Too many of our children and teenagers are self-harming and dying by suicide, many of whom have reached out to their peers, many of whom are being bullied by others. Irish Millie Tuomey aged 11 killed herself after announcing to friends that she wanted to die, Darren Hughes 17 from Balbriggan and Gabriella Green aged 12 died also killed themselves after they were cyberbullied. Our children and teenagers often find it easier to talk to friends instead of their parents but these friends are often unequipped to help. Some kids want to tell an adult that they are worried about someone but they don't want their friend knowing they betrayed their trust and often are just afraid to get involved in case they get bullied too so they stay quiet and say nothing. Often kids themselves want to tell a teacher that they are dealing with bullying, suicide thoughts, self-harm or abuse but they find it too hard to reach out and are often afraid that it will get worse if the bullies find out they told. By introducing "Speak-up" boxes, it allows the children and teenagers to anonymously tip off the teachers that one of their classmates are in harm's way and may need support. This allows the teachers and parents to put in the necessary supports. The person themselves that is being bullied can make an anonymous report about themselves without fear that the bullies will know they went to a teacher as anybody could have reported it. These "Speak up" boxes should be in all schools, in bathrooms, common areas and easily accessed. There should also be a way to "speak up" online also anonymously without fear of repercussion. Enough of our children and teens have suffered long-lasting damage because they were dealing with these issues alone. We need the Minister of Education and the Schools to be pro-active instead of reactive in reaching out to make it easier for their classmates to speak up without fear of consequence. We are thankfully getting to an age where "whistleblowing" and "speaking up" is seen as brave and right and no-longer tell-tattling or troublemaking. We need to pass this message onto our children and teens to protect them from harm's way.

The Office for Public Works (OPW), a government agency, is proposing to build the new Garda Operations Center over the route of the greenway in Kilmainham. The greenway will be a pedestrian and cycle only route from the gates of the Irish Muesem of Modern Art (IMMA) at Royal Kilmainham Hospital along the river Camac to Heuston station. The OPW does not have planning permission yet. They don't have to build over the greenway route. They are only using 29% of their proposed site for the new building. They can move the building off of the greenway route protecting it for local residents and visitors to our city. This greenway will provide a safe and friendly environment for locals and visitors to move freely in this part of the city. It will connect key cultural and tourist destinations in our city such as Kilmainham Gaol, the Irish Museum of Modern art to the rest of the city. It should not be built over. "I avoid cycling in the area. It's too unsafe. My only option is the busy N4 dual carriageway alongside Heuston station. This greenway will give me a safe alternative to cycle to work" -- Kevin, local resident "This greenway will give me a safe and quick option to walk from my train at Heuston to my patients. I currently walk alongside the Luas tracks and it just doesn't feel safe" -- Sarah, nurse at St. James' Hospital Sign this petition to show your support. There is more you can do. Follow these steps to show more support: https://www.rivercamacgreenway.com/support

The Seabury Estate is over 35 years old and there has never been a bus shelter at either Stop 4339 or Stop 3641. The existing bus stops are very exposed, with nowhere nearby to sit or to shelter from the elements. https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.4525644,-6.1835511,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjgcbXMtoje192aqXZtPCdA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en These stops are used by a wide variety of people, including older people, the disabled, wheelchair users, parents with buggies and young children, school kids and everyday commuters. Dublin Bus will consider building bus shelters if enough people sign this petition.

2006 saw a lot of new housing estates built in Bweeng with no amenities for the people moving into these estates. A childcare facility was to be built but builders never built it. The estate was left unfinished after the recession and Nama had control of the estate. They put in for planning to change the childcare facility to two houses. Now estate Is finished with 80 houses and no provision for Early years service.

Every parent should be able to send their child to a school where they feel they will get the best possible start in life. In the town of Tramore there are three denominational primary schools. The Educate Together is the only multi-denominational primary school, however if the Department's recent decision to downgrade the school to 'half stream' status is implemented, the school will only be able to accept 13 students every year. This in a town with a population of over 10,000 people. The Educate Together ethos supports children's moral and spiritual development and teaches children about different belief systems. Everyone takes part and no one has to opt out. Due to the dedication and hard-work of the Principal and teachers of Educate Together in Tramore, places for the school are in very high demand. The Department's decision is taking away the option for parents of all faiths and none to educate their children in a school which reflects their equality based ethos. That this can be allowed happen in 2018 is a scandal. We call on the D.E.S. to reverse their unwarranted decision and allow Tramore Educate Together to grow to full capacity to serve the children of Tramore into the future. This will give the people of Tramore the educational choice that they were promised after the 2012 plebiscite on school patronage.

At the moment the Dep of Education doesn't allocate a set time for eating, leaving each school to decide it for themselves. For many years parents have been complaining that children were coming back home with their lunches barely touched, their explanation being the lack of time. This is a very unhealthy habit that concurs in many eating related problems, in the short as in the long term (as obesity and other issues) We believe it's time to review this and the first step is for the schools to have set a minimum of 20 minutes for eating in a single lunch break, followed by the recreation time.

We want the people's voice to be heard respecting water and sanitation services in Ireland, and a referendum be held. Across the globe ordinary people have undergone tremendous hardship and suffering when water services are privatised. Water is a human right and must never be under the control of 'for profit' companies. Publicly owned, funded and managed water and sanitation services, free at the point of use, is the only way to guarantee access for all.

Every parent should be able to send their child to a school where they feel they will get the best possible start in life. There are currently 4 primary schools in New Ross and a further 4 within 5km of the town. 7 out of these 8 are Catholic schools with The Educate Together being the only multi-denominational primary school in the area. However, due to the Department's recent decision to downgrade the school to 'half stream' status, New Ross Educate Together will only be able to accept 13 students every year. This is in a town with a population of over 8,000 people. The Educate Together ethos supports children's moral and spiritual development and teaches them about different belief systems. Everyone takes part and no one has to opt out. Due to the dedication and hard-work of the Principal, staff and community of families of Educate Together in New Ross, places for the school are in high demand. The Department's decision is taking away the option for parents of all faiths and none to educate their children in a school which reflects their equality based ethos. This restriction violates the lawful rights of families to choose a school that reflects their religious and philosophical beliefs. That this can be allowed happen in 2018 is nothing short of a disgrace. By reverting back to its original decision to allow the Educate Together become a full-stream school, as well as help identify a suitable permanent site for the school, the Department can make good its original promise to the families of New Ross. Our children should be allowed to flourish and grow in the best possible environment for them.

The new Metro-North Project is a vital piece of infrastructure connecting the growing town of Swords, with Dublin Airport, Dublin City University and Dublin City Centre. The existing roads and bus infrastructure is at breaking point and the need for a high speed and environmentally friendly rail solution for Swords and the M1 corridor is long overdue. With the Government due to announce a €100 billion Capital Plan in the next couple of weeks, it is vital Metro-North is included as a priority piece of infrastructure to be progressed. The National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland commenced preparatory work on the planning and design of the project over the past two years and a dedicated Steering Group was set up by the previous Government to push Metro North forward. We are now at a crucial point and we want to see the detailed planning process get underway in the first half of this year if construction is to begin by 2021. For that to happen Minister Donohoe needs to give the go-ahead now! Let the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure know that this is a long overdue priority for the people of Swords...Let's have our voices heard!

Alcohol marketers direct advertising at them with the aim of gaining lifelong loyal customers. These companies are well known as the best and most effective advertisers in the world. Why is it that children cannot enter dedicated off-licenses but convenience stores like these are free to place their alcohol sections so that children cannot avoid them? Centra has over 450 branches in Ireland and have recently become part of the huge Musgrave group. If they find this layout to be profitable they may well decide to implement it in all their stores.

We believe that UCD campus should be a firm opponent of the actions of Aramark and not an associate. Therefore we are calling on the termination of UCD's contract with Aramark. The contractor that then replaces Aramark must not be involved in any way with the running of direct provision in Ireland. In 2016 the Irish government gave Aramark €5.2 million for services in three direct provision centres across the country. These three centres are Knockalisheen in Co. Limerick, Lissywollen in Co. Meath and Kinsale Road in Co. Cork. Residents of these centres have raised serious concerns over the spending of this money. In 2014 there was a hunger strike in Lissywollen accommodation centre in Athlone protesting poor hygiene, small portion sizes and unacceptable living standards. Following this in 2015 a man in the Knockalisheen centre was hospitalised due to poor food quality. UCD must listen to the concerns of those who have suffered at the hands of Aramark's poor treatment of those in direct provision and their contract must be terminated.

Galway, with a population of 80,000 people, is a beautiful, thriving, bilingual city in the west of Ireland, situated on the Corrib, and the gateway to the biggest Gaeltacht in Ireland. The people of Galway however face the daily challenge of serious traffic congestion which impacts enormously on their quality of life. In addition, Galway is projected to increase its population to 124,000 people by 2040 so urgent action must be taken to improve the public transport system in the city. We also face a real challenge in fulfilling our commitments under climate mitigation legislation which oblige us to take both immediate and long terms steps to reduce our emissions. A light rail system, as part of an integrated public transport system, will go a long way towards achieving these objectives. It will also provide positive opportunities for sustainable urban renewal. We believe that the provision of a light rail service in Galway has to be an integral and essential part of the solution. Building on the dedicated work of the Gluas team, the matter was raised in the Dáil in November, 2017 with the Minister for Transport with a view to providing a light rail service in Galway. The Minister’s response is interesting and is worth a look: https://goo.gl/paGKDT He issued a challenge to the people of Galway to show that there is a demand for light rail, and if we can show that demand, he is willing to discuss and review the situation. That challenge has led to this petition campaign which started on the streets of Galway on the 13th of January 2018 and which will continue for 8 weeks, with the specific aim of collecting 30,000 signatures. If you haven’t signed the petition already on the streets of Galway, please show your support by signing now. Now is the time to act.