I am not criticising teachers. They are already overwhelmed with looking after the academic, emotional, social, physical and mental development of their students. I am not criticising schools. They are just doing their best to remain open to provide education for our future generations. And I am not blaming the government. They have the difficult job of choosing what departments get funding, and what departments unfortunately miss out. Instead, this campaign is emphasising that we as a society need to keep up to date with how the world is changing. According to UNICEF, Ireland ranks number 4 in the EU for adolescent suicide rates and number 1 in the EU for female adolescent suicide rates. On top of this, the number of young girls aged 10 – 14 presenting with self harm has risen by 189% in the last 10 years. It is very clear that we have a problem. The SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education) curriculum has not been updated in 20 years and think about how much the world has changed since 1999. If you read the SPHE curriculum, it states several fabricated outcomes such as teaching children self-confidence, how to deal with difficult feelings and how to cope with new situations. But there is no evidence that this curriculum is working? In fact, the statistics are showing that it is not working. And the new situations they spoke about in 1999 are very different to the new situations today. SPHE is really important and the curriculum is actually very well written. It is essentially teaching children how to successfully operate as independent individuals; how to live. However, it is squeezed into 30 minutes a week, which is absolute madness. Imagine saying that we are trying to promote the academic development of a child and then putting maths, English, history, geography, business and science all together into one subject and teaching it for a half an hour a week. As I've said, madness. But yet this continues with SPHE. Mental health is one of the biggest problems among children and adolescents at the moment and we haven’t done anything to try and change that? Intervention is important but prevention is more effective, both in terms of health and financial outcomes. Global warming is clearly happening and there are people flying less, becoming vegan and recycling more (which is fantastic). On the other hand, there are children taking their lives as young as 10 and the only thing we’re doing is telling people to talk? Just have a think about that for a second. This is important because it can save lives. The consequences of not seeing this change is children continuing to have a low quality of life or worse again, taking their lives and leaving behind devastated families. Don't wait until there is a problem. Change the curriculum and the education around mental health and we'l see the stigma reduced, we'l promote the potential of every child and we'l prevent problems before they happen. Thank you.

There are already discussions happening with the HSE on harm reduction and how organisers and promoters of these large gigs and festivals should be given options to keep people safe by providing on site testing kits and areas for people to test drugs they come in contact with. But it's not happening quick enough. Young people are dying. We need a change of legislation now to allow these harm reduction measures and on site testing kits to become a reality in Ireland. Whatever your opinion is on why people experiment with mind alternating substances, people will continue to do it and all of the best research around the world points to allowing harm reduction practices and providing reliable information as being the best approach for people who decide to take drugs. It is terrible that young people in the prime of their lives have to die because of making an uninformed choice. If the young man in Cork, who died after taking a substance at a festival had of known what exactly was in the substance he took, would he have taken it? Where testing areas are provided at festivals, many people dump their drugs when they discover it is not what they thought. They decide not to take a gamble on the unknown. But this is exactly what is happening to our young people every time they make an uninformed choice on drugs and take a gamble with their own lives. It's not good enough in this day and age and it shouldn't be allowed to continue. We need to be bold and tackle this growing concern for safety of our young people head on. Please support this campaign for greater awareness and safety around drugs so no more young people have to lose their lives. Sign and share as widely as you can. Thank you Jenny File photograph: Cyril Byrne / The Irish Times

There are 22 children in the Killenagh/Ballygarrett area seeking school transport to Creagh College in Gorey, approximately 16km away. Half of the parents in our group have already built their lives around the fact that the children can be brought to Creagh College by the School Transport system. Some of these children are going into 6th year. This is an additional stress on an already stressful year for any student. We’ve looked into private busses and it is simply not affordable at €40-€50 per week per child. Some families have 3 children in the school and most of us will have multiple children over the coming years. We have been advised that €4m would solve this situation nationally. We need a solution locally in two weeks. We need action NOW!! #22forcreaghbus

The Department of Education funds extra summer schooling for all students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and children with severe or profound intellectual disabilities. However, children with Down syndrome who have a mild or moderate learning disability are not included. Children with Down syndrome need the additional support during the Summer months so they can catch up with their peers and stay in mainstream education.

Clondalkin is over 1,000 years old and is attracting more and more visitors to view its heritage. In this regard the proposed nursing home is wholly inappropriate. The four storey building would block the view of the limestone convent while the proposed brick finish is not at all in keeping with local architecture. In addition an antique stone wall on Convent Rd., would be knocked not to mention the additional traffic that would ensue in an already gridlocked village. The grounds and cloisters of the convent include an endangered species of bird, the Swift, which would be threatened by the construction. Such a development would detrimentally affect the historic character of Clondalkin and one of its most important heritage sites.

As a fellow human, please support this petition to allow people of Kashmir to be heard and justice served

School leavers and other adults with disabilities can attend Rehabilitative Training Courses run by the HSE or other specialist service providers. There are about 1,000 locations to do this training around the country. Rehabilitative Training Courses are courses to help develop life skills, social skills and basic work skills for people with disabilities. People who do these training courses usually have intellectual disabilities, complex physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, mental health difficulties or autism. Each year, around 400 school leavers enroll in these training courses. Trainees attend these courses for two to four years and are supported to develop and review training plans in line with their needs and abilities. Rehabilitative training is intended to help participants progress to greater levels of independence and integration in their community. It may help in transitioning to mainstream post-school education and training or to specialist vocational training. Participants who satisfy the relevant social welfare criteria may be eligible for a weekly Disability Allowance as well as a special training allowance, which is currently €31.80 per week. However, Minister Simon Harris and the HSE have decided to axe this extra training allowance of €31.80 per week for all school leavers who start a Rehabilitative Training Course in September 2019. In addition, The HSE, which has a deficit of €116 million, has warned that it may have to curtail funding to disability services. 1. Disability Women Ireland want the training allowance of €31.80 per week to be retained for individuals starting Rehabilitative Training Courses in September 2019. 2. Disability Women Ireland want to stop this threat to the funding of Rehabilitative Training Services. This training is extremely valuable to disabled people giving them skills, independence and the ability to contribute to Irish society. The Mission of Disabled Women Ireland is (DWI) is to be a National voice for the needs and rights of women, trans and non-binary people with disabilities and a National force to improve the lives and life chances of people with disabilities. “Equality for women, and equality for disabled people must work hand in hand if either is to be successful” — Disabled Women Ireland https://www.disabledwomenireland.org/ https://www.facebook.com/DWIreland/

From 2020 onwards the Clare County Council WILL ONLY MAKE ONE OF THE BEACH HUTS AVAILABLE in Kilkee, which would make it impossible for Nevsail to continue to operate its business successfully. Nevsail has been running our Kilkee Watersports Camps for kids and teens for 15 years now and families book their summer holidays to Kilkee again and again, because of the activities and adventure services we provide. We have been told many many times that lots of the kids start saving up there own pocket money all year round so that they can book on with us. Parents love dropping their kids to us each day in the knowing that their children are safe and having fun, whilst they are able to take a lovely cliff walk and a tea/coffee in one of the local businesses. Nevsail hopes the Clare County Council will still allow Nevsail to continue to rent both beach huts as they have been doing so for the last 15 years as having one hut only to operate from would cause us huge problems and we have no other suitable options available from 2020. There has to be a suitable solution that we could come to that would allow Nevsail to keep on operating without this change drastically affecting our business, other businesses and subsequently tourism in Kilkee, Co. Clare. Asit stands, from 2020, Nevsail will not be able to take any more group bookings, such as school tours etc with only one hut, as it is obviously not allowed to have both males and female getting change in the same change facility. This is 50% of the Nevsail’s business. Over the 15 of years in operation, I do believe Nevsail has been a great asset to Kilkee and to all who have enjoyed the water activities with us. And I do believe that the surrounding towns and the Loop Head have gained too because of Nevsail's operation and it is essential to have activities to offer people in order to further develop tourism in the area. We have also set up with local hotels for accommodation and some groups and guests often stay overnight in Kilkee (Stella Mara’s and Myles Creek and Pure Camping). Kids on school tours purchase food at Nolan’s shop, Mace and pick up some lovely treats at Rosarie’s and the Blue Dolphin for their trip home. Each Easter, we run our very popular Nevsail Easter Egg Hunt for the kids on the Kilkee Beach and this fundraiser raises much needed funds for the AWARE charity (helping people with mental health issues) and this year we raiser over €1350 on the day. At present, we employ two Kilkee locals, one staff member from Lizzycasey and 2-3 others who rent accomadation in Kilkee whilst working with us during the summer months. We have brought the TV Nationwide programme, TG4, RTE Radio, Clare FM and many more media operators to Kilkee to record and film with us, promoting and selling Kilkee over the last 15 years. If Nevsail Watersports is not able to continue as it has been because of the beach hut been taken off us in 2020, this could mean serious loss of income, employment and services to Nevsail and I do believe the wider communities and businesses in Kilkee and Co. Clare. Would you please please help Nevsail by signing our petition, writing to the Clare County Council or anyone who you think might be able to help us or to your local newspaper or radio station about this issue before Nevsail are forced out of business because of the Clare County Council.

Nature fully supports not just human life, but all life on the mother being planet that we call earth. It is now that we must show solidarity & support her, before it’s too late. Now is the moment to take action. Now is the moment to recognize nature in our constitution, just as we recognize our brothers & sisters. We welcome this reestablishment with our direct environment, as it is beyond crucial to life on earth.

The impact of the toxic chemicals on the Public is unknown and is as offensive as passive cigarette smokers 66% of Irish people polled would like it banned.

The Irish sex education curriculum needs to be objective, factual and inclusive and taught without the barrier of school ethos. Support the Oireachtas Education Committee and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessments recommendations to reform the current sex education curriculum. It is imperative that: - Young people grow up with the right information in order to make informed decisions about their own sexuality and relationships. - Young people grow up understanding consent, especially in the #MeToo era and at a time when there remains a high prevalence of sexual assault, harassment and violence. - Young people grow up inclusive of people's sexual orientation, gender identity and the spectrum thereof, at a time when LGBT students still face high amounts of homophobic and transphobic related bullying.

Our beautiful planet has reached a dangerous toxic load of Roundup weedkiller. In 2018 over 5 billion pounds of it was spread worldwide and this will rise each year if we do not stop it. Roundup's makers, Monsanto, have been proven in numerous high profile lawsuits to have hidden the scientific proof that it does not, as they claimed in the 1970s, break down in the soil; it remains active and therefore harmful for at least ten years. Yet still we spray. The fact that is does not break down is evidenced by it being found in urine and breast milk samples, and organic honeys which are nowhere near spraying. It is, at this stage, everywhere. It has been proven to attack beneficial bacteria in all lifeforms, including humans, and is linked to numerous diseases including cancers, celiac disease, autism and gluten intolerance. It is proven to kill honeybees and other pollinators, and has been implicated in the ill health and death of dogs and other pets. The only reason it is still on the shelves is because our business-focused governments keep lobbying to keep it there. We are essentially putting the profits of corporations above the health and future of our planet. This is insanity. The only way we are going to stop the spraying is by pressuring those in the newly formed council to wake up and take action; to remind them their jobs are to serve the community's healthy and well-being, not amass wealth for an elite class. Look around your towns and countryside, and when you see Roundup sprayed speak up. Tell people that there are much healthier and cheaper alternatives. See recipes here: https://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Recipe_for_Vinegar_Weed_Killer