Back in 2019 while I was still in primary school, I couldn’t wait to start secondary school. I would be starting in a secondary school where I wasn’t going to know a lot of people. I saw this as an opportunity for a new me, a fresh start and maybe even a chance to break out of the “goody two shoes” mould years of bullying had placed upon me. Maybe even be cool and popular for once. Navigating the transition from primary to secondary school I remember going to the open day of my current secondary school in sixth class. It never would have crossed my mind that a year into the future I would be s ..read more

We’ve all seen it. Whether first hand or vicariously through a film or TV show, we’ve all been there – the dreaded ‘Lunchbox Moment’. Sure, the experience might not have been as dramatic as, for example, Eddie Huang’s in the American programme Fresh Off The Boat – where an ignorant bully calls Eddie’s lovingly-made Chinese lunch “gross”, saying it “smells” and looks like worms – but most of us, especially those with first-hand experience, can recall some rendition of the event. My lunchbox moment For me, it was in primary school, fifth class to be exact. I had just moved to a new school and su ..read more

When people think of ‘coming out’, they may think of a person they know who is part of the LGBTQAI+ community sharing their sexuality, and the challenges that doing so poses for today’s generation. In my own experience as someone with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), I feel coming out as neurodivergent can raise similar challenges. Autism and the challenges of social acceptance For me, if someone were to mention the struggles of ‘coming out’ from the LGBTQ+ perspective I feel I can understand part of the struggles. As someone with ASD, I feel as though I can understand the issues that are fa ..read more

I’ve had to be independent and strong since I was born. My parents always depended on me for things that everyone else would see as simple tasks. From the time I was nine years old, I set up my parents’ phones, completed their Garda vetting forms, booked appointments, and more. The unknowns of immigrating and assimilating When you come to a new country, have three kids and a new job you have to adapt to your new environment. You don’t know anyone so it’s difficult to know how to ask for help or even who to ask for help. It’s hard to know what to do with all of these new resources that you have ..read more

My name is Fatima Elzahra Ismail. I’m 17 years old and I have been living in Ireland for six years. I can’t say that I have been subjected to “old-fashioned” racism in Ireland, however, I can say that I have experienced microaggressions. Honestly, I think Irish people are some of the nicest individuals I’ve met, but implicit bias is present within every individual which can lead to various forms of microaggressions. Understanding microaggressions Microaggression is a term that can be used to describe a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional ..read more

Moving schools is nerve-wracking enough as it is, but moving continents is a whole different ball game. Migrating to Ireland in 2019 as a fourteen-year-old came with anxieties, joys, lessons and struggles. Culture shock and initial challenges Culture shock is defined as a feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. This definition speaks to my experience when I first moved to Ireland as it was the first time I was introduced to Irish culture. Along with this disorientation came an overwhelming app ..read more

The Department of Social Protection and Minister Josepha Madigan recently proposed a green paper on how social welfare benefits such as disability and invalidity benefits can be paid out in future. A Green Paper is a Government proposal on how to improve something or solve a problem. This paper aims to highlight a new way that disability payments could be paid. While this is only a proposal, it sets out one possible way these payments could occur in future. What are the proposed changes to disability allowance? The proposed changes include splitting the payment of the disability allowance into ..read more

Vaping has risen sharply in popularity over the last few years, particularly with young people. Some people who vape may do so as a replacement for smoking, some both vape and smoke cigarettes, while others who vape have never smoked before. Here, we have created a series on vaping and how it affects your health, the environment and more, so that you can make informed decisions about vaping. People are entitled to make their own decisions about their health, and the best way to be equipped to do that is by having factual, non-judgmental information to aid those decisions. There are also resour ..read more

Being raised in a traditional household where Halloween is not deeply ingrained in my culture, I was excited to experience my first college’s Halloween celebration. I was eagerly browsing for Halloween costumes and instead of getting some suitable results, I was shocked by how inappropriate some of them were. Having clicked into the top Irish Costume company in my search results, I found its pages stocked with costumes with inaccurate depictions of cultural and religious dress. Experiencing cultural appropriation in Ireland Cultural appropriation is defined as “the adoption or use of elements ..read more

On the 8th of March 2024, the people of Ireland will vote in two referendums, relating to an amendment on family and care. The family referendum, if passed, would expand the definition of family to include “other durable relationships” outside of marriage. The care referendum, if passed, would delete Article 41.2 of the constitution and add a new Article 42B, which would recognise the importance of the common good of care provided by family members, and “strive to support” this care. Making an informed decision when voting in the referendum Deciding how I should vote has taken a good while. In ..read more