Lively forum offers voice to Dublin's international students

Workshop groups at the Dublin International Student Forum

Sheila Power, Director of the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS), led off the night by outlining proposed student immigration reforms and taking questions. Afterwards attendees joined workshops on a range of topics that generated lively discussion and feedback, with Ireland's immigration procedures remaining prominent amongst the concerns. USI and ICOS undertook to incorporate the key points raised into future policy and advocacy work and to make available notes from the discussion when completed.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Emer Costello, closed the event by thanking those attending for making Dublin their city of choice. "International students have so much to offer the city and the country of Ireland," she told them. "It cannot be either overstated or overestimated the contribution you make to our society here."

She acknowledged some of the issues raised in discussion and emphasised the importance of policies that facilitate international students and ensure the warm welcome for which Ireland is reknowned. "For my part as Lord Mayor I have prioritised the whole area of promoting Dublin as an international student destination," she said. "It is essential to the growth and development of Dublin that we encourage international students to come to live here."

"It's very important that we recognise that you are our future political, business, artistic and cultural leaders," the Lord Mayor added. "When you have completed your studies, you are the future leaders not just of this country but all over the world and we hope that the links and the friendships you have developed will grow and be nurtured into the future."

» View photo slideshow of the Dublin Forum / Access images at Flickr