Welcome to ISSU Online

School is the place where young people spend the majority of their time. It is perhaps the most important community, other than home, in which we participate. For many it is a positive experience, but for others it is something to be endured rather than enjoyed. ISSU has a dual role: we promote the benefits of young people becoming part of the decision-making process that affects their school lives, and it provides individual students with support for voicing their views and opinions.

Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child says that children and young people have the “right to express views freely in all matters affecting them”. This includes views and opinions on schooling. ISSU aims to help students express those views effectively.

This website was designed with our 3rd main aim in mind “To provide a transparent, democratic and reliable organisation“. We will use this website to update the world on our work and various activities – as well as publishing all our policy documents and publications online.

We hope you enjoy browsing our site, and we welcome your input and feedback. To find out more information on ISSU, go to our about us section.

Youth participation isn’t something we ‘do’ occasionally; it’s how we do everything. That’s ISSU for you.

Warmest wishes,

Your ISSU Team – we’re here for you.

Support for ISSU

• One of the founding stones of ISSU was and is a strong belief in the benefits of partnership. As an organisation, we believe strongly in real partnership and strive to incorporate this belief into all our projects and policies.
• This means, in effect, that we will endeavour to work, liaise, and communicate in a real an effective way with all bodies that are involved in the education process. This includes all partners in education – parents, teachers, principals & deputies, managerial bodies, the department of education {including all bodies appointed by thestate}, non-governmental organisations, school staff, further education institutions and most naturally – students!
• The ISSU hopes that other organisations will share this belief and will engage with us in real and meaningful partnership for the betterment of the Irish Education System for all concerned.

ISSU is kindly recognised and supported by:

• Education & Teaching Unions – ASTI, TUI, IMPACT, SIPTU
• National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals
• National Parents’ Council Post Primary
• National Youth Council of Ireland
• Ombudsman for Children
• School Management Bodies – JMB, ACCS, Educate Together, IVEA
• Teaching Council
• Youth Work Ireland

We would like to acknowledge the support, advice and guidance of all the aforementioned organisations.