ATU celebrating Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Providing university students in Ireland with 24/7, online peer-to-peer support

ATU announced the launch of Togetherall last November, providing 24/7 online peer-to-peer support across the university to all students. Togetherall, an ATU Student Counselling Service initiative, provides round-the-clock access to an online community moderated 24/7 by healthcare professionals who are trained to intervene or escalate whenever necessary. The support network is designed to provide preventative and early intervention support that integrates with existing higher education mental health services, augmenting traditional services such as counselling with online platforms and tools. Togetherall is the only digital mental health provider with such a large student community providing managed peer-to-peer support. The project is led by and delivered through Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland (PCHEI). This project was made possible by funding from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), that supports sectorwide projects that deliver on the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework, and matched funding from HSE Mental Health Operations.

ATU celebrates International Culture Week and International Day

ATU is a multicultural university with over 93 nationalities represented in our student and staff population.

On April 20th, ATU celebrated International Day. The day showcased and celebrated cultural diversity across ATU. On the same day, we officially launched ATU Global, which is a rebrand and relaunch of the International Office.

ATU Donegal’s international student ambassador team, in collaboration with the Indian and international societies, celebrated International Culture Week in March. They were joined by international students across all ATU campuses. The week allowed students to experience cultural diversity and inclusion across the ATU community.

ATU celebrated International Day of Persons with Disabilities with a panel discussion for staff and students on December 2nd. The focus of this international day is to promote understanding of disability issues, including the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Ruth Lennon, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, ATU Donegal, chaired the discussion, and the panel members included Sean Paul Lafferty, a graduate of ATU Donegal, Eilis Boileau, a Neurodiversity Support worker with The ADHD Learning Curve and Marcie Roth, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, World Institute on Disability.

Find the right career path for you

My Career Path advisors can help you find the learning path into and through higher education to achieve your career goals. This FREE programme from ATU will enable you to:

• Reflect on your personal skills and abilities

• Identify learning gaps and access customised e-learning content

• Choose the right course for your career goals

• Understand how your work experience and prior learning can help you access the ATU course of your choice Make an appointment with one of the ATU Careers and Learning Pathways advisors at www.mycareerpath.ie

Careers O ce shortlisted for Employability Awards 2023

ATU Careers Office was recently shortlisted for the Association of Higher Education Careers Service (AHECS) Employability Awards 2023 for its online Webinar Wednesday series of industry-led career talks. In these webinars, professionals share their industry expertise and hiring plans with students throughout the academic year. The weekly webinars cover a broad range of topics, which this year included Building Your Brand, Workplace Etiquette, Graduate Assessment Centres, Adaptability and Diverse Skills - Key Career Enablers, CV and Interview Tips, and Careers Working in the Non-Profit Sector.

The online webinars have proven to be a game changer in how ATU works with employers and complement ATU’s campusbased career events.

An Athena Swan award recognises inclusivity and has a solid foundation for eliminating gender bias and developing an inclusive culture that values all staff and students. ATU created a singular Gender Action Plan developed from the Gender Action Plans of the three Institutes of Technology (IoT). This plan was submitted to Athena Swan Ireland as part of our application for an Athena Swan Legacy award, which was granted in October 2022. Work began in May 2021 involving EDI Team members and the Self-Assessment Teams (SATs) of the three IoTs. The award is valid until March 2025. Work has already begun on the implementation of this plan.

Diversifying our Libraries

Pride is an opportunity for people from the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to come together to celebrate sexual and gender diversity and support their LGBTQ+ friends and colleagues. ATU staff and students participated in several Pride events across the west and northwest regions. In June, we took part in Donegal’s first ever Pride event in Buncrana, Co. Donegal. In July, we walked in the Mayo Pride

Parade in Westport. In August, we unveiled two rainbow walkways at our Sligo campus and participated in the Sligo Pride Parade. We then celebrated the Galway Pride Festival by raising the Pride Flag at the ATU Galway City campus and participating in the Galway Pride parade. We finished the series of summer Pride events by attending the first ever Leitrim Pride in Carrickon-Shannon.

On January 25th, ATU Libraries, in conjunction with the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) office, launched their new collection of books covering themes of equality, diversity and inclusion. The collection of almost 100 books and ebooks on all aspects of diversity was funded by the EDI Office and covers fiction and non-fiction on the themes of race, gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ and ability. The collection shows the university’s commitment to having inclusive content that is representative of our diverse ATU community and provides a focus for students and staff to explore these themes.

LinkedIn Learning partnership

Sustainability at ATU

ATU is committed to creating a more sustainable future for the broader community and reducing its carbon footprint across all campuses. ATU Mayo

(formerly GMIT Mayo) was the first Institute of Technology to be awarded the Green Flag in 2011 with other ATU campuses achieving the prestigious award since.

Energy efficiency projects are happening across ATU facilities to meet government energy and decarbonisation targets which plan for a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Improving the sustainable management of materials and resources are fundamental to university operations. Most recently, ATU Sligo and Donegal Letterkenny campuses have made significant changes by "greening' their canteen facilities in a commitment to eliminate single-use items on campus and significantly increase waste recycling levels.

Sustainable transport choices are promoted amongst staff and students to encourage the use of public transport and car sharing. Electric vehicle charging services, electric and hybrid bike hire options, walking routes and flexible working arrangements for staff to reduce day-to-day commuting and business travel contribute to the sustainability vision and decarbonisation targets. Biodiversity and habitat protection through ground-keeping initiatives are an additional key feature. President of ATU, Dr Orla Flynn says "We have a responsibility to protect the environment for future generations, and this includes reducing our waste across all our campuses. The university's commitment to sustainability has already received positive feedback from students, staff, and the wider community, and we should be proud that we are part of the growing movement towards a more sustainable future."

ATU accepted an invitation this year to become a member of EU GREEN, which is an alliance to create a European “Super Campus” focusing on responsible growth, inclusive education, and the environment.

ATU has partnered with LinkedIn Learning, an online library with over 18,000 courses delivered in seven languages, to suit the training needs of staff and students. All staff and students at ATU have full, free and unlimited access to on-demand training on any device at any time. The course topics range from leadership, engineering, and business management to Excel and beyond. The resources comprise highquality video learning resources plus downloadable exercises and workbooks.

The alliance comprises nine European universities whose aim is to be a gateway to sustainability and who believe in the development of the empowerment, capabilities, opportunities, and cooperation of society for a better and more viable environment in the long run.

“EU GREEN will allow students, staff and researchers to work together across the EU. It will also bring social and economic benefits to the region through an educational environment committed to sustainability.” Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President.