BellTime Magazine Spring/Summer 2017 7 | Page 45

We delivered a speech about education to 12,000 people at the“ Education Is” rally with USI which calls for third level education to be funded and made available to all without barriers. We presented to the Joint Committee on Education and Skills regarding funding models for higher-level education. We attended international conferences on second-level student issues in Spain, Estonia and Iceland. We met with the Department of Education and Skills to discuss the new Leaving Certificate Reforms. We presented to students, teachers and parents on student voice at the Educate Together Ethical Education Conference. We ran a national LGBT + awareness competition for second-level student councils during BelongTo’ s Stand Up Week in November. We ran“ ISSU’ s Tools for Inclusive Schools” in Trinity College Dublin to create a student charter for inclusive schools. We represented students’ views and opinions during the ASTI teacher strikes and appeared on RTE Six One News, Claire Byrne Live and numerous other TV and Radio programmes and newspaper articles. We organised Regional Councils all over Ireland for our members and discussed various policy positions and elected our new regional officers. We partnered with Drugs. ie to promote the National Youth Media Awards to our members. We hosted the COMEM of OBESSU in Dublin, attracting 40 delegates from 19 countries all over Europe. We delivered training to student councils all over Ireland visiting schools and providing training for student council members. We exhibited at Zeminar and the TY Expo. We presented at the Transitions in Education conference at the University of Limerick. We trained student Ambassadors for the 2016-2017 programme.

To keep up with our work on a day-to-day basis, check out our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat! Just search the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union.

We also want to issue a reminder to students that the Annual Assembly will happen next April, and we encourage the most interested, passionate and dedicated of you represent your school and consider running for election on the National Student Executive for the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union.

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