IDEA Celebrates International Women’s Day with Energy, Stories, and Solidarity

The group shared stories, memories, and reflections on progress made towards gender equality and the challenges that persist. Books, leaflets, and personal materials brought by the participants sparked thoughtful and powerful conversations. One conclusion the group came to was that ‘Women can be patriarchal and Men can be matriarchal’, and it is the systems and not necessarily the gender that gives us a world of increasing gender inequality. There was also a discussion on the corporate hijack of Women’s Day that may lead to further stereotyping and inaction when it comes to challenging the very systems that are disempowering to women. This event was an informal gathering, yet rich with learning and inspiration.
A major highlight came from Adrienne ‘Gráinne’ Boyle, an individual member of IDEA, who brought flyers and posters from her time leading and helping to organise several International Women’s Day events in the 1980s and 1990s. The group agreed that we should bring back the saying ‘Women’s Lib’ (short for women’s liberation) that was popular at that time.

Lizzy Noone, IDEA's Capacity Development Manager, shared books that meant a lot to her and centred on women’s empowerment, adding depth to the conversation. One was Manchan Magan’s ‘Women’s Words’ Focail na mBan, a collection of Irish words that do not see the light of day very often and will be lost completely if we do not capture them - a beautiful book with gorgeous artwork by Irish female artists. Another was Caliban and the Witch, Women and Primitive Accumulation by Silivia Federici that really sets the roots of modern gender inequality in the Age of the Enlightenment where men started to see women as being the same as nature and therefore needing to be tamed and controlled (suspecting some to be witches) and seeing themselves as masters of and therefore separated from nature. The book, of course, gives much more insight into this phenomenon.
Larisa Sioneriu from AONTAS shared a thoughtful reflection from her time growing up in Romania, where street harassment of women was common. She contrasted this with her experience after moving to Ireland, where she noticed that such behaviour was not part of everyday life. While this was a positive change, it also left her wondering why the difference felt so striking.
Her story highlights how deeply normalised certain behaviours can become in some societies, to the point where their absence feels unfamiliar. It serves as a gentle reminder of the importance of creating environments where all women can feel safe and respected in public spaces.

Maximiliana Mtenga, IDEA's Public Relations Officer, offered a powerful reflection from the Global South. She shared experiences from her work with the Legal and Human Rights Centre in Tanzania, where she travelled across the country with gender programmes focusing on tackling Female Genital Mutilation and child marriage.
She reminded the room that, although East African countries have adopted gender equality programmes aligned with SDG 5, the struggle remains far from over. In Kenya, for example, cases of femicide are worrying to the point that activists are forced to protest and campaign against this act of violence .
According to the Tanzania Human Rights Report 2019 , incidents of Gender Based Violence continue to prevail across the country. These persistent violations against women and girls show the urgent need for stronger action, broader advocacy, and a united push for safety and equality.
Seeing these realities firsthand has shaped her path deeply. The challenges that women face in Tanzania have moved her and strengthened her resolve. She is inspired to become an impactful activist dedicated to ending Gender Based Violence. Her passion for global citizenship comes not only from alarming statistics, but from the lived experiences of women and girls whose voices are too often unheard or overlooked.
Her story, like many shared at this event, reminded everyone why International Women’s Day is more than a celebration. It is a call to act, to listen, and to stand together for a world where every woman is safe, empowered, and valued.
Several members joined the discussion and others joined for the lunch to celebrate IWD, including individual member Adrienne ‘Gráinne’ Boyle and representatives from member organisations Development Perspectives, Trócaire, WorldWise Global Schools and AONTAS.

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Global Citizenship Education in Liberia: A Conversation with Liberian Practitioners

By Maximiliana Eligi Mtenga • October 15, 2026

Friday, 06 November, 12.30pm–2.30pm IDEA Offices, 6 Gardiner Row, Dublin 1

Grants Clinic for Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Funding Applications November 2026

October 15, 2026

Wednesday 18 November, 11.00am – 1.00pm Online

Improving your Results Framework Workshop 2026

October 7, 2026

Date: Thursday 12 November, 11.00am – 1.00pm Location: Online This workshop is part of IDEA’s support for the Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants Round. It is the second of two distinct and complementary workshops developed by IDEA on ‘Results Frameworks for Global Citizenship Education’ that we are running this year. This session will be led by Susan Gallwey, independent consultant, and Elaine Mahon, IDEA. This session is focused on supporting those who are familiar with Results Frameworks and have begun work on the Results Framework for their application. This runs on Thursday 12 November, from 11.00am – 1.00pm, online via Zoom. Anyone new to Results Frameworks can attend the ‘Results Frameworks for Beginners’ workshop on Tuesday 2 November, register here , or watch a recording of a session from 2024 called ‘Results Frameworks for Beginners’, led by Susan Gallwey and Elaine Mahon, which is available here . Participants are invited to prepare for 'Improving Your Results Frameworks’ session as follows: a) Those participants from organisations who have previously submitted a Results Framework for Development Education/Global Citizenship Education to Irish Aid should be familiar with their existing Results Framework. Before the event they will be asked to share (with the trainer and IDEA) an outcome and associated indicators that is working well and also identify an outcome and associated indicators that posed some challenges. b) Those participants from organisations who have NOT previously submitted a Results Framework for Development Education/Global Citizenship Education to Irish Aid and/or people who are new to Results Frameworks should first attend/ view the session Results Frameworks for Beginners here . IDEA provides support for members - and spaces for members to support one another - in applying for Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants. This training and support is free of charge to all and offered online. As in recent years, this year we also invite any other actors who are not yet members of IDEA to these training events. The training is based on content from IDEA’s toolkit ‘Results Based Approaches to Development/Global Citizenship Education’. While created to reflect Irish Aid’s Results Framework for Development Education Grants rounds, the approach outlined in the toolkit can be applied to many other Development Education settings. In 2024, IDEA recorded a session which goes through Results Frameworks for Beginners. This was published on IDEA’s YouTube channel in November 2024 and is available here .

Results Frameworks for Beginners Workshop 2026

October 7, 2026

Date: Tuesday 03 November, 2.00 - 4.00pm Location: Online This training supports practitioners to understand monitoring and evaluation for Development Education/ Global Citizenship Education projects. It is an introduction to result-based approaches and will support those who are new to this type of framework in DE/GCE contexts. This training will take participants step by step through the process of building an effective results table to reach the change you want to achieve, within the timeframe of your project. It will also introduce participants to the terminology associated with Results Frameworks including Goal, Outcome, Indicator, targets, Baseline, Results and so on. This workshop will integrate learning from IDEA’s GCE impact framework and will also talk through Irish Aid’s approach to monitoring and evaluation for GCE. This workshop will also support those who are planning to apply for the Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants Round for 2027. The online training will be led by Susan Gallwey, independent consultant, and Elaine Mahon, IDEA. IDEA provides support for members - and spaces for members to support one another - in applying for Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants. This training and support are free of charge to all. As in recent years, this event is open to those who are not yet members of IDEA. The training is based on content from IDEA’s toolkit ‘Results Based Approaches to Development/Global Citizenship Education’. While created to reflect Irish Aid’s Results Framework for Development Education Grants rounds, the approach outlined in the toolkit can be applied to many other Development Education settings. In 2024, IDEA recorded a session which goes through Results Frameworks for Beginners. This was published on IDEA’s YouTube channel in November 2024 and is available here .

IDEA signs citizenship statement and encourages organisations to support

October 6, 2026

IDEA has signed a joint civil society statement, We build Ireland together: Citizenship is how we make that official, and encourages other organisations to lend their support. Led by the Irish Refugee Council, the initiative calls on Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, to withdraw proposals that would make it harder to gain Irish citizenship. The statement argues that citizenship recognises the belonging of people who put down roots here through working, studying, raising families, paying taxes and contributing to community life. It warns that granting citizenship only to people with a high income and no experience of hardship risks treating some people as more deserving of belonging than others. It also raises concerns about the proposals alongside wider changes to family reunification, income requirements for migrant workers and international protection. Taken together, the statement warns, these measures make it harder for migrants, people seeking protection and refugees to build secure lives in Ireland. IDEA members including AkiDwA, ActionAid Ireland, Africa Solidarity Centre Ireland, Comhlámh and Síolta Chroí have signed, alongside organisations from across civil society. IDEA’s support reflects the emphasis in Development Education and Global Citizenship Education on human rights, equality, solidarity and participation in society. It is also an expression of solidarity with colleagues, educators and communities who could be affected by these proposals. People who put down roots here and contribute to our communities should have a fair opportunity to gain citizenship and the security and recognition it brings. The statement calls on the Minister to focus instead on building a cohesive society that recognises the people who live, work and build Ireland together. To find out more or add your organisations support please get in touch through IDEA or the Irish Refugee Council direct. IDEA will be joining the Keep Citizenship Fair protest outside Leinster House on Tuesday 03 November, 1.00pm–2.00pm.

IDEA calls for GCE to be included in Northern Ireland’s new curriculum framework

October 6, 2026

IDEA calls for GCE to be included in Northern Ireland’s new curriculum framework IDEA recently shared its views on the new draft Northern Ireland Curriculum Framework as part of the public consultation, which closed on 30 September. Our submission welcomed the framework’s aim to give learners “access to powerful knowledge and develop the skills needed to participate fully in society, the economy and civic life.” However, we also highlighted a key gap: “global” has been dropped from the scope of citizenship education within the curriculum. Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is not mentioned at all. Alongside an important focus on the local reality in the North, we consider it vital that the curriculum also addresses the global reality. As UNESCO puts it, “economically, environmentally, socially and politically, we are linked to other people on the planet as never before” (UNESCO, 2026). We recommended integrating key dimensions of GCE and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into the framework without creating a new strand or making widespread amendments. Changes to the language and framing could embed GCE and ESD principles in the core capabilities and in subjects such as Geography, History, English and Drama, and Personal, Social, Civic and Careers (PSCC). Our recommendations echoed the key asks of the CADA submission . IDEA also contributed to that submission through a focus group discussion and by reviewing and providing feedback on the draft. Our recommendations were to: Include GCE and ESD as concepts in the capabilities document and cross-reference them in the subjects for Geography, History, English and Drama and PSCC. Include the concept of global citizenship in the capabilities document and in PSCC, as a distinct but complementary concept to citizenship and civic understanding. Include the concepts of solidarity, justice and local-global interconnection and interdependence (and thus shared responsibility) in the subjects English and Drama and PSCC. Increase the progression of human rights knowledge in PSCC across Stages towards its global application by Key Stage 3. Add shared responsibility and justice as key dimensions of sustainable development and global inequality to the environmental and ecological responsibility capability, as well as to Geography. Include addressing misinformation, disinformation and factchecking under the language and communication capability and in English and PSCC. Build on Northern Ireland’s experience of peace education by including opportunities, particularly in History and PSCC, for pupils to explore connections between peace and reconciliation locally and globally as part of GCE and ESD. Thank you to IDEA members who reviewed our submission and provided feedback. You can read our full submission here .

Code Network Meeting December 2026

September 26, 2026

Date: Tuesday 01 December, 10.00am – 4.00pm Location: Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8, D08 YY05 IDEA is looking forward to welcoming all members of the Code of Good Practice for Development Education to our next Code network meeting on Tuesday 1 December, in Richmond Barracks in Inchicore, Dublin. There are places for two representatives, staff, volunteers, etc., from each Code member. One of the commitments in joining the Code is to contribute to the Community of Practice for this Code, including sharing successes and learning with other Code members and attending at least one of two Code network meetings annually. If you have questions, please contact code@ideaonline.ie.

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