Annual Conference 2026 | IDEA

gUEST OF HONOUR

President Michael D. Higgins

Recipient of the inaugural IDEA Global Voice for Humanity Award

President Michael D. Higgins is the ninth President of Ireland and a distinguished statesman, poet, academic, and lifelong advocate for human rights, social justice, and global solidarity. A passionate champion of education, equality, and democratic engagement, President Higgins has dedicated his career to advancing the values that underpin Global Citizenship Education. Before assuming the Presidency in 2011, he served with distinction as Ireland’s first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, revitalising cultural life and supporting freedom of expression. He is also a former university lecturer, public intellectual, T.D. and Senator, known for his principled positions on peace, anti-poverty, and international development. Throughout his life, President Higgins has consistently spoken out on behalf of the marginalised, challenging injustice and urging a more compassionate, interconnected world. His leadership continues to inspire individuals and organisations in Ireland and globally to pursue education as a force for dignity, empowerment, and transformative change.

Spoken Word Performance

Nima Ashour

Watch this very powerful and inspiring spoken-word performance by Palestinian student Nima Ashour at the IDEA Annual Conference 2026 - Education for Liberation: GCE in an Age of Crisis in June. Nima’s piece was a standout feature of our closing ceremony and was accompanied by Aziz Abushark, a Palestinian musician, and the Craftivism for Palestine blanket. Her piece challenged us to reflect on the world around us and our role in transforming it, leaving participants with a lasting reminder of the importance of critical engagement, solidarity and action.

"Let us leave here not with heavy hearts, but lifted up;

a little more courageous,

a little more hopeful and

a little more committed to each other.

Let us carry the torch of education for liberation.

We have on this earth what makes life worth living:

our humanity, our compassion; And our capacity to care.

Let's protect that.

Let's nurture it.

Let's share it.

Because that’s how the world really changes,

one person,

one voice,

one act of courage at a time".

Nima Ashour.

ARTISTS

African Queens (Nomalanga Zulu and Neo Florence Gilson)

Watch African Queens perform at IDEA's Annual Conference 2026 – Education for Liberation: GCE in an Age of Crisis. Through a powerful blend of music, storytelling and African artistic traditions, Nomalanga Zulu and Neo Florence Gilson created a vibrant and inspiring experience that celebrated intercultural dialogue, community connection, and the transformative power of the arts.

Their performance served as a reminder of the deep interconnectedness of communities and of the role of music and culture as powerful vehicles for solidarity, dialogue, and liberation.

IN CONVERSATION

Sally Hayden – Love and Radical Hope

Award-winning journalist, photographer and author Sally Hayden joined Pierre Yimbog for a special conversation on Love and Radical Hope. Drawing on years of frontline reporting across migration routes and conflict zones, she reflected on the responsibility of storytelling, bearing witness to injustice, and the power of narratives to challenge systems of power while affirming dignity, humanity and hope.

“In August 2018, I received a message from an Eritrean man who was being held in a Libyan detention centre, asking for help. He said he was among hundreds of people locked up without charge. I began writing about their situation and the need for attention, and that became the starting point for the reporting that led to my first book.” Sally Hayden.

Panel Conversation

Art, Education and Justice

Grace Dyas
Grace Dyas is an award-winning artist, activist, writer, director, producer and performer from inner-city Dublin. She makes film, theatre and large-scale participation projects, often in collaboration with people processing trauma. Grace's art has raised provocative questions about power, ethics, morality, class and social justice on issues including Ireland’s history of social housing and the Magdalene laundries. Grace has also been outspoken bullying and harassment in the arts, campaigning for accountability.
Joe Caslin
Joe Caslin is an Irish street artist art teacher and activist best known for his large-scale street art, that address social issues in Ireland. He gained international attention for his "Claddagh Embrace" mural in Dublin city during the 2015 marriage equality referendum. Joe’s work often tackles themes like mental health, addiction, LGBTQ+ rights, and social injustice, direct provision, institutional power, consent and most recently, the effects of the Covid19 pandemic on young people.
Dean Oke
Dean Oke is an experienced youth worker, working with young people through education, creativity, and social impact in Ireland and abroad. Dean is also a spoken word artist, using poetry to address social issues, sparking conversation and change through creative expression. Based in Cork, Dean has recently developed a personal development group for young people from ages 13 and up called the “Candid Group” and uses social media as a platform make sure young voices are heard and valued.

Panel Conversation

Art, Education and Justice

Senator Lynn Ruane
Senator Lynn Ruane is an independent Irish politician, who has served as a Senator and the deputy leader of the Civil Engagement Group in Seanad Éireann since 2016. After leaving school at the age of 15, Lynn returned to full-time education as a mature student; graduating from Trinity College Dublin with an honours degree in Political Science, Philosophy, Economics and Sociology in 2016. Before entering politics, Lynn developed community drug services and community initiatives over 15 years in Tallaght and Dublin’s Canal Communities. As a Senator Lynn works to represent communities who have been traditionally excluded and neglected by those in power. She tables progressive bills which respond to the needs of those on the margins of society; recently yielding a substantive change in Irish employment law, which bans the misuse of non-disclosure agreements in cases of workplace abuse, harassment, and discrimination. .
Seán McCabe
Seán McCabe is the Head of Climate Justice and Sustainability at Bohemian Football Club. As part of this role, he is engaged in local and international projects focused on engaging fans and their communities in the climate transition, such as partnerships with Community Law and Mediation, Friends of the Earth, the UNFCCC and an array of European football clubs including St. Pauli, Sheffield United and Real Betis.  Seán has a background in environmental policy, including the Mary Robinson Foundation, the think-tank TASC and the Environmental Protection Agency in Sierra Leone.
Donnah Sibanda Vuma
Donnah Sibanda Vuma is a human rights advocate, public speaker, and the coordinator of the National Migrant Victims of Crime Support Project at Doras, where she supports migrant and refugee victims of trafficking, gender-based violence, labour exploitation, and hate crimes. Drawing on her lived experience as a former IPA, Donnah co-founded the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) in 2014 and she is also the founder of Every Child is Your Child Ireland (ECIYC), which provides school support for children living in Direct Provision. Donnah was named Clare Woman of the Year 2017 by Soroptimist International for her contribution to migrant justice.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2025

gUEST OF HONOUR

Spoken Word Performance

ARTISTS

IN CONVERSATION

SPEAKER

Panel Conversation

Panel Conversation

highlights

GALLERY

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