Today is the first day of the Trinity Economic Forum - a students-led venue for discussing current and future trends in economics, economic policy and related issues, such as the future of Europe, social policies and so on.
TEF is a superb venue for an open and intelligent debates and TEF organisers are really doing a stellar job helping to inform and develop a new crop of European and Irish leaders - intellectual, engaged, crossing business, Government, social and other lines.
Check it out: http://trinityeconomicforum.ie/
I asked the organisers for a quick comment on the forthcoming event and they told me:
"TEF was set up in 2012 to promote student engagement in the economic policy-making process. Since then TEF has gone from strength to strength and has become a truly national forum, welcoming students from universities across Ireland. We hope that this year's forum will once again demonstrate the valuable contribution students have to make to shaping Ireland's economic future."
While the lineup of speakers and panels participants is superb, the real value of the TEF is actually students - their participation, engagement, enthusiasm, thinking, knowledge - all remind myself as to why teaching is such a rewarding job: it keeps us, old foggies, on our toes, shaping ourselves to constantly keep up with the speed and depth of our students testing our conventional 'wisdoms'.
Best of luck to all of us who are sitting / standing today on TEF stages.
