculate College - Become a Second Level Teacher with Mary Immaculate College!
Sallynoggin College - Fashion your Future
Apple Education & Compu b - Coláiste Lósaef reimagines education with iPad
St. Patrick’s College Maynooth - Open Days for your Diary!
The Fulbright Commission - Born to study in the USA!
St. Angela’s College, Sligo - The perfect place to start your career in food or Fashion!
FIT - The New IT Apprenticeship style pathway to a career
Europass - The European Skills Passport
Careers Portal
Science Foundation Ireland - STEM
Teagasc - Start your career in Horticulture!
Institute of Chartered Surveyors - Consider a career in Surveying!
The Irish Tax Institute - Fancy a career in Tax?
Technology
Silicon Armada - Call Silicon Armada today to help with The Hour of Code 2015
The Hour of Code - The largest Learning event in history
Fyffes supporting Unicef
Lanuages
Teanga - A picture and voiced based language learning tool
Environment
EPA - Ireland’s Environment
Health
Actualise.ie - Neurofeedback Training
Irish Wheelchair Association - Support the Angel Campaign
Walk in my Shoes - Sign your School up today!
Transition Year
Pals Programme - Positive Assertive Life Skills
Make a Wish Foundation - Its all about the kids!
BellTime Magazine is published by
SciFest - National Science Fairs Programme for schools
Enginneers Week - Start Panning for Engineers Week in February
Bell Media Ltd., Unit 4, Regional Development
Youth Groups
Centre, DKIT, Dundalk, Co. Louth.
Irish Second Level - Students’ Union - Have your Say
T: 042 9370452 / 042 9323776
Expand your horizons
M: 083 4451900
Cork City Gaol
E: [email protected] / [email protected]
Foroige - Youth Entrepreneurship Programme
Web: www.belltimemagazine.ie /
Gaisce - The President’s Award
www.bellmedia.ie
Student Awards & Competitions
The Health & Safety Authority - National Farm Safety Multimedia Competition
Managing Director & Publisher: Rachel Hanna
Digital Marketing & Content Mgr: Rochelle Lazaro Youth Connect - Win a Trip to New York
Business Development Executive: Conall McCann Student Enterprise Awards - Enterprising Classrooms
Social Media Executive: Martyna Maselsky
John Hooper Medal for Statistics 2016 Poster Competition
Student Placement: Maria Marselina
The Arts
Graphics: Vision Design
1916 Centenary Celebrations - How is your school taking part?
Printing: W&G Baird
Music Generation - Making Music Education happen
Distribution: Fastway
Verdant Productions - Shakespeare for young audiences
ISSN: 2009 - 7867
Sallynoggin College - Fashion your Future
Contents c Bell MediaTM
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BellTime Magazine is published by Bell Media and distributed to
Sport
732 secondary schools in Ireland, all northern Irish secondary
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schools and asssociated youth organisations and educational
institutions. Articles published in BellTime are also available on our
School Tours
website www.belltimemagazine.com and on our app, ibook & digital
GroupVite - why schools are moving to online payment systems
channels.
The views expressed in this magazine are those of the individual
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authors and are not necessarily endorsed by Bell Media. While
every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained The Military War Museum - Anything but a Normal Museum!
in this publication is up to date and correct, no responsibility will be No. 29 Georgian Museum - Travel back in Time at No. 29!
taken by Bell Media for any error which might occur. While every
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Music & Film Competitions to mark the launch of BellTime Magazine’ new App & ibook!
Become a published Film Critic - Win a Free Class Screening for 30 Students in the IFI
Latest Album Releases - chance to win iTun es vouchers and new albums featured in this issue
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President IGC.
BellTIME
Many thanks to all our supporters, advertisers and contributors
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