Union Structure
ISSU Structure Overview
Membership of the ISSU is through student councils. When a student council of a school joins, the whole school is considered a member.
The ISSU Constitution is the governing rulebook for the Union. It contains rules on how to operate as a union, what our officers roles entail, and how the structure of the Union is set out.
The highest decision-making body in the ISSU is An Chomhdháil Bhliaintiúl. This is the equivalent of our Annual General Meeting and is where member student councils get to have their say in our internal and external policies through Directive Mandates, Directive Policies, and amending the ISSU Constitution.
Elections for ISSU bodies take place at An Chomhdháil Bhliaintiúl and Regional Councils. An Chomhdháil Bhliaintiúl contains the elections to our two national bodies, the Coiste Gnó na nDaltaí and Monitoring and Advisory Committee (MAC).
Regional Councils are held at the end of every calendar year and is where we elect our Regional Officer Body. Regional Officers are our local representatives, broken into regions that aim to closely resemble Dáil Éireann constituencies.
Working Groups can be set up by both the Coiste Gnó and Regional Officers to campaign for a specific issue nationally or regionally, such as Period Poverty, Rural Students, or Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
Each member school has an ISSU School Representative, who acts as the link between their school and the Regional Officers in their Region, as well as the Coiste Gnó on a more national level.
Check out below for more info on each of our structures, and to meet the people behind them!
The Coiste Gnó na nDaltaí acts on behalf of the ISSU on a daily basis and is the group of young people who publicly represent the organisation. The Coiste Gnó is the executive body of the union and is responsible for any day-to-day actions or decisons made,
The Coiste Gnó is elected annually at An Chomhdháil Bhliaintiúl, and each holds an individual role.
Coiste Gnó na nDaltaí
Working Groups
The Coiste Gnó or ROB may initiate a Working Group on a certain issue.
Working Groups have the right to prepare amendments, proposals and motions to An Chomhdháil Bhliaintiúl . Working Groups assist and provide expert advice to the Coiste Gnó and ROB in the development of particular policies and processes.
The Regional Officer Body (ROB) is comprised of the Regional Officers of the ISSU. There are 23 regions represented in the ROB, and elections take place at the Regional Councils.
The ROB organises events on a regional level, deliver student council training, hold cluster meetings of student councils and ensure ISSU national campaigns are heard in all member schools of the ISSU.
Regional Officer Body
The Monitoring and Advisory Committee (MAC) oversees the work of the elected ISSU structures and ensures that their work is in line with the Constitution, Policy and aims of the organisation.
The Monitoring and Advisory Committee (MAC) consists of 5 people who have been elected at the Annual Assembly.
Monitoring and Advisory Committee
Secretariat
The Secretariat consists of the staff of the organisation, the ISSU Board Chairperson and one other Director of the organisation. The Secretariat aids with the administrative work of the ISSU and supports the elected bodies.
The Secretariat is based full-time in the ISSU office in Liberty Hall, Dublin.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is the legal arm of the ISSU. They are responsible for large managerial decisions, such as organisational development and fundrasing. The Board consists of former ISSU officers, education stakeholders and other relevant professionals