Meet Our Officers: Kate Lehane

 My name is Kate Lehane and I am proud to be representing the students as Student Council Support Officer. I come from Malahide, Co. Dublin and attend Malahide Community School. As a student in TY I thought that now would be the perfect time to become an officer as I can dedicate myself to the position. I ran for this position as I am very passionate about student voice (not just providing the voice but allowing students to learn what that means, how to use it, etc). I want students to be aware of how important and beneficial their voice is. As we are the future law makers, politicians, legislators, workers I believe we should all be educated on the issues that affect us now.  Outside of the ISSU and NSE I love watersports and volunteer work. In the summers I volunteer at my local sailing school and am training to be a sailing instructor. As Student Council Support Officer my main aim for this year is to increase membership, represent the union and obviously promote the student voice. I hope to meet as many interested students and teachers at events, training days and meetings in the coming year as possible!

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!

Meet Our Officers: Chloe Griffin

 Hey Everyone, My name is Chloe Griffin and I am the Campaigns and Communications Officer of the ISSU. I am a Transition Year student in Scoil Ruáin which is a small school in Tipperary. This year I decided to run for office because I felt that the ISSU has so much potential to create stronger communication links with you guys and to get all interested people involved. One of the most effective ways to do this is through social media and by carrying out successful campaigns on matters that affect students directly so we can all join together and become stronger 'Ní neart go cur le chéíle' so they say!. Aside from student voice I have many other interests, I love sport and play basketball and football, with that I also love music and have played the piano and guitar.  I am very passionate about mental health and feel there is lots of room for schools to contribute to this subject. With that, I have planned to host a mental health awareness day entitled EMPOWER in February of this year to teach student councils how to introduce coping mechanisms into schools and to retrieve feedback from you guys and hear your ideas. I hope to see you all there! Also at the beginning of my term I decided to revive the ISSU Newsletter, every month it is filled with information and behind the scenes action on all things ISSU. You can subscribe on the newsletter section under Student Councils on our website.That’s it from me. Keep your eyes peeled on our facebook, twitter, snapchat and Instagram for all the latest.

Connaught Regional Council

Calling all Galway students!This February 2nd we will be hosting our Connaught Regional Council in Galway from 10am-3pmIf you are interested in student voice, want to find out more about it or would like to connect with students in your region this is the event for you!Register here: https://form.jotform.com/70155919656970

I MO THUAIRIM, Bígí Linn!

With the support of Conradh na Gaeilge, the ISSU will be running upcoming events in early February in Galway and later in Dublin to report on what Students think of Secondary Education through the Irish language in Gaelcholáistí and in Second-Level Schools in Gaeltacht Regions.The ISSU are delighted to be able to run this event through Irish as more than half of the NSE can speak Irish with proficiency! We hope that Students enjoy meeting others who choose to study through the medium of the national language, discuss common themes and issues and hopefully the ISSU will find out what's needed to improve education through Irish-language and to support these students as much as we can! Ag súil go mór leis! Bígí ann!Register here: https://form.jotform.com/70155317845962

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