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It’s just after exam time, you’re planning a holiday with your friends looking forward to the sun rays beaming down on you in Mallorca. However, there are times when holidays become stressful because of forgotten passports, make up, etc. To make it as stress free and enjoyable as possible, I’ve created a list of the most important things to consider when heading to a new country.

Make sure to:

Check out what others have said about where you’re going to. Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor Forums are great ways to find some alternative hidden gems.
Make a list of all the things you need to bring, and tick them off as you pack them.
Exchange your money before you go. There are a number of EU countries who don’t use the Euro, be sure to check it out and get some money exchanged in your bank, but make sure you leave at least three working days for the money to come in.
Book a hotel in the city center. Sometimes the cheap accommodation can seem appealing but make sure you check where the accommodation actually is. Nothing worse than realising a mile into your walk to the city that you’ve forgotten your purse.
Bring a battery pack. This is an absolute must. Nowadays phone batteries die quicker than my hopes that I’ll pass my exams. Invest in a good battery pack and never get stuck with 1% battery again.
Embrace the culture. Try a local dish, take a cookery class, find out what they do in their spare time. It’s a new country so find out what it’s all about.
Learn a few phrases and words to use while you’re there, you’ll be an instant hit with the locals.
Buy a waist pack. I know they are definitely not the most stylish of accessories but they’re so handy to carry around the essentials without the worry of watching your bag the whole time.
Download an off-line map to use if travelling outside the EU to avoid them hefty billing charges. MAPS.ME is a great app to get around with.
Figure out how you’re going to get back to the airport. Check the schedules and don’t leave it to the last minute to figure out how you will get back. While there are usually plenty of services, if travelling throughout the night, it might be better to leave a few hours earlier or organise a pick up from your hotel.

Avoid:

Avoid wandering into areas that you’re unsure of, especially at night. Like all cities and towns, there are safe and rough areas, be informed.
Avoid getting ripped off by taxis. Before getting into the taxi, agree a price beforehand. Check out online how much it should cost or if there are certain taxis you should watch out for. They know you are not local and will do their best to get more money off you.
Avoid standing idly looking at a map in confusion. It marks you out as a tourist who doesn’t know where they are going, a potential victim for pickpocketers. Be discrete or find a little café to sit down and work out your next move.
Avoid spending the whole time doing what tourists do. Try find out what the locals do, see the country from their perspective.

These are only basic guidelines to get you started on your vacation abroad. Some may seem like common sense, but things can get forgotten in the excitement of getting away for a few days.

Most of all of course, just relax and embrace your vacation. Bon voyage!

From a young age, reading has always been a passion of mine and, as I got older, I continued to engage myself in a variety of genres such as Young Adult (YA) fiction. This category of reading is made for teenagers above the age of 15 and contains more mature content. YA books have always been a favorite genre for me due to the amazing authors who have emerged out of it, like E. Lockhart, Jesse Andrews, and Jenny Han. However, these days some of the most popular YA writers such as John Green and Stephanie Meyer have created misconceptions of the real world and romance.

One of my biggest issue relating to YA fiction is the unrealistic way that characters solve their personal problems. Often in Young Adult books, the main character is struggling through a personal issue such as an identity crisis or self hatred but, by the end of the story, their problems are magically gone once they meet the right romantic interest. Take John Green’s ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ for example. In 2014, this book reached 10.7 million sales and is one of the most well-known YA novels to date. ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ is a novel about a teenage girl named Hazel Grace who has been diagnosed with cancer and at the beginning feels misunderstood due to her circumstances. After meeting a cute boy named Augustus, in her cancer support group, the two develop a relationship. The couple go through their ups and downs but one message above all is definitely clear, you need romance in your life in order to be happy. While I do understand the importance of having a good support system, I do not agree with Green’s message that a significant other is the only way for a person to find true happiness. This is quite the issue with YA novels as young readers will start to believe that instances like Hazel Grace’s are true. However, in a more realistic view of the world, stories like ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ are not everyday occurrences. So, instead of teaching young adults that someone can “fix” you, we should be teaching all young people that happiness comes from within through self-love.

In addition, the codependency that the main characters develop on a love interest is a huge issue as well that is popular throughout Young Adult fiction. YA novels have a tendency to create very two dimensional female characters and, a part of the problem with Young Adult books these days is that the characters are not developed enough to be their own person. The women in these stories are often portrayed as broken, vulnerable, or unhappy. With specific reference Stephanie Meyer’s best selling series, the Twilight Saga, the main character, Bella lacks her own personal identity and lives in the shadows of others. From the beginning of the novel, Bella feels sorry for herself as she has recently becomes the new girl in town. Almost immediately after this, she is drawn to a fellow classmate named Edward. There, they fall in love and, she becomes a part of his world, even after finding out that he is a vampire. In my experience, I can easily say that Bella is one of the most two-dimensional characters that I have encountered in YA fiction. She is dry, uncharismatic and at one point is willing to give up her whole life in order to be with her boyfriend Edward. This is not a positive message to be spread out to young impressionable readers as it teaches the lesson that being that heavily co-dependent on someone is a positive thing. However, in order to have a healthy relationship, both partners should continue to be their own person and to learn how to grow together in a positive way.

There needs to be a change in the way that authors write Young Adult novels. These stories leave a direct impression on how readers perceive the world as it teaches them lessons beyond the classroom. However, if we are teaching teenage readers that things like extreme codependency is a good thing and that romance is the answer to all problems, it will not prepare them realistically to solve their own issues and will prevent them from growing as a person. We need to see more well-developed characters who reflect who we are, realistic ways that demonstrate how to solve our issues, and above all, we deserve for the quality of Young Adult fiction to be better.

The rate of 15 and 16 year olds smoking has dropped by 68% since 1995, a new study has revealed.

The study that began in 1995 tracked the rate of smoking in teenagers and has noted a sharp decrease in the amount of young people smoking.

In 1995, 41% of 15 and 16 year olds in Ireland smoked, whereas the number dropped to only 13% in 2015.

Highlighting the risks of smoking

The Director of the Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland, Professor Luke Clancy, said that the reason smoking has decreased is because of efforts to highlight the risks of smoking.

Risks of smoking

lung disease and cancer
heart disease
stroke
tooth and gum problems
brittle bones
difficulty becoming pregnant or staying pregnant
damage to unborn babies
low sperm count in men

By using graphic warnings, banning smoking advertising, and having smoke-free areas, people have become less likely to begin smoking.

The use of plain packaging is also being brought in to help reduce the appeal of cigarettes.

Ireland introduced plain packaging on cigarettes in early 2018, and by September all cigarettes must be sold in plain packaging.

Young people are more likely to smoke because they have friends who do, or because of easy access to cigarettes.

Clancy said that increasing “efforts to highlight the risks involved in smoking” and having positive parental involvement, can prevent smoking in young people.

Tobacco Free Ireland

According to Professor Clancy “close to 6000 of our citizens die annually from tobacco related disease – we must continue to focus on reducing this dreadful statistic”.

In 2013, the Department of Health developed a policy called “Tobacco Free Ireland” which aimed to see less than 5% of the population smoking by 2025.

“The results of this study suggest that smoking in this age group can achieve the Tobacco Free Ireland strategy of less than 5% prevalence by 2025,” Clancy added.

More quitters than smokers

The study said that people who start to smoke at a younger age will find it harder to quit than people who begin later in life.

According to Quit.ie, over 5000 people have managed to quit smoking so far this year. There are now more quitters than smokers in Ireland.

For more information about quitting, visit Quit.ie, text QUIT to 50100, or call 1800 201 203.

Members of the Tobacco Free Ireland Partners Group are inviting entries to their photography competition, under the theme of “Tobacco Free Life”.

Tobacco is one of the leading causes of preventable death across the world. In Ireland, around 5,000 people die each year from smoking related illnesses. Smoking affects nearly every organ in the body, and when you smoke a cigarette, you are inhaling toxic chemicals along with addictive nicotine. Read more facts about smoking here.

Quitting smoking is not only better for your health, but it can also improve your mental health, save you money, improve opportunities, and contribute to sustainable development on the planet. Find out how to quit smoking here.

*Deadline extended to 23 May*

What does a tobacco free life mean to you?

This competition invites you to take a photo and write a caption to accompany the photo, illustrating what it means to you to be tobacco free.

Age categories

There are 3 age categories for this competition:

10-15 years
16-24 years
25+ years

You can submit your entry as an individual or as part of a group.

How to enter

Take a photo illustrating what a tobacco free life means to you (JPEG or TIFF)
Write a caption of 100 words or less to go with your photograph
Fill out your details on the entry form by 11:59pm on 23 May 2018
Email your photograph to [email protected] with your name as the subject line by 11:59pm on 23 May 2018

Late submissions will not be accepted. Only one submission per individual or group is allowed.

Some things to consider when planning your entry

The photo must not feature cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or cigarette packaging
It must be an original photograph, owned by you, and not entered into any other photography competitions.
You must have permission from anyone in the photograph.

Find more rules for the competition here.

The judging

The photographs will be reviewed by a judging panel
The top two shortlisted photographs in each age category will be posted on the Irish Cancer Society’s social media for a public vote on 21 May
Public voting will close 23 May
The photograph with the most votes in each age category will be the winner, and the second photograph will be the runner up.

The prize

The winner in each category will receive a €100 One4All voucher. The runner-up in each category will receive a €50 One4All voucher.

The winning photographs from each category will also be displayed at the Tobacco Free Partners Conference on World No Tobacco Day, 30 May 2018, and on social media, along with a slideshow of all entries to the competition.

For more information visit the Irish Cancer Society website.

View the full rules and guidelines for the competition here.

The HSE has welcomed the introduction of the sugar tax, which came into effect on Tuesday, 1 May.

The tax, which targets sugar-sweetened drinks, is now in place across Ireland and will apply to drinks with more than 5g of sugar per 100ml.

Drinks that have between 5g and 8g of sugar per 100ml will be taxed at a rate of 20 cent per litre, and drinks with more than 8g of sugar per 100ml will have a 30 cent per litre tax.

Sugar-sweetened drinks

The types of drinks targeted by the new tax include:

Flavoured water
Juice-based drinks
Fizzy drinks
Energy drinks
Concentrated drinks (like squash and flavoured syrups)

Reducing obesity

The HSE has praised the tax, saying that it will “reduce the amount of sugar-sweetened drinks that Irish people consume every day”, and will encourage the industry to make changes to their products.

The National Lead for the HSE’s Healthy Eating Active Living Programme, Sarah O’Brien, said that “the introduction of this tax is a definite step in the right direction in our efforts as a country to tackle obesity, which is one of the most serious and preventable health issues in Ireland today”.

“With at least 6 out of 10 adults and at least 1 in 5 children now overweight or obese in Ireland, the associated health risks are placing a heavy burden on ourselves and on our health services,” she added.

“We need to use all the tools we have at our disposal to create an environment that supports us all to eat healthily, be more active and achieve and maintain a healthier weight.”

Learn more about healthy eating here.

The plan to raise the digital age of consent in Ireland to 16 years old was “very concerning”, according to the Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon.

The digital age of consent in Ireland is currently 13 years of age, and the suggestion to raise it by three years was very worrying, according to Muldoon.

“Providing for 13 years as the digital age of consent takes more appropriate account of young people’s internet use and of the integral role that the online environment plays in their lives,” said Muldoon.

“It is also more in keeping with international children’s rights standards. It represents a more proportionate approach to balancing the opportunities and risks that the online environment presents to children and, with that, to balancing children’s rights in this environment,” he added.

Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality recommendation

In 2017, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality recommended that the digital age of consent in Ireland be set at 13 years, but parties to the committee had since suggested that it be raised to 16.

Fears about child safety have featured strongly in debates recently and Muldoon said that he is “deeply concerned about the risks that children may be exposed to online”.

According to Muldoon there needs to be more education, and the introduction of laws, to address the risks that are currently affecting children in Ireland when they access the internet.

“Child protection and data protection are not the same,” he said. “The digital age of consent is about the age at which young people can agree to the processing of their personal data.

“The protection it can offer is limited: it is not designed as a mechanism for protecting children from the multiple risks they may encounter in the online environment,” he added.

“Common sense prevailed”

The Oireachtas Joint Committee have decided to maintain the digital age of consent at 13 years, regardless of opposition from other parties including the Social Democrats.

Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall said that they “don’t think it’s right for the data of impressionable children and young teens to be used for these sorts of commercial marketing purposes”.

Despite the opposition, the Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, Tanya Ward, said that “common sense prevailed” when the Oireachtas rejected the proposal of increasing the digital age of consent.

“Children’s individual rights must be valued, and raising the age of consent to 16 will potentially undermine child protection measures and result in some services potentially being withdrawn,” Ward said.

“There are many reasons why children’s interests are best served by retaining the age at 13. We should be approaching this with a calm head. A number of amendments have also been tabled which strengthen children’s protection online and we welcome these,” she added.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is coming into effect on 25th May 2018, but what is it and how will it affect you?

What is GDPR?

The GDPR is a regulation that will give greater rights to consumers regarding their personal data and how companies use it. Personal data can include your name, where you live, your gender, your job or education, and other information about who you are. It is replacing the current data protection laws in the European Union.

When GDPR comes into effect, companies will have a greater obligation to protect the personal information that they have gathered about you.

Organisations will be required to be completely transparent about why and how they use data, and they must provide information about how they are safeguarding personal data.

Individuals will have the right to be provided with copies of what information a company has about them, and they can have their data erased if they so wish.

Under this new law, the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) “will be able to fine organisations up to €20 million (or 4% of total global turnover) for the most serious infringements” if they do not comply with the regulation.

Rights for individuals

Under the GDPR, individuals will be given the right to:

Access information about how your personal data is processed
Access personal data held about you
Ask for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete personal data to be corrected
Request personal data to be erased if it’s no longer needed
Object to the use of your personal data for marketing purposes
Request the restriction of the processing of your personal data in specific cases
Access your personal data in a machine-readable format and send it to another controller (‘data portability’)
Request that decisions based on your personal data is made by a real person, not only by a computers.

What to expect over the coming weeks

Before GDPR comes into effect, organisations are required to contact people and make them aware of the changes they are making to their data protection policy.

Companies are in the process of updating their privacy policies and T&Cs to ensure they’re clearer, more precise and use plain language we can all understand.

People should expect to be receiving emails from any organisation that they have given their information to, highlighting to them what will be happening and how they can change the permissions that the company has in regards to their data.

The Data Protection Commissioner has created a website specifically to provide information about GDPR and how it will affect both individuals and organisations. The website can be found here: gdprandyou.ie

Read about the Youth For Yes launch here.