Approximately 300,000 Irish asthmatics are using their inhalers incorrectly, putting them at severe risks as inhaler misuse can cause serious asthma attacks or even death, as 50 people died from the condition last year. The positive thing is that the majority of these cases are preventable.

The CEO of the Asthma society of Ireland Averil Power stated that "Up to 50pc of all asthmatics don't use their inhalers correctly so don't have their asthma under control. As a result someone ends up in A&E every 26 minutes with a serious asthma attack.”

To help prevent recurring asthmatic problems, Boots, in association with the Asthma Society, is providing free 'Let's Breathe Easy' asthma consultations and support packs in its 83 pharmacies across Ireland for the full month of May.

Susan O’Dwyer, Healthcare Development Manager with Boots Ireland said, “Throughout the month of May, asthma patients can avail of a free ‘Let’s Breathe Easy’ consultation in their local Boots pharmacy. These consultations are designed to provide advice and support to patients with asthma, helping them to better manage their condition. They can discuss their current use of medication with a pharmacist and have their inhaler technique checked to ensure they are not wasting their medicine by using their device incorrectly.”

Minister for Health Simon Harris, is also encouraging people to take the opportunity to have their asthma management checked this World Asthma Day.  According to the Minister, “With proper management, people with asthma can live full lives, symptom-free. However, poor asthma control leaves them at risk of having a serious attack at any time. I would encourage everyone with asthma to avail of the advice of their pharmacist to ensure they are taking their inhalers correctly and managing their asthma to the best effect.

This is a perfect opportunity for asthmatics to decrease their risk of asthma attacks by ensuring they are using their inhalers correctly and not wasting their medication.

Find out where your local Boots pharmacy is.

Irish young people are open, optimistic and have very little confidence in traditional sources of authority, a new poll has found. The European Broadcasting Union’s massive “Generation What” survey asked young people from across the continent their views on a wide range of topics from sex and society to immigration and the economy.

The survey was carried out last year in 18 countries, with nearly a million people between the ages of 16 and 34 asked 149 questions each. This has provided a major snapshot into the opinions of Europe’s younger generation and you can find their answers in full here. 

No country for young people?

Looking just at the answers of respondents from Ireland aged 16-25, we get a fascinating insight into a millennial generation which is increasingly rejecting many of the core institutions of the state. The poll found, for instance, that Irish youth have little time for almost every type of authority figure:

Young people also expressed unhappiness at the general condition of Irish society, with many feeling we could be doing a lot better as a country:

Progressive views

As well as being dissatisfied with the status quo, most of Ireland’s youth expressed support for progressive solutions to society’s problems. Despite the rise of far-right politics in Europe and America, Irish millennials seem open and liberal in their beliefs. 

​There was also some inter-generational tension on display with 58% blaming the previous generation for most of the problems facing young people. So much so, in fact, that revolution may well be in the air: 56% claimed they would be up for joining “a large-scale uprising against the generation in power” in the near future.

The pursuit of happiness

As well as rejecting tradition sources of authority, many young people are also redefining what it means to have a good life. Overall, happiness (65%) was ranked the single most important factor in a successful life, beating out having a family, a job or money. In addition:

Despite their dissatisfaction with many aspects of Irish society, perhaps the most striking result of the survey was the positive views most young people have about the future. Only 23% of 16-25 year olds thought they would not do as well as their parents, with almost half (49%) confident they would do better. Overall, 71% of Irish young people were optimistic about what comes next.

So bring on the revolution!

Ten months after the Brexit vote we still have a few certainties about the future of the EU. The European institutions seem to struggle to react to Brexit strongly and unanimously, with the only very clear consequence of the British vote being even more widespread disenchantment with the European project.  

A few weeks ago the European Commission released the Future of Europe white paper, where five scenarios are outlined as the possible reactions to Brexit. Still, from business as usual to the different speeds solution proposed by the Chancellor Angela Merkel, it is clear that there is “great disorder under the Heavens”. 

We have been here before: in 2010, when the public debt crisis exploded. Although the reasons behind the British vote are many, Brexit can be interpreted as the reaction to six years of no proper answer to the suffering of more and more Europeans during the crisis. The reaction to austerity, the lack of social policies and the inability of the EU institutions – including the national governments that take decisions in the EU Council and the Council of the EU – to demonstrate that the European project finds its foundations in something more than the single market.

A glimmer of hope

The European Union would be considered an unquestionable asset by the European population if it implemented social policies that enable the youngest generations to work, emancipate themselves and build their future. Enabling them, therefore, to contribute to the knowledge, skills and progress of the whole society. While our social cohesion falls apart, the EU should focus on the promotion of intergenerational social inclusion, building a society where not just the young, but also the old can add their experience and feel an essential part of society rather than a burden on it.  

The glimmer of hope for moving forward with the European project exists in the form of the European Pillar of Social Rights. But it might be too little too late. Too little because enlarging and improving EU social policies has to go hand in hand with other reforms. The EU decision-making process has to become more democratic, inclusive, and understandable for each citizen. The European Central Bank should be reformed, first of all, to include “full employment” among its targets.

The European Union, and particularly the Eurozone, is about creating more opportunity and expanding the sphere of freedom, rather than restricting it. Instead, the budget rules established by the Stability and Growth Pact have restricted the ability of governments to have strongly expansionist fiscal stances, and in so doing have prolonged the misery brought about by economic slumps. Not least, the EU is not an island: the Social Pillar can’t be the only answer to the changing landscape in which the EU has to move.

Open, digital and green

In a changing world, confusion can be tackled by making sure that the digital society we’re going to live in is open, democratic and inclusive. By ensuring that proper investments are made to finally make the so-called “knowledge society” a reality. A reality where everybody has the possibility to grow, emancipate themselves and pursue their own personal fulfilment. Where nobody is left behind and well-being is never conceived just for some happy few, but for all.

The fear of the digitisation of the labour market can be tackled if we are brave and smart enough to consider it as an opportunity to improve the working conditions and work-life balance of workers. Brave because it must be monitored, with every risk of digital divide being torn down promptly and effectively. All these policies and reforms have to be linked to the green economy in order for social innovation to thrive in building a sustainable and fair economic development model, where new jobs can be created, especially for the youth.

A brighter future

The European Union after Brexit can exist only if it becomes the democratic and open house that works for all. The place where disadvantaged people – the poor as the refugee as the many communities still discriminated against in our society – are welcomed and matched by proper public policies that enable them to build their walk of life, step by step.

To be proud of the European project and optimistic about its future requires a lot of effort today. It requires memory of our past first, and a deeper-than-usual understanding of international relations and economics, secondly. Most importantly, it requires the belief that solidarity is a value in itself. To appreciate the European Union one has to understand its working principles, while its institutions are felt as distant, complicated and therefore problematic.

It is disillusion and malaise to reduce the will of European citizens to believe in a brighter future –  to believe in the basic principle that diversity makes us stronger if we stick together. The different speeds proposal proposed by Angela Merkel, implies that even some Governments don’t believe in that principle anymore.

The many limits of EU action can be then easily interpreted and sold as a cage which damages the “good old national virtues” espoused by populist rhetoric all over Europe. Even when it may look obvious why staying united is better than falling apart, it becomes more and more difficult to convince the citizens of it. It is becoming rare to state with no angry retort that in a globalised world a single State of Europe could never represent more than a distant echo in an aggressive international arena, while the EU as a whole can better represent the values and interests of our region. The region itself became an abstract concept – where the founding values of our community are not uniting the population in the face of terrorist attacks or protectionism, but rather are being questioned to their very core.

Emerging from the dark

This widespread confusion and disenchantment hasn’t come out of the blue. The European Union we live in, the one judged worthless by the British citizens and Le Pen or Mélenchon voters in France, is not the project that unites the people of the European countries. It’s not based on the people’s different needs in a changing world, nor on the idea that our society is not fair enough. It’s clear that much more needs to be done to free opportunities for all.

Our recent past was driven by the short-sighted austerity vision, that could have led to the rejection of the whole European project that we are now witnessing. It brought a relevant bracket of the European population to refuse the very idea that openness and solidarity are builders of  well-being.

In this dark scenario, European youth has the insights and the strength to be involved in the advancement of the EU project, making it more democratic and inclusive. Unchaining the energies of young people  through policies that empower them means re-launching the European Union itself.

I have been a member of the Young European Socialists for some years now, taking an active role in the organisation of many of its activities. What has always fuelled my commitment to the European youth movement is the conviction that a strong and well organised European organisation can only enhance each local struggle in the society to make it better and fairer. Today we face the serious threat of the collapse of the European Union. We must be the ones marching for its future, our future, as we did in Rome on the occasion of the EU’s 60th anniversary, and demanding innovative, far-sighted and brave reforms to make it a more democratic, inclusive and just place.

In 2016 the first ever Zeminar saw almost 15,000 people flock to Dublin’s RDS over 3 days for 41 workshops, 75 Z-Series talks and over 100 exhibitors.

Zeminar is an event dedicated to GenZ, in particular, those aged 15-20 along with their Teachers, Parents and Youth Leaders.

Zeminar 2017 will take place in the RDS Oct 10th-12th, 2017

A limited number of early bird tickets are available at just €7

The organisers’ objective is to recognise the importance of generation Z in society and to provide them with a space where they can inform themselves on issues of interest, and come away feeling confident that they can make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others.

The lineup so far: Blindboy, Anna Geary, Gary & Paul O’Donovan, Snapchat sensation Doireann Garrihy and teen author Eilis Barrett.

Zeminer will showcase over 125 participants including; Foroige, PwC, Jigsaw, Bank of Ireland, Seo Linn, Youth Reach, WIT, BIMM, Irish Red Cross, High Hopes Choir, DIT, Badminton Ireland, RNLI, NUI Maynooth and many more to be announced.

For more information visit www.zeminar.ie

Another historic referendum may be on the way after the Citizens’ Assembly voted to recommend loosening Ireland’s restrictions on abortion. However, the 99-member group appointed by the Government also rejected the idea of completely repealing the Constitution’s 8th Amendment.

After listening to weeks of presentations from experts and campaigners, the Assembly was tasked last weekend with putting forward a blueprint of what Ireland’s abortion laws should look like in the modern era. By an overwhelming margin of 87%, the members chose not to support the status quo of abortion only being legal when a pregnancy becomes life-threatening.

Instead, the Citizen’s Assembly will recommend to government that the controversial Eighth Amendment be replaced by a much more liberal article which would allow for abortions in a wider range of circumstances.

Recommendations

Each position taken by the Citizen’s Assembly was voted on and approved by a majority of its membership. The democratic consensus of members was that the Constitution should continue to regulate the issue of abortion in some form, but that TDs and Senators should have more power and responsibility to shape the country’s laws on the issue.

The Assembly was also given the chance to set out in some detail what they thought Ireland’s abortion laws should allow. The Assembly recommended that abortion should be legally accessible:

What happens now?

The Citizens’ Assembly was set up by the Government to examine controversial issues such as abortion and report back with recommendations. The Chair of the Assembly, Justice Mary Laffoy will present a report on the members’ decisions to the Dáil and Seanad at the end of June.

After that, it will be up to the politicians to decide whether they want to support the Assembly’s recommendations. However whatever they decide, there can be no change to Ireland’s abortion laws without a referendum.

It therefore looks increasingly likely that the public will be asked to vote on replacing the anti-abortion 8th Amendment – but it’s unclear whether the government’s proposed replacement will be as liberal as the Citizens’ Assembly’s.

How will the politicians react?

Of the major groups in the Dáil, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Solidarity-PBP and the other left-wing parties are broadly in favour of more liberal abortion laws. Notably, most of these parties were campaigning to remove the 8th Amendment entirely and bring in only a portion of the wide-ranging reasons for termination the Assembly has recommended. How far these parties go in supporting Judge Laffoy’s report will be an important indicator of the mood of the Dáil. 

Among the large right-wing parties of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, views on abortion are more mixed. Fianna Fáil operates a free vote on issues like this, so it’s unclear whether the party will have a coherent line or simply leave it up to each of its deputies and senators to decide for themselves. Fine Gael and its Independent allies in government also have a wide range of views within their memberships. As the government of the day, their reaction to the recommendations will be among the most important in terms of whether they are ultimately accepted, rejected or modified.

One thing is clear: another abortion referendum is now extremely likely. But the question of what it will actually aim to change is still very much up in the air.

Earlier this month the Washington Ireland Programme (WIP) welcomed its latest batch of talented young people from across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Founded to help preserve peace on the island of Ireland, WIP has been helping young people from different backgrounds develop leadership skills for more than two decades.   

This year, thirty young people have been chosen to take part. This group will arrive in the Washington DC in early June where they will live with host families, work within the American political system and get to know their peers across the Atlantic. Over 380 applicants from 19 different colleges and universities sent in applications for the 2017 programme.

The Head of Northern Ireland’s Civil Service, Sir Malcolm McKibbin had this to say about the aims and value of the WIP: “we have been committed to ensuring that young people have access to opportunities that will challenge their beliefs; that will push them academically and professionally out of their comfort zone; and which will allow them to grow into determined, passionate and respected young leaders.”

Who are they?

These thirty young people are a diverse group coming from all over the island of Ireland and further afield. You can find out a little bit about a few of them below:

You can find out about the rest of the WIP Class of 2017 here. 

The last few days have seen social media light up with the #WeAreIrish hashtag. Started on Twitter by Úna-Minh Kavanagh (@unakavanagh), the campaign has been highlighting the role of Irish people of all backgrounds.

Despite having lived in Ireland since she was six weeks old, Úna has faced years of questioning about her background and Irishness. Inspired by this, she put together a collage of pictures representing the real faces of multicultural Ireland.

Diverse and Proud

The original tweet has been favourited 1,200 times and is continuing to attract support. The original message accompanying the image reads: “It’s true that we may have different colour skin, different eye shapes, different accents. But #WeAreIrish. We are diverse. We are proud.”

While the #WeAreIrish campaign has received much support, including from celebrities such as Dara Ó Briain and Tara Flynn, there has also been some negative backlash with a number of accounts expressing racist and anti-diversity views attempting to hijack the hashtag. However, the bulk of tweets have been supportive and celebratory of Ireland’s increasingly multicultural reality.

The 2016 census showed that 18% of the Irish population identified as having a non-”White Irish” background. Of these, the most common ethnic identity is “Other White”, while there are smaller but significant numbers of people identifying as Black, Asian and from the Irish Travelling Community.

IndivualiTy, BeLonG To’s youth group for trans young people, celebrated their 10th birthday last night.

As part of the celebrations, they launched the TransVisibility Public Awareness campaign. The purpose of the campaign to improve the lives of trans and non-binary young people living in Ireland, by raising visibility of what trans means and highlighting the issues that trans people may face.

Speaking at the event, Danielle Lavigne, co-founder of IndividualiTy, said "To see how this group has evolved in the ten years since, it fills me with a kind of joy and relief that I can’t begin to explain”.

As part of the campaign, BeLonG To have created this powerful video series, in which young trans people talk about their lives and experiences. You can watch the video below.

For more information on BeLonG To, visit www.belongto.org.

Mental health charity Suicide or Survive are offering free spaces in their Wellness Recovery Action Planning programme, starting from as early as next week.

The Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) programme is a specially developed way of monitoring and managing your mental health. WRAP aims to give each person the skills and knowledge needed to:

Suicide or Survive have a number of free spaces on their special YOUTH WRAP programme for 18-25 year olds. The first of these will be taking place on Saturday April 29th at the Junction Youth Café, St Andrews Resource Centre, Dublin 2. Further YOUTH WRAP events are planned throughout May and June with more coming in the future. 

Each WRAP programme takes place over two and half days. They are open to anyone who wants to create positive change in the way they feel or increase their enjoyment in life.

If you’re interested in learning more about WRAP you can contact Suicide or Survie by calling Allan at 01 272 2158 or emailing [email protected]. You can also read all about WRAP and Suicide or Survive here. 

The Leaving Cert is just around the corner. As exam season approaches students are spending their evenings memorising quotes from Macbeth, attending extra math classes and stressing out about what type of rock Marble is. It’s a hectic time of the year for 6th year students, and with their minds full of quadratic equations and Irish grammar, they tend to forget to take care of themselves.

Exams take up a huge chunk of your time as a student, however it is vital that you find the time to take a breather. It’s hard not to get worked up over getting an A in higher level Irish or passing your German oral with flying colours, but taking a step back will help you avoid stress. A lot of students end up being run down due to a lack of sleep, poor diets and an overwhelming amount of pressure during exam time. Your body needs to be treated with great care and a lot of students tend to neglect themselves when they’re cramming for the Leaving Certificate. If you are run-down, your body can’t function properly. Exhaustion can cause weight loss, forgetfulness, insomnia, fatigue and even anxiety and depression. You need to take care of both your body and mind, especially during such an overwhelming time.

There are so many tips and tricks that will help make you feel better and full of energy. One thing that helps is to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. I know that sausage rolls from the local Deli may be a more appealing lunch option, rather than a leafy green salad, but your body will feel much better afterwards if you opt for the healthier option. Junk food can leave you feeling sluggish so it’s best to avoid your weekly outing to the chipper, especially during exam season.

Another thing that can help boost your energy is taking a tonic or multivitamins in the morning. These will help your body get all of the vitamins it needs. If you’re forgetful, putting the bottle of vitamins on your bedside locker will remind you to take them before you dash out the door to your 9am Irish class.

Getting enough sleep on the run up to your exams is key. We’ve all stayed up until 2am, reading our notes through sleepy eyes, in the hopes that we’d remember the answers during our history exam, but it never helps. Late night study sessions leave you feeling exhausted, which can have  a negative impact on your concentration. Aim to get at least 8 hours sleep a night, and even more when the week of your exams rolls around. The last thing you want to do is to start snoring in the exam hall.

One thing you can do to unwind is to plan a day out with your friends, whether you go to see La La Land for the fifth time or go for a walk in the Phoenix Park. This will help you get away from the books and out of the house. Organising a day out will also give your friends a break too, who are more than likely feeling just as stressed out about English Paper 2 as you are. Finding the balance between socialising and studying can be tricky, but try to relax for at least one hour every evening.

Taking a break during this hectic time of the school year will help make the overall experience easier. Remember to eat well, get enough sleep and take time out, and the Leaving Cert won’t be as daunting as it may seem.

In 2012, Offaly forward Niall McNamee publicly admitted he owed around €80,000 as a result of a gambling addiction, accepted that he needed professional help and so began, his journey towards recovery.

Subscribe and listen on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher. 

It is now 5 years since Niall has made a bet and his life has been transformed. We sat down to chat about many lessons he has learned along the way and what it is like to be able to look at himself in the mirror now and be proud of what he sees – because for many years he didn’t and gambling became his form of escapism from everyday life.

He burst onto the inter-county scene as a 17 year old back in 2003 when he made his championship debut, the week before his Leaving Cert began. Since then he has become Offaly’s talisman, missing just one championship game over 14 campaigns, but while Niall has been a beacon of consistency on the field, a large portion of his football career was spent battling a chronic gambling addiction.

Check out Real Talks here.

Going to college is extremely expensive, whether you’re attending Trinity or Ballyfermot College of Further Education. Your college tuition fees alone can cost up to €3000, and unfortunately not every student in Ireland is entitled to a student grant. The main way to fund a student lifestyle is by taking up a part time job. Most students work in the evening time or on the weekends, however working the evening shift can leave many students feeling exhausted, especially during their 9am lecture the following morning.

There are a variety of different benefits to working part time, such as having your own independence, developing your skills in customer service and communications, and having a constant and stable income. Your wages will help fund your travel expenses, you’ll have plenty of money on your leap card, so luckily you won’t be rummaging in your bag for change when the bus comes along. You’ll also be able to treat yourself to lunch from your favourite cafe, rather than eating the soggy ham and cheese sandwiches that you made at 8am.

However, working part time and being a full time student can be exhausting. Finding the balance between work and college is key, as it will help you avoid stress. An important thing to remember is that college is your number one priority. Your studies are far more important than your part time job in the local pub. Don’t neglect college for the sake of a few extra euros in your bank account at the end of the month. It is okay to say no if you’re offered extra hours. If you have an essay due on Friday morning, don’t do an extra few hours in work on Thursday night, because overworking will have a negative impact on your grades. Try to work on the days that fit well with your schedule, most managers will try their best to work around your college timetable.

It’s important to take time away from work, especially towards the end of college. If you’re working on your dissertation or preparing for exams, take a few days off work. If you’re concerned about having no income during those weeks, opening up a savings account can help. If you save up before you take some time off work you will have a backup fund to help you get by during your break. You may not be earning money for a week or two, or however long you take off, but you will feel a lot more confident and at ease knowing that you invested that time in your studies.

We all need to earn a living, especially during our college years. But we also need to remember to focus on what is more important in the long run.

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