Mr Leo Varadkar T.D. Minister for Social Protection Department of Social Protection, Government Office Store Street, Dublin 1 9th August 2016 Dear Minister, We write with reference to the now well-publicised decision of your department to refuse the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) to Erica Fleming, a homeless single parent who is currently raising her daughter in a hotel. As you know, education has a transformative quality. Education takes people out of poverty and dependence and gives them options in multiple fields of employment. Education quite literally changes lives. We are asking that Erica have the opportunity that […]
Thousands of guides to be distributed to students across Ireland to help them manage their money effectively, know their rights and settle into college life The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) will launch a new Guide to Student Life today in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), National University of Galway (NUIG) and Institute of Technology, Carlow (IT Carlow) with support from the PRTB (Private Residential Tenancies Board). This comprehensive guide that can fit in your back pocket is a useful resource for students and gives great tips and advice on student life. The guide covers accommodation advice, money management, […]
Kevin Donoghue, USI President, with Keith Moore, founder of Smartvote The Union of Students in Ireland will be working with ‘Smartvote’, a new website app labelled ‘The Tinder of Politics’, matching the public with political candidates that best share their views on Wednesday 13th January 2016 at 6 pm, at the Mansion House. Smartvote works by asking all political candidates their opinion on 30 topical issues. The user gives their opinion on the same issues. Smartvote then matches each user with the candidates who best represent their views. Similar voting assistance tools are already successful around Europe – Stemwijzer […]
USI, along with BeLonGTo, IGLYO and the National Youth Council of Ireland, has issued a letter to the Russian Ambassador on the torture and persecution of LGBT teenagers in Russia. Irish youth groups have handed in a letter of concern to the Russian Ambassador today to protest at the violent treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people in Russia after a gay teenager who was allegedly kidnapped and beaten by neo-Nazis died of his injuries. BeLonG To Youth Services, The Union of Students in Ireland (USI), The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) and the International LGBTQ Youth […]
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has welcomed the decision of Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) to further extend the deadline date for new applications. New applications deadline: Midnight on Monday 5 August The originally planned closing date for new grant applications for SUSI was midnight on Thursday August 1st. Following a brief system failure at SUSI close to the deadline, the organisation took a decision to extend the deadline across the weekend to midnight on Monday 5th August. SUSI has been in direct contact with USI and urges prospective students making applications to do so as soon as […]
