What greater act of solidarity would it be than for Cork to twin with Gaza City? Gaza was a beautiful and vibrant city before the repeated, violent Israeli attacks. Both Cork City and Gaza City have suffered from acts of vengeance. “The people of Cork have been on the streets ever since October. The solidarity has been heartwarming for me as someone who was born in Gaza and who has many friends and family still there suffering unimaginable hardship. It would be the greatest honor for them if our two great cities were to be connected by ‘twinning’. ” Nasser Al Swirki. A son of Gaza living in Cork UCC links: Gaza is a University City. All of Gaza’s universities now lie in ruins. The Gaza City university has developed partnerships with 142 higher education institutions around the world. Let’s make UCC one of those partners! CUH links? Al-Shifa Hospital was the largest medical complex and central hospital in the Gaza. We will need medical partners. Environmental Links? Now destroyed. Wadi Gaza: In 2023 the Gaza Strip’s only wetland was slowly coming back to life.

Educate D8 is a community group representing families in Dublin 8. For generations Dublin 8 has experienced under-investment in secondary education. Our Educate D8 Campaign has two main aims to address the under- provision of school places in our area: 1. To secure the establishment of a new secondary school in the area. 2. To gain access to the consultation process on ethos and patronage. Why do we need a new school? 45% of children in Dublin 8 have to leave the area to go to secondary school. 2135 Dublin 8 kids will need to leave the area for secondary school by 2026. Only 11% of children in Kilmainham Dublin 8 walk or cycle to school (active travel) in comparison with 75% in Clonskeagh Dublin 6. Kilmainham children have the longest commutes in Dublin. Children in Dublin 8 face up to a 90-minute commute to Sandymount Educate Together Secondary School, which was offered by the Department of Education as a solution to our problem. The average national commute for teenagers is 19.5 minutes (CSO, 2022). 62% of the population in Dublin 8 is not Catholic (CSO, 2022). 0% of the secondary schools in Dublin 8 are multi-denominational. 89% of Dublin 8 parents surveyed would like to send their children to a local secondary school. 6th class pupils in Dublin 8 are dispersed to up to 14 different secondary schools, decimating their community. Population growth in Dublin 8 between 2016 – 2022: -the population grew by 14% as opposed to 4.6% in Dublin City. -the population of 10-19 year olds grew by 30% in comparison to 14% growth nationally. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN AND SIGN OUR PETITION ASKING MINISTER OF EDUCATION TO GRANT US A NEW SCHOOL FOR OUR CHILDREN. Visit our website https://d8newschool.ie/ or join our campaign WhatsApp https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kl3PytsabTv1jsZfStgPTr

Children, parents and grandparents are tripping over pot holes in the playground rubber surface. Childrens clothes are covered in green slime from the moss on climbing frames. Some playgrounds have burnt equipment that has still not been repaired. There can be broken glass in playgrounds. Summer is coming and the children of Dublin 8 need safe and clean places to play. The Dublin 8 playgrounds that need attention are in the following locations - Oliver Bond Flats block CDE - Oliver Bond Flats block RST - Tyrone Place 3 playgrounds & pitch - Watling Street playground - School Street playground - Bridgefoot St Playground - Island Bridge Court playground - Inchicore Community Centre basketball pitch (pothole & gate locked by health & safety officer) - Oisin Kelly Park pitch & playground covered in weeds, pothole, broken glass, burnt out - Weaver Park playground equipment burnt out - Vicar St Playground pitch & playground - Poole St Pitch & playground

At this stage in the genocide it is unbelievable that Ireland has a powerful bill, that could help the people of Palestine, waiting in the wings to be enacted since 2018. It took immense effort from many political, academic and legal minds to get it passed through our legislature. There is no legal excuse for stalling it any longer. To quote Sen. Frances Black “... it’s not a legal issue, it’s a question of political will. The weight of legal advice makes it clear that we can pursue this if we’re willing to be brave about it – we need to stand up and show leadership”. (Irish times, 13 Jun 2020.) Something has to begin the process of turning the tide on the genocide in Palestine, especially Gaza. The OTB has been identified by multiple organisations nationally and internationally as the single most important and effective action that Ireland as a nation can take, at this time in April 2024. Enacting the OTB can without doubt have a ripple effect throughout the world. Let's throw the pebble in the ocean of support for Palestine and see it do the work it was always intended to achieve.

Books and other media with LGBTQ+ themes are extremely important for young people who may be struggling to understand their own identity, as it gives them role models to look up to and allows them an opportunity to see people like them in the stories they enjoy! Book bans, like the one being pushed by prominent Unionist politicians including MP Carla Lockhart are also incredibly discriminatory and hypocritical [1] - representation of non- heterosexual relationships should no more be banned from Libraries than heterosexual/cis gender relationships. A child will not become gay or be "transed" by reading a book with a gay or trans character included. We must not allow bigoted bad actors to import American culture war nonsense to Northern Ireland. [1] https://www.newsletter.co.uk/education/dup-mp-carla-lockhart-calls-for-the-immediate-re[…]ildrens-books-from-northern-irish-public-libraries-4562485

Education Minister Paul Givan has confirmed that without additional funding, his department will struggle to find additional school places for over 1,000 children with SEN. The Education Authority has reported that it is "extremely challenging" to find new places in schools and "urgent investment" is needed. No child with SEN should be left in limbo before the start of the new school term. The NI Executive needs to provide more capital investment to solve this crisis!

We don't have enough pools in our area so when a new pool is planned it needs to be a modern and flexible design to accommodate as many groups as possible.

Norma Foley's assistance is crucial because she is responsible for education in Ireland. Here's why her help is important: 1. Promised Improvement: The school has been promised a new building for 17 years. As the current Minister of Education, Ms Foley can fulfill this promise, ensuring that the school finally gets the improvements it desperately needs. 2. Safety and Health: The current conditions pose safety and health hazards to students and staff. Minister Foley can allocate resources to address these issues, ensuring that the school environment is safe and conducive to learning. She can issue the letter the school needs for the new building to start. 3. Financial Support: Ms Foley can provide financial support to address the costly heating bills associated with the poorly insulated buildings. By investing in energy-efficient upgrades, she can help reduce expenses for both the school and the community. 4. Educational Environment: A safe and healthy environment is essential for effective learning. Minister Foley's assistance in upgrading the school facilities will create a better educational environment for students, enabling them to thrive academically and socially. 5. Community Well-being: Improving the school facilities will benefit the entire community. Foley's support will demonstrate a commitment to the well-being of disadvantaged communities and provide them with access to quality education resources. Overall, Norma Foley's help is vital in ensuring that the school receives the necessary support and resources to address its longstanding issues and provide a better future for its pupils and the community.

With the exception of a few, higher-level institutions in Ireland do not provide free period products, despite repeated requests from our campus communities. There is a clear demand for these initiatives, from students and staff. The initiative needs to be streamlined and supported on a governmental level. By tackling period dignity head-on, we can directly tackle stigma and shame around periods for students and staff, thus making our campuses more inclusive places for members of our academic community from all backgrounds. Quality of learning and teaching is affected by menstruation - and we do not want anyone to get caught out by not having adequate products in those moments. By ensuring access to free period products, especially as the housing and cost-of-living crises worsen, we can ensure that those from worse-off socioeconomic backgrounds are supported throughout their education. The government has piloted free period products in certain education boards, but this has not yet extended universally to higher-level institutions. We have heard that there are plans to do so. We, students and staff, call to expedite this process and set down funding to make period products accessible in bathrooms across all higher-level institutions in the country.

Students in Galway are already paying some of the highest rents and tution fees in Europe, and yet this accommodation provider deems it's appropriate to take advantage of the severe lack of suitable accommodation in this city and increase their rents. This will not be taken lightly, and we ask you to sign this petition to show this provider it's not acceptable.

Having a large mural of US president Joe Biden in Ballina reflects very badly on the people of Ballina, Mayo and Ireland who hold very different views to Joe regarding the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Students who are utilising the colleges late closing times should be able to access extra water and snacks at all times, instead of relying on making/buying their own in their food shops, which are already incredibly expensive.