Jamie Mac Uiginn is a Transition Year Student from Pobail Scoil Ghaoth Dobhair in Co Donegal. Along with his friends he has designed a useful Maths book called Number Ninjas which aims to make Maths easier for students. Number Ninjas is in the final of the Junior Achievement Business Of The Year Competition.
We first came up with the idea for Number Ninjas shortly after the Junior Certificate while we were talking about how stressful and confusing the maths exam was and how we wished there was a simple maths book to explain the important and basic parts of maths. Even though we got As and Bs in honours maths we felt textbooks were confusing, heavy, expensive and above all, boring. Normal maths books are necessary for a good grade, but, the authors sometimes forget we are teenagers who might not understand everything.
When the time came to set up a business project in transition year, we saw a niche in the market for a maths books, so we went for it. We highly advise you to buy it if you struggle to understand the basics of maths better. And if it’s not for you, think of your younger brother or sister who are dreading going into secondary school or even your parents who are years out of practice. Our book is light and easily fits in any bag, while being very affordable to anyone.
Our book has many unique selling points such as maths related jokes at the start of each chapter and because we know what exactly students need for their exams, this shaped our motto "for students by students" As transition year students we spent a lot of time in our computer room designing and writing the book, we split the work of making the book up into four equal parts which we showed to our maths teacher. We asked our english teacher to look over the grammar. Patricia Friel, who was our Business volunteer helped us greatly throughout Number Ninjas’ project. She gave us great advice for our company and told us how the Junior Achievement Competition worked.
The first round of Junior Achievement was in our school, where we were up against competitors from our own school, Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmuid and Arranmore Secondary School. We believed in our company, but, with the high standard the other businesses set, we felt getting through was out of reach. We were ecstatic when our name was read out to go through and it significantly boosted our confidence. The next round was the regional finals in Sligo IT, where we were met with fierce competition from schools from counties like, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and of course Donegal.
We had to do a four minute presentation in front of judges, and we did our best to overcome our nerves and stay calm. This time we were more confident that we were going to get through and we were satisfied with how our interview and presentation went. Only two projects could get through and as they began to announce the businesses that didn’t win, we were expecting our name to come up every time, but it didn’t.
We were captivated when our business was chosen to go through. Now our next stage is Dublin, for the national finals where only eight companies get the chance to compete for Junior Achievement Business Of The Year Competition. We feel privileged to take part and to have got this far and would love to win, but really we hope to make the world a more maths friendly place.
You can follow Number Ninjas on Twitter @NumberNinjas or like us on Facebook. If you would like more information about Number Ninjas or to obtain a copy of the Maths book contact numberninjas@hotmail.com
“Hey mum, did you see the new trees?!”
“No. Where?”
“On the green and also all around the estate!”
So off they went to see the new trees. 37 new trees planted all around their estate. All the neighbours were talking about it, and everybody was excited.
One week later:
“Hey mum, did you see somebody broke some off the branches from the trees in our estate, and some of the trees in the next door estate have been broken in half!”
“No, I did not, are you serious?”
“Come. I’ll show you”
So of we went to see the broken trees. Five of the newly planted trees in bits! All the neighbours were talking about it, and everybody was disappointed.
Two weeks later:
“Hey mum we need to do something about the trees, if we do not do something now, there is not going to be a tree left after summer!”
“So, what can we do?”
“We need to get people involved, we need to do something!”
“Okay, you guys can do something and we will support you”
Four weeks later, 16-year-old brothers Juvan and Christivan Maritz applied and received a small Superhero fund from SpunOut.ie to make a difference in their local community. Here is how they got on with their project:
They designed a leaflet and a registration form and distributed it to more than 80 homes in the estate. They wrote to 14 people asking for support or a contribution towards their project. These people included two local politicians, a community project, the Gardaí, the local Council, local print media and local small businesses.
Their idea was to create community awareness and initiate a neighbourhood community policing system to keep and eye on the newly planted trees and general vandalism in the communal area of the Balruddery Wood estate. They also planned a big community festival on the green. 23 homes (more than 30%) signed up for the project, with more than 40 people confirmed for the Green Festival.
On 30 April 2011, at 5pm, the festival took place. The local pub, Balrothery Inn, sponsored burgers, soft drinks and crisps. Tesco Balbriggan also provided party goodies and committed to sponsor a signpost to promote the project.
“Ladies, gentleman and kids. You are very welcome at the launch of our Superhero project sponsored by SpunOut.ie. SpunOut.ie is Ireland's national youth project. Myself and Christivan applied for a small [fund] to make a difference in our community. We are one from eleven projects all over Ireland that are trying to make a difference in our community. We are gathered here today to celebrate our community spirit. We with 10 other projects were selected out of hundreds of applications to make people aware of caring for our environment. We are also concerned about anti-social behaviour, especially the breaking of branches of our newly planted trees and vandalism in our estate.
"We do not have an easy solution, all that we can offer is to create awareness and encourage everybody in the estate to address vandalism and anti-social behaviour. We have invited our community Guards. If you have any questions please feel free to approach them at any time of the day.
“To conclude, I want to say a special thanks to our sponsors Spunout.ie. Balrothery Inn kindly sponsored the burgers, crisps and soft drinks. Thank you Brendan. To Ann O’Brien from Tesco, who sponsored the sweets and other goodies. Today we can also announce that Tesco gave their commitment to sponsor a signpost that will promote the TreeCops Project. This signpost will be displayed at the entrance of this estate and will be a reminder to all that live here as well as guests that we are serious about our trees!
“Thank you for your attendance and special thanks to our community Guards: Gráinne and Kate, for coming down today. Enjoy the burgers and the rest of the day. Then lastly we are now going to plant a tree if the children would like to help they are most welcome.”
The festival was a huge success with lots of new ideas shared between neighbours. Three more project ideas emerged from the community gathering. One is to have street safety awareness training for the children of the estate in conjunction with the Community Guards; another one is to start a petition to the developers to put up a fence at the road side of the green (hopefully local politicians will support us in this regard as it is long outstanding); and the final one is to advocate for seating benches on the green.
All in all, the TreeCops Project was a huge success!
Activism = Campaigning = Organising = Community = Protesting = Building Alternatives = Challenging = Rethinking = Creating
We are all aware of the problems that require our urgent love and attention, both the local and the global; poverty, injustice, the environment, health, wars, resource distribution, politics and yes the global economic model to name but a few. But what I want to deal with here is the issue of power, and more specifically of us all taking ownership of our own power.
We do not live ‘atomic’ separate existences. Even the most reclusive of people live within networks of culture, of law, of infrastructure, of ideas, of education, of politics, and of the systems that deliver and disperse resources. These systems are all created by the actions of humans. This might seem a very obvious thing to say so maybe by now you are asking what on earth I am on about? I’m talking about how individuals and groups can affect these man-made systems and structures. In short, I’m talking about Activism.
The word activism is often taken as a synonym for ‘protest’ but if we use that shorthand explanation it can fool us into thinking that ‘Activism’ is not something we need to concern ourselves with. Not True! We are all ‘active’ in some way or another to create or sustain the types of systems we live in:
When we ignore or abdicate from something as crucial as our place in the world or our community and how we engage with it, we give others permission to engineer our society for us. By allowing others to ‘create society for me’ we are engaging in what we think is harmless ‘inactivity’ but actually manifests itself as a support for things as they are. To take the fitness analogy, not taking control of one’s diet and exercise will have a direct effect on one’s body. Not taking action on the issues that concern you will also have an effect on your society.
Think for a minute of the many things that we take for granted today in Ireland as rights or entitlements, for example weekends or days off from work, voting rights for women, the right not to be a slave, the right to have sex only by choice, the right not to be sentenced to death, or the right to choose our own interests and political affiliations to name just a few.
None of these ‘rights’ are things that were donated or asked for by some generous and wise benefactors. These are all things that people sometime somewhere saw as necessary. They imagined how they would look and function, and then came together to achieve them. I am certain that these people argued, disagreed, conceded and perhaps eventually settled for less than their ideals. We know though, that they continued to struggle and work to get these rights for the very reason that we now have the luxury of taking some of them for granted (though we shouldn’t!).
This work of achieving such freedoms took place over generations, and continued in the face of hardship and resistance. But those involved, to use a euphemism ‘carried the flame’ until these ideas became so firmly entrenched in our culture, that in some shape or form (and imperfect though their realisation might still be) these rights all became socially, legally and culturally deemed as the ‘norm’.
This does not mean that no-one here is oppressed or that we have perfect gender equality, but it does mean that our culture and institutions recognise these as things to which people are entitled; ‘standards’ is a useful word to describe them and that it is recognised as either deviance or criminality when these rights are not respected.
To summarise what I am saying here I will use a quote from anthropologist, Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; it’s the only thing that ever has.’’
In my opinion, getting involved with issues that concern you is one of the most important things a young person can begin to do. Have you ever heard about an event in history, or heard something in the news that made you really angry or upset? Something that really frustrated you, because you felt like you couldn’t do anything about it?
Well, getting involved with organisations like Amnesty International or Spunout.ie is one way for you to make a substantial difference. Whether you’re signing a petition, or helping out with a demonstration, there’s nothing better than the feeling that you can help change those issues that frustrate you.
And the changes can be substantial. You only need to look at a handful of success stories on Amnesty’s website to know that speaking out for other people, as a group/organisation, works: Aung San Suu Kyi was finally freed in 2010 after over 15 years under house arrest – thanks to thousands of people demanding her release. In 2011, Illinois banned the death penalty.
Many human rights activists and prisoners of conscience (e.g. Emadeddin Baghi, Mao Hengfeng) have been released due to petitions, letters of appeal, demonstrations and protests carried out by Amnesty International and other organisations with similar motives.
Although some of these achievements may seem small in the grand scheme of things, one small victory can have a ripple effect.
So, my advice to young people in Ireland is to use your voice. Don’t be afraid to say what you feel, even if you’re worried about sounding silly sometimes. You may be surprised at the respect you’ll earn from people (whether it’s peers or adults) from simply being outspoken. You may also be surprised at how one person or group of people, if they’re determined enough, can help change the world. Do not be mute.
Remember these sayings:
”Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say”. - William Shakespeare
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”. - Mary Mead
Check out our factsheets and opinion pieces on engaging in society. This is a key area that the SpunOut Action Panel has prioritised for 2013.
Tips to help you take action and make a positive difference.
Ireland is a democracy, which means the people elect their representatives and government by means of secret ballot.
Joining a political party means that you are registering with a political party and letting them and the world know that you generally support their causes and activates.
One SpunOutter gives her opinions on whether the voting age should be lowered to 16.
Ireland is a constitutional democracy (you’ve lost me already SpunOut!). Well, this basically means that we get to have a say in who runs our country and what the laws of the land are.
The Know Your Rights information packs are provided by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL). They are a series of booklets designed to inform people about their rights, which the ICCL has rolled out as part of its Know Your Rights public information project. The booklet is designed to inform the general public, in clear and accessible language, of their rights in the areas of Garda search powers, arrest, interview, detention, provision of bodily samples and public order.
The Rights and Obligations of Civil Partners and Other Same-Sex Couples.
Your Rights as a Prisoner.
European Convention on Human Rights.
Protect Your Privacy.
Criminal Justice and Garda Powers.
The State gets its power from the People of Ireland through the Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann). The Constitution sets out some of the rights of people who live in Ireland. We also have rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). All agents of the State, including An Garda Síochána, must act in line with the Constitution and the ECHR.
The Constitution is interpreted by the courts and is supplemented by more detailed laws, which must also be in line with the Constitution. The law must also follow the ECHR and the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. Gardaí must act according to court rulings and legislation, otherwise they may be breaking the law.
If you have any doubts about the way you have been treated by the Gardaí, if they have interfered with any of your rights, you should contact a solicitor.
Fancy doing your bit for the less-well off in society while buying a coffee or lunch in your favourite café? Thanks to the work of Dublin teacher and DCU student Aoife Ryan in bringing an international social project to Ireland, you can now do just that.
Ryan established the ‘Suspended Coffee Ireland’ initiative earlier this year after reading on Twitter about the success of the project in other countries. The idea is simple – when a customer is purchasing coffee at a participating café they can ask to also purchase a ‘suspended coffee’; that is, one for someone who couldn’t otherwise afford one.
So far, 32 cafés and shops nationwide have signed up to participate in the initiative, including Caffee Italiano, Brioche Café, Soulful Bistro and MochaBeans Kiosk (Pearse Street) in Dublin. While participating shops will always hold a certain amount of Suspended Coffees, if many remain unclaimed at the end of each month, the shops will donate their value to charities such as the Peter McVerry Trust, Focus Ireland and St Vincent de Paul.
Founder, Ryan, has worked at a Dublin school for autistic children for the past 11 years and is currently in her second year of studying Education and Training part-time at DCU. She says the idea originally appealed to her as “when I’m out in the city and I see people on the streets I prefer to buy them food or a drink rather than give money”.
The socially-innovative student has previously volunteered with the ISPCC and youth organisation, Foróige, yet remains modest about how her work may improve the lives of others. As for the future of Suspended Coffee Ireland, she just hopes that word will continue to spread and more shops will come on board. “I’d love to have two – four coffee shops in each county, maybe more on board in the bigger cities”, she says.
For a full list of participating cafés, or to find out more about Suspended Coffee Ireland, visit their Facebook page or find them on Twitter @SuspenCoffeeIre.
This weekend, the Constitutional Convention will meet and discuss our electoral system and will consider recommendations for its alteration.
The electoral system is essentially the rules of the political game determining how the choices of voters are translated into the selection of our representatives to Dáil Éireann. In Ireland we use a rather unique system, shared only with Malta, known as Proportional Representation by Single Transferable Vote (PRSTV). Irish voters vote for candidates in order of preference in multi-seat geographical constituencies. Such a system has a number of effects on how politics works in Ireland.
Our electoral system is fundamentally proportional. This means that political parties’ seats in Dáil Éireann are allocated based on the proportion of votes received in the General Election. The threshold for entry into Dáil Éireann is low enough to allow a reasonable variety of political parties to win seats and therefore ensures a wide range of voices are heard in the Dáil chamber. Therefore, it encourages the development of a multi-party system where Irish voters can choose from a reasonable variety of different political platforms in elections.
In stark contrast are states, like the United Kingdom, with “winner takes all” systems facilitated by single seat constituencies. Here a candidate can only win a seat if they are the single most popular candidate in their constituency. It is difficult for more than two big parties to meaningfully compete in such a system. Smaller parties are largely squeezed out while the big two (Conservative and Labour parties) are heavily over represented. The result is a party system dominated by two parties with restrictive choice for the British electorate.
However, our system is not the most proportional. The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, is elected by a “list” system. The whole country is the one, single constituency where voters vote not for candidates but for political parties. Any party that receives 2% or more of the national vote is given seats in the Israeli Knesset in proportion to the votes they received overall. This system has encouraged the development of a varied multi party system in Israel with thirteen political parties holding seats in the current Knesset (there are currently four parties represented in Dáil Éireann as well as the United Left Alliance, a coalition of a number of left wing parties).
The major defence of single seat constituencies and non-proportional systems is that they lead to stable government. The current Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition in Britain is the first coalition in that country since the 1940-5 War Cabinet led by Winston Churchill when the Conservatives actually had a majority on their own but formed a national government to avoid a 1940 election in the middle of the war.
Proportional systems, on the other hand, make single party government quite difficult to form. In Israel, the current government has five different political parties represented at cabinet. Coalitions are often considered less stable than single party governments. However, they also tend to be more representative of the overall population, by virtue of including a more diverse range of political opinion. In Ireland coalitions are the norm but single party governments have been formed in the past under Fianna Fáil.
The unique element of the Irish system is its method of ensuring proportionality. After the votes are first counted the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and their votes apportioned out to the remaining candidates based on the “No.2” choices on their ballots. This process is continued, taking into account third, fourth preferences et cetera if needs be, until the number of candidates remaining equals the number of seats available (such a number of candidates have reached the ‘quota’: the number of votes required to ensure election regardless of the elimination of further candidates).
This process means that it is quite difficult for any candidate to get elected based solely on votes supporting one party. In the 2011 General Election, Fianna Fáil struggled to get transfers from outside the party and ended up with fewer seats than their proportion of first preference votes would suggest. The result of this process is that adversarial politics is not as prominent as elsewhere and also extreme parties have never been able to gain a foothold in Irish politics.
It is also easier to gauge voter preferences as to coalition forming; the high transfer rate between Fine Gael and Labour candidates in 2011 was a strong indicator that a coalition between the two parties was the preferred choice of government for most Irish voters. As our constituencies are defined by geographical boundaries, it is ensured that regional interests are given a voice in political discussion in Ireland. It ensures that no one regional voice dominates, be it the interests of major cities or of rural populations.
However, some argue that it also leads to ‘parish pump’ politics, whereby TDs neglect their roles as national legislators and are concerned almost purely with ensuring that money flows into their local areas. Others argue that such an attitude by TDs is promoted more by our lack of strong local government.
Finally, in Ireland we vote for candidates rather than parties as would be the case in a list based system. The combination of broad proportionality and voting for individuals rather than parties facilitates the election of non-party TDs or independents. While independent parliamentarians are observed in many states, Ireland stands out due to our election of such a large number of them. In single seat constituencies, or list based systems, it is extremely difficult to get elected without party backing. The ability to vote for an individual rather than a party means giving Irish voters a choice within the major political parties.
Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour run more than one candidate in most constituencies giving voters an extra degree of choice not really apparent in list based systems. The identities of the candidates who take up a party’s seats in a list based system are largely decided by central party apparatuses rather than voters.
There are a broad range of options that the Constitutional Convention will likely consider. What is important to note is that every choice made in the formation of our electoral system will have significant effect in determining the nature of politics in Ireland.
Our electoral system is broken we are told. Nobody else in the world uses PR-STV besides Malta. It’s time for a change. With the Constitutional Convention about to consider our electoral system, PR-STV appears to be just about hanging on.
Several claims have been leveled against the current system; chief amongst them that it promotes an excessive sense of parochialism amongst TD’s. Opponents claim that the overly proportional and open nature of our system means that any prospective candidate is not only fighting against other parties but also those from within his/her own party.
This leaves little time for interest in national affairs. When looked at comparatively, Ireland’s political representatives are in fact not far outside the norm in stating that their primary concerns are their constituents. In fact, in the House of Commons 53% of MPs state that it is a ‘high’ priority versus 39% in Dáil Eireann. Hansard, a political research organisation, found that MPs spend on average 49% of their time on constituency based issues.
Dáil Deputies, by comparison, spend 53% of their time on constituency issues. As Tip O’Neill, former Speaker of the House of Representatives has said ‘All politics is local’. PR-STV is both an open (in terms of voter choice for candidate and party) and proportional system of electing representatives. While the system itself is unique when compared with other proportional systems, it does not differ as wildly as has been claimed. It makes the politicians responsive to their electorate.
Indeed, ensuring that politicians are linked to the electorate is becoming increasingly common across Europe where variations on a list system are used. It is this system that has been proposed by some as an antidote to our current woes. Nevertheless, these solutions come with their own problems. Closed list systems mean voters are once removed from their representatives. One could argue that it is better for the electorate to choose their own candidates rather than anonymous individuals at party HQ presenting the electorate with a restricted menu of options.
Proponents of a list system are essentially saying that they trust party apparatchiks to choose who we should have as a fair proportion of our representatives rather than the electorate. The reality of why our politicians are seen to be parochial in nature is far more complex. We have a system that perversely facilitates a huge amount of choice by the electorate in choosing who they want and from what party.
Post-election though, the electorate becomes powerless, as the political representatives that have been elected find themselves in a Dáil where the Cabinet and Government is all powerful vis á vis the Parliament, and where the average backbenchers or leader of the opposition has little or no say in policy formulation or legislation.
Our politicians also find themselves in a situation where their constituents look to them rather than local councillors for assistance in relatively mundane issues. Our local system of Government is effectively useless; it has paltry powers in terms of raising funds and in comparison with other states, it has little or no role in the provision of education, health or transport.
What is needed then is not in fact an overhaul of the electoral system but rather a reform of our Parliament and local Government. The much maligned PR-STV actually gives Irish voters greater choice than most other options while also ensuring minority groups are heard. Until backbenchers and the Opposition are at least given the chance to look at legislation in a meaningful way and hold inquiries in committees we cannot simply lay the blame at the feet of our electoral system. Reform of local Government would also go a long way to alleviating the local, “bread and butter” issues that our TD’s have to deal with on a regular basis.
This is not to say that another system cannot be tried but it would, at best, be a band aid solution to the problem that bedevils Irish politics. Parochialism. Do some politicians abuse this loophole in the system? Undoubtedly. But as long as our national politicians are perceived to have more power than councillors on local, relatively unimportant issues, such as filling in potholes and are ignored once they reach the gates of Leinster House, then no electoral system will fix the ‘way we do politics.’
Society is screaming for change in areas regarding mental ill health, people of all ages are shouting from the rooftops encouraging Ireland to step up to the mark and start addressing the pressing issue of mental health in this country.
Everyone is sitting around nodding their heads, agreeing that something has to be done and people need to start taking responsibility for their own mental wellbeing. Yet 56% of Irish people who experience mental health problems, keep it to themselves and 28% would delay in seeking help and treatment.
Why? Because, as much as we deny it, there is a huge amount of stigma surrounding mental health in Ireland to this day, although, due to education and the awareness raised around this issue, people have become more open and aware of mental health and the ins and outs of the situation.
We have all come to accept at this stage that it’s ok not to be ok, and there is no shame in looking after or seeking help when it comes to your mental well being. Still however, there is nervousness and a certain amount of stigma surrounding addressing the issue. Teens agree that it is simply because they are afraid of what the outcome of their words might have, should they bring up the elephant in the room with friends or family who may need or are seeking support and until we learn how to approach this subject, we cannot progress towards solving Ireland’s mental health situation.
We are encouraging people who are suffering from mental health problems to open up and talk about how they are feeling but we haven’t taught everyone else how to react to this should a friend or family member come to them for support. Here are some tips on how to get the ball rolling around mental health.
This May 2013, the green ribbon campaign will hit the streets all over Ireland. The campaign is run by 80 partner organisations with the aim of getting people talking about mental health and how to start the conversation with someone who may need support. 150,000 ribbons will be distributed all over Ireland free of charge with the sole purpose of sparking a nationwide conversation about mental health.
So next time you’re standing at the bus stop and a random stranger asks what the green ribbon stands for, you know what to tell them, maybe they might just tell a friend, who will tell a friend and eventually, slowly but surely we will make Ireland a brighter shade of green by bringing us out of the dark ages surrounding mental health.
Diversity is in the deaf population (all ages), and many people don’t realise this. Moreover, in Ireland, the media tends to give a very one-sided view of deafness. This means when you're a differently-deaf young person, you must constantly advocate for captioning-support in education and in the workplace, which can be exhausting. Here's a good piece about the ‘different ways of being deaf’:>> Different Models of Deafness.
Ninety per cent of young deaf and hard-of-hearing (hoh) people in Ireland have hearing families
Most deaf/hoh teens speak English at home and at school, especially if they wear hearing-devices and are from a hearing family (90% are). Some may socialise with members of the (signing) deaf community, maybe via sign language. For young people, it's a personal choice to mix with hearing and/or deaf people – or to have friends in both groups. Just like everyone else, young people with hearing issues need to find their identity and place in the world, and to meet others like themselves.
Most deaf/hoh teens are verbal and do not use sign language (ISL)
Digital hearing-devices give wearers some access to spoken words (speech) around them and to incidental sounds, wherever they are. Some young people wear hearing-devices since they were babies. Accordingly, they're highly likely to be verbal and to chat away like everyone else. Again, it's a personal choice if sign language (ISL) is learned, or not. This depends partly on the person's family and education setting – if they went to a school for deaf students, they're likely to be fluent sign language users, and may speak, too.
In school or college, we may be classmates of yours
Deafness is called the “invisible disability”, so you may not even realise we are deaf! Most likely, we'll tell you after chatting for a bit, or you'll realise if we sound slightly different when we speak. Ninety per cent of deaf or hoh students are mainstream-educated, so we're likely to be in your classes. If we ask to read your notes, it's no biggie, we just want to make sure we haven't missed any vital study points – or any exam dates!
Our world is not silent: we just hear differently to others!
You know when someone's talking, and you just can't hear what they're saying? Maybe they're too far away, or there's music or people in the background? That's how we hear, some of the time! In a quiet setting, we maybe can hear what you're saying. Any background noise makes things more difficult. But that's when most of us turn to our lip-reading abilities 
To hear music and phones, we pair ear-buds with our hearing-devices
Take it from us; Bluetooth is brilliant for pairing smart-phones and MP3 players with hearing-devices. That pesky background noise gets filtered out, and we hear straight from the source, whether it's Beyonce or our beloved. Heck, the lyrics are probably also on our phones or YouTube, so we can really get into the tunes.
Lip-reading rocks at parties, on the sports field and in forensic work
Legitimate eavesdropping can be hilarious, if you're certain what folks are talking about. At parties, you get to see who fancies who (reading body language too!) and maybe help a few lovebirds get together... And on the sports field, the opposition's tactics can be eavesdropped on – if they don't suss you out! Forensic lip-reading is a career option for the pros - but there's also money in lip-reading for scandal on live TV and footy events.
Hearing devices are worn for sports, dancing, and judo/martial arts
Never mind the medical 'advice' to not wear hearing-devices for sports, dancing, judo and martial arts! Most of us do, purely because we like to hear in our physical environments. GAA and rugby players have helmets with space and inbuilt padding for hearing-devices, while ballet headbands can double as device-retainers. And in several martial arts, the head is sacred – therefore it shouldn't be a target or have blows directed to it.
Careers and occupations are open to us, with new technologies
IDK know doctors, dentists, vets, pilots and software architects with hearing issues, who use technologies to level their fields of work. Our advice, if you're a young person with hearing issues, is to find YOUR passion and aim to study/work in YOUR field (within reason). Don't get boxed-in by parents' and teachers' ideas for employment. You're the one who has to do all the work in school, college and get inducted into workplaces!
Our goals, dreams and aspirations are the same as yours
Anything is possible, even if others try to put limits on your goals. Helen Keller is a shining example of how a person can maximise his or her own potential with the right environment and teaching. Like everyone else, young people who are deaf want to enjoy life, to have adventures, finish their education, to meet and share their lives with the right person, maybe to have their own families, and to see the world along the way.
Positive role models include Helen Keller, Marlee Matlin and Heather Whitestone
In Ireland, strong role models for young people with hearing issues are thin on the ground. But in the US, there's Marlee Matlin (the actress) and Heather Whitestone (Miss America, 1995). The profile of actress Katie LeClerc from the ABC TV series, “Switched At Birth” is also growing. And in the UK, there's Genevieve Barr, who featured in the BBC TV thriller, “The Silence” in 2010.
This information has been provided by Irish Deaf Kids.
A group of 23 TY students from St Mary’s Holy Faith, Killester are launching their very own book of short stories.
Through the medium of Fighting Words, a creative writing centre in Dublin, the class developed their writing skills and wrote short stories with the help of authors, Roddy Doyle and John Banville. The students attended the writing classes one day a week since the start of the school year, compiling short stories on a wide range of topics, including parental divorce/separation, death, runaways and tales of mystery and adventure.
The book will be launched on Monday 20th, May at the students’ school and will go on sale in Easons, Amazon and in all major bookstores.
Speaking about the group’s experience, student Clara Barry said: “Working with Roddy and John was absolutely amazing in the sense that we worked with them in such a casual setting, they were so funny, down to earth and just willing to have the craic with us.
It was an incredibly beneficial experience to get to work hands on with such skilled, famed authors in their natural habitat so to speak!” Any profit made from sales of the book will go to Fighting Words to enable them to publish another book like this one with another school next year.
The Fighting Words centre is based at Behan Square, Russell Street, Dublin 1, where they also hold story-telling classes for primary schools, creative writing for secondary schools, writing seminars and tutoring for adults.
“It really was a fabulous experience… the students were mentored by a number of highly skilled, lovely volunteer authors, their help was invaluable and they made all the difference just be being there at the table with us every week providing both moral support and practical help,” added Clara.
