[…]depression, anxiety, loneliness, substance misuse and suicidal behaviour (Vision for Change, 2006). An action plan for mental health promotion in third level should be included within the development and implementation of a Health Promoting College Network. Waiting lists for counselling can be up to six weeks which raises serious concerns for students in distress. Crisis response should be urgent and 24/7 – waiting a month and a half is harmful for anyone in need of support.” According to research by ReachOut, the online youth mental health service, 63% of students reported that lecture attendance has been affected by their mental ill-health. ReachOut also found that 15% of students rated their mental health […]
[…]help students with grant applications. NUS-USI has launched an info hub for voter registration for the upcoming Northern Ireland Assembly elections. Also on the website is advice and guidance for international students about voting. Today USI is hosting the USI Women Lead Project to empower women students to lead. The residential weekend is supported and hosted by Accenture. It features modules on public speaking, self-care, leadership development, self-branding and campaign organisation. The Vice President for Equality Citizenship has been appointed to the steering committee responsible for implementing the review of the Student Assistance Fund and this week attended its first […]
[…]Union of Students in Ireland’s new Education for All campaign. The USI, which represents 374,000 students in Ireland, has written to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris calling on him to take action on the key issues that prevent many from accessing third level education. Among the actions demanded is an end to the €3,000 student contribution fee – the highest such charge in the EU – starting with an immediate €500 reduction in Budget 2021 which is due to be announced next month. Discussing the Education for All campaign, which launches today (September […]
[…]third level sector in the Budget but has emphasised that the funding is insufficient by over €100 million. The union recommended spending of €140million in their pre-budget submission to reduce registration fees and increase student support. The Budget allocated €4 million to reinstate maintenance grants from September 2017 for the most disadvantaged postgraduate students. USI welcomed the reintroduction of postgraduate grants but emphasised that it would only benefit 1,100 students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, and further investment would be needed. The union also welcomed the increase in the threshold for the ‘rent a room’ scheme, up from €12,000 to €14,000 […]
[…]ballot process, and those Irish citizens abroad and Irish groups abroad should have representation on a newly established Electoral commission. VotingRights.ieand USI are calling for a referendum on Irish citizens aboard to have voting rights in time for the next Presidential election. “Campaigns led by young people such as the #HomeToVote and the#GetTheBoat2Vote campaigns during the marriage equality referendum last year showed that the efforts of Irish citizens abroad to be involved in shaping their country is real”, USI President Kevin Donoghue said. “We believe that many Irish citizens have left their home, for whatever reason, and many of those who left […]
