The evidence regarding the detrimental impact of unregulated access to the internet and social media on our children and young people is overwhelming. It is an evolving youth mental health crisis which is a societal challenge and requires leadership and political will to address. In the words of Prof. Matthew Sadlier (Chair of the Irish Medical Organisation Consultants Committee) at the Gen Free launch in Greystones on Sept 17th, “The radical changes in behaviour of children that we have seen since the introduction of immersive digital technology is having an overwhelming harmful effect”. Legislation is urgently needed and our campaign is now giving a clear call to action. Let’s make our voices heard and protect children online. The time is now With an election fast approaching, now is the time to get this on the agenda for every decision-maker and TD in the country.  #GenFree #FreetobeKids Campaign coverage: https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0918/1470524-online-safety-children-campaign/   People and Organisations supporting this campaign; • Irish Medical Organisation, (IMO) • Dr. Richard Hogan, Family Psychotherapist, • Dr. Catherine Conlon, Senior Medical Officer, HSE, • Prof. Mary Aiken, Professor of Cyberpsychology, • Dr. Brigid Teevan, Doctor in Childhood Studies, • Dr. Joanna Fortune, Psychotherapist & Clinical Author, • Dr. Colman Noctor, Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist • Dr. David Coleman, Clinical Psychologist & Author, • CyberSafeKids, • Temple Carrig Secondary School, • It Takes a Village, • Barnardos, Rahoo, • Noone Cyber Services, • Counselling Forward. • A Path Appears.

I think I can safely say that I speak for every single Irish Rugby Fan with this petition.  This is Irish Rugby's 150th Anniversary, a landmark season that needs to be a stand out one and recognized globally.  This can't be done with the generic, collarless, socceresque jersey that was released last week.  This can't only be done with the traditional, iconic white collared Green & Gold Jersey that was announced today.  Forget the talk of limited edition, we don't want this as a souvenir jersey with no game time played in it, all true Irish Rugby fans urge the IRFU, Canterbury & Elverys Sports to reconsider their decision while there's still time and make this absolutely stunning design as Irish Rugby's home Jersey for the 2024/2025 season.  Do your part by signing this position but also do that little bit more and point blank refuse to buy the forgettable, round neck, turquoise jersey that was released last week.  Thanks for taking the time to read  Philip O'Reilly 

So many of us were horrified to learn about the extent of sexual abuse that has taken place in religious run schools in Ireland. A scoping inquiry report uncovered 2,395 allegations of abuse against 884 alleged abusers over a 30 year period in schools run by religious orders. Despite this wide-scale abuse, more than 90% of schools are still controlled by religious institutions. We are calling on this government to end religious patronage of schools in Ireland and to offer all children the safe, secular education they deserve. Education Minister Norma Foley has been dragging her feet on this issue for too long. It's long past time for action. 

The North Wall CTC has been closed since February 2020. Over the last four and a half years, it has become an eyesore to the surrounding areas. It is a prime example of the neglect and abandonment experienced throughout inner-city communities. This failure should not be allowed, and our community should not accept this either.  However, despite the unanimous agreement at the Dublin Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum in September 2022 that the building should be repurposed for education and childcare needs, there has been a lack of drive or will to push through the necessary restoration works. The issue seems to have been dropped due to an estimated repair cost of approximately €3 million.  Since 2021, Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn  Féin have called for this site for public use, such as the after-school support programme. Utilising this site for childcare provisions or something similar will benefit the entire North Wall area community.  Our community deserves respect, and €3 million is a tiny expense compared to money  other government departments spend. The value of this building to the community as an amenity is worth multiple times the estimated costs for renovating it.  The North Wall community deserves to have this building refurbished and put directly to community use. The potential benefits include childcare, healthcare, training and education, a Men’s Shed, Senior Citizens centre and many more. The community now needs to drive this issue and demand these works occur.  If you support this campaign and wish to see positive investment in your community, please sign this petition. There will also be community days of action where we will call on the community to attend a demonstration outside the centre 

Joining our campaign supports fairness by eliminating employment barriers for non-EU PhD students' spouses, who are crucial in helping their partners’ studies. This change will make Ireland more attractive to top talent, strengthen the economy with diverse skills, and foster social integration. It also alleviates financial strain on students, enhancing their research focus. Advocating for this change sets a positive example of solidarity and inclusivity. Sign the petition to help make a difference for these families and promote a fairer society.

 Joining our campaign supports fairness and equality by eliminating employment barriers for non-EU PhD students' spouses, who play a crucial role in supporting their partners’ academic pursuits. This change will enhance Ireland’s global appeal, making it a more attractive destination for top talent and strengthening the economy by bringing diverse skills into the workforce. Additionally, it fosters social integration, enriches cultural diversity, and alleviates financial strain on PhD students, allowing them to focus on their research. Advocating for this change sets a positive example of solidarity and progressive policy, demonstrating Ireland’s commitment to inclusivity and encouraging similar measures globally. Sign the petition today to help make a significant difference in the lives of these families and promote a fairer, more inclusive society. 

Soft play can be an incredibly fun experience for the little ones. However, this is not the only benefit of soft play for children. It also has demonstrated fundamental cognitive benefits. Soft play helps children develop their motor skills such as hand-eye coordination whilst in a safe environment to practise and develop their skills. The soft play environment will stimulate brain function and development and can help enhance children’s sensory processing abilities, which can improve their focus and attention. It also helps children to recognise cause and effect - a skill which commonly starts around 18 months, reaching a more competent ability around 36 months. At which point children are able to begin making predictions on what potentially may happen and show indications of reflection over what causes things to happen. These are fundamental skills for children to learn and so doing it in a soft, protective environment allows them to discover and practise them freely and somewhat independently, thanks to the soft play cushions and sensory soft play equipment. Social benefits of soft play for children Another role of soft play in child development is the advancement of their social skills. By learning through play, children can gain a basic understanding of how the world around them works. As an example, if you’re not nice to someone, they won’t respond well to you. This is also an example of cause and effect in practice. Soft play and socialisation go hand in hand. Children build kills and traits such as: confidence, resilience, self-esteem, independence, curiosity and how to cope with challenging situations. Learning through play also helps in developing language, imagination, and when to trust their instincts. Children can communicate and interact with their peers, allowing them to express their feelings, share ideas with one another, and build lasting relationships. Having this level of intellectual development at a young age will give children a huge advantage as they get older and start to participate in society. Physical benefits of soft play for children Another key benefit of soft play rooms for kids is physical development. As adults, we don’t tend to think about controlling our movements as it’s so hardwired in us. And when we’re children, it mostly happens naturally. There are two types of motor development that children will learn - fine motor development and gross motor development. Fine motor development involves learning more delicate tasks, for example, moving smaller things with their hands and balancing. Whereas gross motor development includes bigger movements such as running, skipping, jumping and climbing. Soft play helps children to develop gross motor development and fine motor development skills because there are so many activities on offer. Rope ladders, stepping stones, rollers and ball pits to name but a few. Climbing over obstacles and navigating the twists and turns of the indoor soft play equipment is a delicate task that requires a level of athletic ability and also decent motor skills. This combination of skills is what makes soft play so essential for a child’s development as it promotes good physical fitness, agility, coordination, and balance. Regular participation in soft play can contribute to the overall physical health and well-being of children, helping to reduce the risk of obesity and related health issues.

We would appreciate if everyone from the area could sign this and get the equestrian facilities for the area that are needed. Our kids put there hearts and soles into looking after there horse keeping themselves busy and out of trouble until the horse pound come in and does a clear out after all the tender loving care and money  has gone into our horses the last visit from the pound was at 10.40pm on the 18/06/2024 siezed 5 horses and left many young kids heartbroke this so going on far to long now the love for horses is not going to leave the area by just keep pounding the horse but pounding the younger generations horses is just going to give them more free time and push up anti social behaviour in our area so we are asking for a safe and secure location for the horses for our younger generations to keep them doing what they love and keep them off the streets 

*WARNING* Possible wake up call ahead, be prepared to grab the wheel! To all the parents like myself on all the WhatsApp groups, checking the time of GAA training for tomorrow... Recently driving home from work I felt I was nodding off a bit, a product of this modern world, too much on, too much running around, too much technology coming at me, I'm exhausted to be honest! When I got home and after doing the domestic dance of who's making dinner that night, I fell in front of what was my "babysitter" growing up - the TV. At the same time my kids are spread out all over the house in front of their modern "babysitter" - the mobile phone. Why did I get them these devices? Because you got them for your kids, and you got them because I got them for my kids, peer pressure at its worst! The internet is an amazing tool, the reason you are reading this message, but we all know there is the dark side that we don't like to think about, is it a case of modern life has us so tired that we are asleep at the wheel or are we just turning a blind eye? The internet is like a car, difficult to live without one, safe and practical in the hands of an adult, but give a car to a 12-16 year old and it's possibly a form of abuse! Dangerous to the child and dangerous to those around that child! The state has a dark history of child abuse, something you would think would not happen again in our modern society, that we would not let it happen on our watch, however abuse can come in many subtle forms! Are we all guilty of staying quiet like all those cases years ago, choosing the easier path!? The media is awash with the side effects of these devices - social media anxiety, mental health issues, shore attention span, behavioural issues, desensitization to violence, social disruption, sleeping disorders, eating disorders, underage sex, teenage pregnancies, underage sex crimes - the list goes on, it’s some punishment on our kids and on our communities just so they can be "connected" and watch a few dance videos! Even with something as trivial as dance videos you start to realise the algorithms are pushing more and more sexualized content towards you! The sexualization of our kids at such a young age and the normalization of that fact is a serious modern-day issue. "You need to build a relationship with your kids, educate your kids" - this is what most internet guides tell parents. Good advice but it only addresses "pull" technology i.e. educate your kids not to go looking for the darker side of the internet. The problem is exacerbated now by "push" technology such as Snapchat where the darker side comes looking for you! Everything is not how it seems when it comes to Snapchat, on one side there is what appears to be a harmless app where kids can swap funny photos etc. On the other side it’s an unregulated, unfiltered, hidden, dark network, where kids can make and receive any kind of content they like, and I mean ANYTHING! Sure, wasn't there always a playboy magazine knocking around back in the day I hear you say, but the playboy magazine didn't contain graphical content of underage kids, and wasn't interactive, asking you to create content back! If you said 20 years ago that we're going to create a device and put it into each child's pocket and one thing it will enable is for kids to send naked pictures and videos of themselves to each other, then people would have thought you were crazy! Snapchat knows this but are too busy making millions, it will argue they are only supplying the pipes, the kids are the ones pushing the toxic water through. It's the gun manufacture debate, they only make the guns, you're the one pulling the trigger. Just like web email has filters, Snapchat could implement filters, they choose not to, they could even put AI software in place that says “we know that's you, cop yourself on”! As a 16-year-old, I would have been all over Snapchat, it has the thrill of a new relationship, aspects of gaming (fishing for better rewards) as well as the titillation! The content circulating on Snapchat can trigger kids to have an interest in porn, they then go looking for stronger content in other places on the internet. There's also a known sextortion scam circulating on Snapchat which has led to numerous shocking suicides! People say you can't change Society, but Society is the people, Society is us, we can change! Why did we get the phones in the first place? Society put peer pressure on us to get them, so let’s put peer pressure back on Society to change, then Society can go full circle and remove the phones! I believe most parents deep down know we've made a mistake with access to these phones at too early an age. Forget all the serious issues above, even just to get rid of the domestic arguments around screen time would make them worth removing! This is the cigarettes of our time causing the cancer in our Society, I truly believe in 10 years’ time people will look back and say, “what the hell were we thinking?!” Our government knows they are awash with social and underage issues but are they asleep at the wheel or is it a case of too little too late? Are they willing to take on the phone manufacturers?! The ask here is that you put your name to this petition asking for a public vote on smart phones. I believe if the vote was put to the public, the public would do the right thing! If you want to get involved in our movement, please join our Smartphone Free Childhood Ireland WhatsApp Group Invite And/or please take this quick poll (only two questions - do you believe there should be a minimum age and if so, what age?) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8PJK9SH Thanks for reading, let's keep our kids safe out there! Sound Bytes Sam References: Jonathan Haidt on the Mental-Health Crisis and Smartphones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6NfPHrVilc The Anxious Generation Evidence  https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/research/the-evidence

Please get behind this campaign to keep the horticulture course open in West Cork Campus Skibbereen. This course provides people with opportunitites to train and work in this area in the west cork area. Growing food, increasing biodiversity and ecology in something we need to promote. Please sign this petition to keep the course open, for those that are already enrolled on it and prospective students who wish to study this important and sustainably driven subject. Closing this course will deny people who genuinley want to study and work in the area of Horticulture in West Cork. It does not make any sense! This is a sustainable and practical career choice for those living in West Cork and should be retained. We call on the Cork ETB (Education Training Board) and all our local representatives to keep this course open. 

The Newpark Academy of Music has been providing musical experience and education for neigh on 45yrs.  Young and old have stepped across its doors to plunge into a world of nuanced musical expression. Newpark - though it's many guises of individual classical and jazz lessons, choirs, orchestra, quartets - has provided a locus of community involvement for its students and their families. The mental health benefits accued from being involved with musical expression is well documented. In a post covid era where many of us are struggling to move our children and ourselves away from screen based activites, the loss of Newpark Academy of Music is the loss of something indefinable and vitally important to the students who have crossed its threshold.  Music feeds our soul.  To have a school providing high quality teaching in the suburbs, indeed on the doorstep of many students homes is an exceptional resource, one to be cherished and protected. The loss of Newpark Academy of Music to the area of Blackrock and Stillorgan will be enormous. This resource is too important to let slip away. 

Learning to grow your own food organically in a world where food security is a growing concern, is a valuable life skill.  Young people deserve to have the opportunity to learn to grow healthy food to ensure their ability to manage the impact of an increasingly volatile global food production system. A Leaving Certificate subject that would award 50% of the marks for practical work - as is the case with music, for example - would ensure that students can develop and maintain a school garden and orchard under the expertise of a properly qualified teacher, thereby enhancing their school environment and providing freshly produced organic food for their school's canteen.  23% of the global land surface has reduced productivity as a result of unsustainable, industrial, agriculture practices (1). Organic agriculture, which has benefits for biodiversity, soil health and water quality, is a key tool in halting and reversing this trend. Unfortunately, Ireland has one of the lowest rates of organic farming in Europe (2), which means the government should make a concerted effort to encourage the uptake of organic food production at both large and small scale.  Introducing a subject in Irish secondary schools that would allow teenagers to learn how to grow their own food sustainably would be a positive step in contributing to Ireland's food sovereignty. The subject should be based on the principles of agro-ecology, to ensure that students learn how to grow food in a way that protects and enhances biodiversity. Chemical herbicides, many of which are known to be carcinogenic, have no place in a school environment and should not be part of the curriculum.  At a time when the climate and biodiversity crises expose our food production models to ever greater vulnerabilities, it has never been more important to build local, resilient and sustainable food systems. We call on the Minister for Education, Norma Foley, to give young people the skills to make this happen by introducing Organic Horticulture as a Leaving Certificate subject.   (1) IFOAM Organics International: https://www.ifoam.bio/why-organic (2) European Environment Agenc: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/agricultural-area-used-for-organic