Ethos sessions are about developing the skills and motivations of high performing students’ union officers. The bedrock of SUT, all trainees are divided into multi-college groups of practice. We deliver talks, workshops, practical learning and deductive learning methods to ensure each trainee contributes to the whole.  

These are intense sessions, with complex content, well-founded research and lively commentary.  

Ethos sessions are led by confident and experienced trainers – a mix of former students’ union officers and senior administrators from within national students’ movements return to give the benefit of their experience and knowledge in a supportive but demanding training environment.  

We expect all attendees at SUT to attend all Ethos sessions.

What is the point of the SU? 

What is its purpose, and what’s the purpose of SU officers? Why do we undertake activities, and from where does the SU draw its legitimacy?  What are the needs of your students from the SU?  Are you an imposter?

Team Formation and Dynamics

What makes a team function?  How do teams form? How do we prepare ourselves for the differering needs of members of the team?  Clique or team? How much time do we have?  How do we best apply ourselves to the time we have?

Leadership

What is leadership?  How can an ethical leadership develop in my SU?  Who leads your SU? Inclusive, Empowering, Process Oriented, Purposeful, Ethical and Accountable Leadership.  How do I stay ethical and accountable?

Power

What is power? How do I differentiate it from Authority? What do I do with it?  Who has power, and who doesn’t?  

What shall we do?

What do you think the word ‘campaign’ means?  Should we just crack on and look busy?  Who should decide? How do we find out what students want? Going out and talking. Theory of Change 

Choosing priorities and dumping your wastes of time

Using a Gantt Chart

Power

What is power? How do I differentiate it from Authority? What do I do with it?  Who has power, and who doesn’t?

Putting it all together

Every campaign needs the whole skillset you bring to the table, but any campaign can fail if it’s not focused on the end-point – achieving change in the interests of your members.

We think hard in this session about how we reach the hardest-to-reach students and how we can configure our activities to gain their trust and action.  We consider theories of privilege and how to use our power to engage every type of student.  

Prep for SUT+

We’ll give you more information about SUT+ – the simulation exercise we’ve built to draw all your learning together.

Knowledge and skill sessions are special sessions delivered by external agencies and skilled presenters from our network of trainers.  We’re working on the final timetable now, but you can expect sessions on:

What is the point of the SU? 

Not every SU has staff – but where they do they provide essential skills, knowledge and institutional memory which can make the difference between success and failure in your campaigns.

Working with staff isn’t always easy but it can often be extremely rewarding; this session focuses on how officers can stick to the things that representatives were elected to do at and allowing staff to deliver on the high-quality support that they give.

Knowledge is power.

How we process information about our members, and how the institutions around us store information about us are important.

This session focuses on how we can simply ensure the correct, lawful and ethical guardianship of data that we have on our members and how we can use our skills to extract from public authorities and from our institutions information that will be valuable for us in running and managing campaigns.

You’ve spent weeks campaigning for the job. You’ve written a manifesto. You’ve stood up at hustings and been elected. You’re the GOAT. So GOAT.

How come SU officers don’t do the simplest things to find out from students what they actually want and think? A week of consulting with your members is worth a hundred survey questions, and the benefits to you and your union don’t end there.  Ben Kinross will lead a session intended to give you the skills you’ll need to overcome the inertia and directly talk to hard to reach students.

Meetings are unavoidable. Let’s get good at them.

The essential skills in running and participating in meetings – reading the documents, preparing yourself to take part in discussion points, and how to chair your own meetings successfully and effectively. Make enormous effort effortless.

Class Reps are the life blood of our movement.  How do we motivate and support them?

AMLÉ is proud to be the host for the National Student Engagement Programme

But lots of people don’t know how it really works.  This programme will give you insight into the programme the student movement demanded, developed and supports to empower students to improve quality course delivery in Ireland.

AMLÉ is proud to be the host for the national student mental health programme.

How our campaigning, advocacy and awareness raising campaign for Mental Health works, how you can access it, and trainign we believe every Students’ Union officer should attend.  Play your part in the development of the programme and find out how to make it more relevant and effective for your students. 

The President of AMLÉ sits on the Higher Education Authority

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is the statutory body responsible for overseeing and funding higher education in Ireland. It allocates public funding to universities and institutes of technology, monitors their performance, and promotes accountability and strategic planning within the sector. The HEA supports policy development, coordinates national initiatives in research and teaching, and advises the Minister for Further and Higher Education on priorities and reforms. It plays a vital role in advancing equity, quality, and access in higher education, ensuring institutions serve national economic and social goals. Essentially, the HEA is Ireland’s central agency for higher education governance.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs sits on the board of the QQI

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is the Irish agency responsible for promoting quality and ensuring high standards across further and higher education and training. It develops, maintains, and oversees the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), which defines education and training awards in Ireland. QQI also validates programs, conducts institutional reviews, and ensures providers meet quality assurance requirements. It safeguards the reputation of Irish qualifications nationally and internationally, and protects learners by monitoring standards. In short, QQI ensures that the education and training system in Ireland delivers credible, high-quality qualifications that meet national and global expectations.

is a non-profit organisation that mobilises third-level students and graduates across Ireland to champion global justice, equality, and sustainability.

How can students engage and mobilise with STAND, and how can Students’ Union officers use STAND to advance their objectives?

We’re running two sessions on Gaeilge this year – one for officers who don’t consider themselves fluent but who want to promote the language and develop their SU’s ability to promote it, and one led overwhelmingly as gaeilge for fluent speakers who want to go even harder.

Active Consent* is a consent education and research initiative based at the University of Galway. Since 2013, it has been collecting original Irish data to guide the design of evidence-based sex-positive workshops, e-learning modules, videos, theatre productions, and social campaigns aimed at enhancing understanding of consent, sexual wellbeing, and bystander support for young people across Ireland 

Operating through the Consent Hub, launched in January 2022 in collaboration with Irish governmental departments, Active* Consent provides campus or school-based training, educator resources, attendee-centered campaigns, and multimedia materials to foster healthy communication about sexual consent

AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access & Disability) is an Irish non-profit that promotes full participation of students and graduates with disabilities in higher education and employment. It supports colleges, universities, and training providers to create inclusive, accessible learning environments through training, research, and policy advocacy. AHEAD also runs initiatives like the WAM Programme, which helps graduates with disabilities secure paid internships, and GetAHEAD, which offers career guidance and employability skills. It develops resources to help employers understand reasonable accommodations and inclusive hiring practices. Overall, AHEAD works to remove barriers, champion equity, and empower disabled people to achieve their full potential.