Substance misuse accounted for 3000 deaths in 2021 in Northern Ireland - a 60% increase from the previous 10 years. It is young adults who are at the highest risk of substance misuse related death. A Treatment Centre has been opened in Scotland who have taken a person-centred approach - which has been praised as international best practice. We need to do the same here.

Libraries are vital public services for our communities to come together and learn in NI. However, funding has been cut in real terms by almost £20 million pounds over the past decade. The financial situation is so dire that there is no budget to buy books and libraries have had to reduce opening hours. It's time for the government to fund our libraries properly!

The accommodation Trinity so graciously provides its students is overpriced and dingy, with terrible WiFi, frequently malfunctioning utilities and an almost non-existent maintenance system. On top of the conditions in these flats, we as residents are subjected to arbitrary limitations on our autonomy and personal lives such as the overnight guests policy. The policy of not letting students sign in guests after 11pm at Halls, and 12am on campus disproportionately limits the rights and autonomy of student residents. It is a paternalistic, dangerous and hypocritical policy. Firstly, it is paternalistic because it does not treat students as adults capable of making their own choices. Secondly, it is dangerous because someone might need to sleep at a resident’s place, such as in cases where they miss their public transport and cannot get home. Rejecting them from a safe place to sleep is unacceptable. It makes no sense in terms of controlling numbers because overnight guests can simply come on campus before midnight - as such, in any case, this policy is ineffective and only serves to put us in danger. Thirdly, it is hypocritical because the same policy does not apply to staff living on campus, such as lecturers or Fellows. The issue has been raised to the TCDSU by multiple student residents over a number of years, and as such we immediately call on College to change the policy to allow student residents to sign in guests any time. Finally, students should be allowed on-campus any time to access the 24/7 library, society rooms and to leave to get food and return when studying overnight in these places. College claims that they are doing this for our 'security' and our 'ability to study' and to not be 'disturbed'. They claim that they are doing this for our benefit. Yet, this is just a paternalistic control mechanism that College applies to us in order to limit our autonomy and indoctrinate us into following authority, forming part of a larger trend to make education a factory process to mould us into the ideal future workers. We, the undersigned, categorically state that we do not want the overnight guests policy, that we are well able to deal with overnight guests coming into our flats and that we reject the paternalistic embrace of College.

Tá géarchéim san earnáil lán-Ghaeilge agus Ghaeltachta ó thaobh soláthar múinteoirí le blianta fada. Eascraíonn sé as ganntanas múinteoirí ag an dá leibhéal a bhfuil an cumas cuí teanga acu le múineadh i scoil lán-Ghaeilge/Ghaeltachta. Is ionann an liúntas le haghaidh múneadh trí Ghaeilge agus €1,785 in aghaidh na bliana do mhúinteoirí a bhí ag múineadh roimh Nollaig 2011. Baineadh dhá liúntas eile de mhúinteoirí nua ag an an céanna; liúntas do mhúinteoirí i scoileanna Gaeltachta agus an liúntas dóibh ag múineadh ar na hoileáin. Tá luach €3,455 ar an liúntas Gaeltachta agus €2,078 ar an liúntas do mhúinteoirí i scoileanna oileáin. Ó cuireadh deireadh leis an liúntas don teagasc trí Ghaeilge sa bhliain 2011, níl aon dreasacht nó aitheantas ceart á thabhairt do na freagrachtaí móra breise atá i gceist do mhúinteoirí a bhíonn ag múineadh i suíomh lán-Ghaeilge, áit a bhfuil an tumoideachas i bhfeidhm. Tá córais cosúil leis an liúntas i bhfeidhm cheana féin i dtíortha eile ina mbíonn múinteoirí ag obair i suíomhanna dátheangacha nó suíomhanna tumoideachais, ar nós An Nua-Shéalainn, Haváí, agus Ceanada. Creideann Gaeloideachas gur chóir luach ceart a chur ar an obair seo agus aitheantas a thabhairt do na múinteoirí atá á dhéanamh. Mar sin, táimid i mbun abhcóideachta ar an gceist seo, agus bheadh bhur gcuid tacaíochta mar chabhair mhór leis an bhfeachtas agus na teachtaireachtaí thíos a choinneáil i mbéal an phobail. #LuachTríLiúntas

0% Irish female solo artists featured in the Top 50 Radio Charts songs of 2022. In 2023 only 3% 3% of the Top 100 Songs on Irish radio in 2023 included solo/lead/front Irish female artists. 3,255,000 listeners tune into Irish radio every weekday. When it comes to music, getting your song added to a playlist on a radio station can be life-changing for an Irish artist. The Irish broadcasting sector has historically not supported women or diverse artists in music from Ireland. Following a series of Gender Disparity Data Reports conducted by Linda Coogan Byrne and her team at Why Not Her?, the evidence showed that Irish radio managers consciously decide year in and year out to exclude Irish female-identifying artists, female fronting bands and diverse artists from Radio Playlists across Ireland. Of songs featured in the Top 50 Radio Charts of 2022, only 12% were by domestic Irish artists or bands (0% Irish female solo artists). This translates to 6 songs by 4 Irish artists: 1 song by Belters Only feat. Jazzy; 3 songs by Dermot Kennedy; 1 song by Moncrieff; and 1 song by Welshy feat. Nono. None were by Irish persons of colour - solo artists or groups - and none were by female solo artists or groups. Fast forward a year later and only 3% of the Top 100 Songs on Irish radio in 2023 included solo/lead/front Irish female artists: Jazzy*, Aimée and Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries. As the years go by, it is becoming more and more difficult for Irish people to discover and hear the music of Irish women and diverse artists. When asked why there are so few women artists played on the radio, managers said: "Men make better music than women" "Why are you feeding us to the wolves?" "We don't have the budget to be diverse" "We don't make the rules" "Women just moan" "She is too old and long in the tooth to be making music" "We actually had some women on a Special Friday Night show back in Feb" "It's the label's fault, not ours" "You should analyse the record companies. You’ll see an imbalance in what we’re being sent". "It is whatever makes the charts" "People prefer to listen to male acts, they request them on air!" "You need to be careful and stop stepping on people's toes in radio" "You need to stop asking questions" In the meantime, many new and emerging male artists are recognised and supported across the airwaves, allowing for a host of new household names to emerge in the landscape of Irish music in the past decade. It is common for white male lead/front artists/bands such as Hozier, Gavin James, Cian Ducrot, Robert Grace, Moncrieff, The Script, etc. to be heavily played during the day and evening on Irish airwaves, while their diverse and female counterparts are played in the middle of the night. The Journal.ie 13.02.24 https://www.thejournal.ie/prev/6298235/dvX7Tyf5Xocvo/

The people of Cork support Palestine. Disney supports Israel. We can’t have our favourite radio station sponsored by Disney!

This interim flood relief scheme will allow us to sleep at night and not worry about waking up to waist-height contaminated water and having to carry our babies out to safety again. The residents of Gleann Fia are continuing to live this nightmare every time it rains.

I am calling on you to boycott St. Patrick's Day Celebrations at The White House this year. This would be a powerful sign of solidarity with Palestine that would reflect the feelings of Irish people & have a massive impact around the world. You are either against genocide in Gaza or you are not. I will not vote for any politician who travels to Washington & shakes the blood-soaked hands of Joe Biden.

We are teachers; we teach children. We teach them about society and how they will grow up to be full participants in society. We teach them about empathy and solidarity; and we teach them, when they see obvious injustice, that they should act. We are horrified to be witnessing a deliberate, catastrophic humanitarian tragedy being inflicted on Gaza. We say this because we do not believe that the killing of children can be justified as "collateral damage," in the pursuit of a murderous, illusory, self-defeating and futile goal. Nor do we accept assurances that efforts are being made to avoid the deaths of children. Since October the 7th, over 13,000 children have died violently in Gaza; 4551 of them were school students. An additional 8,193 children have suffered injuries. We teach children every day, we know that these are not just numbers. Each of these children is as precious as your own child. These are innocent lives, cut short in the most barbaric manner. To date, 231 of our teaching colleagues in Gaza have been murdered, and 762 injured in brutal attacks by the Israeli army, which has been given billions of dollars by the United States to destroy Gaza. Schools - the bastions of hope and enlightenment - are being mercilessly and illegally targeted. A staggering 281 schools have been bombed or damaged; 83 are severely damaged; one-third are inoperable; and seven are utterly destroyed. To compound this tragedy, 133 schools are now makeshift shelters for displaced civilians, clinging to the vain hope that schools will not be targeted. We cannot turn a blind eye to the unambiguous war crimes that are being committed; to the genocidal assertions made by members of the Israeli cabinet; nor to the on-going ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, to facilitiate colonisation of their land. If you also believe that the mass slaughter of children, the assassination of teachers and the destruction of the educational system of Gaza is unacceptable, then we ask you to join us in saying stop. Just stop. Simply stop. We, the undersigned teachers from every corner of the globe, urgently demand you use your influence and resources to champion an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and in the West Bank. The time for diplomatic solutions and decisive action is now. We demand an immediate permanent ceasefire and the effective application of international law. Your contribution doesn't mean you are pro one group or against another. Your petition means you are pro humanity

At COP 28, the Irish government spoke on the news about false solutions, like carbon capture and storage. These insufficient solutions are a distraction and so many people around the world know this truth. As young people, we already know that burning fossil fuels is causing climate change and that fossil fuels are responsible for 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. We are the ones that will have to face the climate chaos that we didn’t create. We need to make sure Ireland does not fall into the trap of the fossil fuel industry! Please sign your name and SHARE! Bella, Aya, Zoe, Lucas, Tom, Roisin & Riley! students from North Wicklow Educate Together secondary school

In November 2023, Lotus Property brought Havelock House from Olympian Homes with the aim of using its site for a social housing development for Clanmil Housing. Olympian had made two failed attempts to demolish Havelock House, which were rejected by the local community and Belfast City Council. ​After buying the building, Lotus and Clanmil promised that community concerns would be listened to and there would be proper consultation on the proposed development. Lotus managing director, Alastair Coulson, said that: "The next 12 weeks will be about listening to stakeholders and local communities about these draft plans. We look forward to hearing all views and considering them in our plans." ​But within two weeks, Lotus and Clanmil had sent in contractors to strip out Havelock House with the aim of demolishing in January, even before the public part of their consultation began. Havelock House is one of Northern Ireland’s best-known cultural landmarks. Originally a Victorian linen factory, the building then saw service during World War II as accommodation for soldiers and was most recently the home of UTV. The local community played a key role in overturning the previous plans to demolish Havelock House. Lotus Property's rushed demolition must stop, until the promised community consultation takes place.

Last year, NHS workers and patients won a huge victory by campaigning for the NI Assembly to pass legislation to remove all hospital parking charges for all staff, patients and visitors. Devolved governments in Scotland and Wales were able to remove charges - why can't we?