Exploring Contemporary Crises and Issues through Global Citizenship Education: Palestine

Date:  Wednesday 02 April, 12.30-2.30pm

Location: Online via Zoom 

Join us for the second session of our 2025 webinar series: "Exploring Contemporary Crises and Issues through Global Citizenship Education "entitled "Palestine: educating about conflict-related violence, displacement, and justice ". It will be held online, Wednesday April 2, from 12.30-2.30pm.


Last year, we hosted one of our webinar sessions on educators’ responses to the ongoing crisis in Gaza. The event aimed to equip those working in Global Citizenship Education with ways foundational knowledge to bring Gaza into their work as educators. A recording of the session is available online.

 

This year we will explore the current war on Gaza but also the long-standing oppression and conflict in Palestine through the lens of peace and justice. What are our responsibilities as educators when we discuss conflict-related violence and displacement. What approaches can we use to do this? How do we ensure dignity and solidarity are central to our practice? 


We will explore these concepts with a variety of speakers that can help contextualise those issues in the reality of the Palestinian struggle, and also hear from educator’s’ experiences to learn from their practice.




Disclaimer

The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by any speaker, host, facilitator, trainer or participant in IDEA webinars, seminars, events, talks, trainings, workshops, videos or podcasts are solely those of the individual(s) concerned. These views do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or values of IDEA, its National Council, its members, funders, or partner organisations.



IDEA provides platforms for dialogue and learning in the spirit of critical engagement, inclusivity, and diversity of thought. The hosting or facilitation of any individual, group or event does not constitute endorsement of any specific viewpoint expressed.


Speakers


A native of Belfast, Dr Brendan Ciarán Browne is an interdisciplinary scholar with degrees in Law (LL.B, LL.M Human Rights) and a PhD in Sociology. He has held academic and research positions at Queen's University Belfast, Al Quds (Bard) University, Palestine and is currently Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution, and a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin (FTCD). His research interests are focused on transitional justice, settler colonialism and liberal peacebuilding, and conflict and forced displacement.


Dr Browne is an award-winning teacher, having been nominated three times for Trinity College Dublin's prestigious Provost's Teaching Award, winning the accolade in 2019. In addition, he has been nominated twice for the Trinity Civic Engagement Award in recognition of his work on community engagement in the North of Ireland and Palestine (being shortlisted in 2018). In 2023 he was again nominated for an award, the Excellence in Research Supervision at Trinity College Dublin, in recognition of his commitment to his research students.


As a recognised global expert on conflict and resistance in Occupied Palestine, his op-eds can be read in the Irish Times, the Newstatesman, the Globe Post, the Journal.ie, the Middle East Monitor, and he is a frequent political and conflict analyst for global media outlets including: TRT World, Al Qahera News, Al Jazeera, and France 24. He has been an invited guest speaker at a number of renowned global venues, including at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia, Fordham, Cape Town, Birzeit, and the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. 

Bana Abu Zuluf is a Palestinian educator and interdisciplinary PhD researcher in International Law in the School of Law and Criminology in Maynooth, Ireland. 


Bana was previously a Research Fellow of the project "Palestinian Bedouin at risk of forced displacement: IHL vulnerabilities, ICC possibilities", from 2021 to 2023 . This project brings together researchers from Queen's University Belfast, Al Quds University / Human Rights Clinic and Community Action Center, Trinity College Dublin and Liverpool John Moores University. It investigates the humanitarian impact of continued forcible transfer of the Bedouin communities living in the Jerusalem periphery in Palestine, and how impunity for violations of international law contributes to the deterioration of humanitarian vulnerabilities of these communities.


Bana received her MA in international relations from SongKongHoe University in South Korea, and her BA in human rights and international law from ALQuds Bard college. She is the Local Coordinator for the 5-year training project in social economy between Hanshin University and Bethlehem University. She is also the research and communication officer at the Good Shepherd Collective organization. She is the youngest member of the Eurasian Peace Council representing West Asia. Her research interests are epistemic oppression, intersectional solidarity, decolonization, and international law vulnerabilities.

Aline Batarseh joined the Visualizing Palestine team as Executive Director in 2021. She has more than 20 years of experience working with several Palestinian and international nonprofits at the intersections of gender equality, reproductive justice, children’s rights, mental health, and social justice. Aline has a master’s degree from the Fletchers School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a B.A. in Communication Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Andrew Phelan has been teaching Physical Education for the last 24 years in Dublin, Ireland. He holds a BA Hons in Physical Education and an MSc in Strength and Conditioning. Andrew is a passionate trade unionist and has been a member of the teachers' union, the ASTI, for 20 years, serving a full term on its executive (Standing Committee) from 2015-2021. He played a key role in initiating the establishment of the ASTI’s Global Solidarity Committee and served on its maiden term. Spurred on by his experiences with the Shamrock & Olive Tree Boxing Project in the West Bank in 2022, Andrew, along with colleagues from across all the teachers unions, founded Teachers for Palestine (TFP) in 2023. 


Insofar as TFP's primary goals are to educate and raise awareness about Palestinian history and its brutal military occupation by Israel, our "Let's Talk About Palestine" week empowered and allowed for this through the provision of teaching resources via Padlet on our Instagram page.  TFP also intends to faciliate workshops and speakers for schools and advocate for curricular change, to ensure that the facts about Palestine and its opression are included. TFP envisages establishing links between schools in Ireland and Palestine through a twinning programme, enabling cultural exchanges between students and, of course, teachers. 


In terms of activism in opposing the ongoing occupation and current genocide, TFP have strong links to the various ongoing national protests and events organised by the IPSC and have attended every one. We have also started a campaign amongst teachers with a view to making our schools Apartheid Free Zones by convincing BOMs or relevant authorities to boycott all products and services on the BDS list.



Moderator



Leigh Brady is IDEA’s Policy & Advocacy Manager. Leigh has 18 years of experience in the international development sector, with a focus on human rights advocacy and citizen participation in development. 


She lived and worked for nine years in the Global South (Occupied Palestinian Territory – OPT - and Colombia) and has 15 years of advocacy experience on international human rights, including in Ireland and at EU level. In OPT, she worked for the child rights organisation, Defence for Children International, as well as for OHCHR and Care International. In Colombia she was a Governance and Human Rights Programme Manager and country representative for Trócaire.


 Before joining IDEA, she worked for eight years as a global Governance and Human Rights Advisor for Trócaire, providing capacity-strengthening and technical support to country teams and local civil society organisations in Africa, Central America and the Middle East.

IDEA to Honour President Higgins at Annual Conference

May 12, 2025
IDEA to Honour President Higgins with Inaugural Global Voice for Humanity Award at Annual Conference

IDEA’s Lab 2025

May 2, 2025
Dates: Thursday 10 July,10.00am-6.00pm and Friday 11 July, 10.00am-3.00pm Location: An Tairseach, Wicklow IDEA is thrilled to open applications for our second iteration of the IDEA's Lab. In this first of its kind residential Lab, we will create space where members can bring their ideas for projects and try out new planning and design methods. Participants will have the opportunity to work on an idea from scratch to (almost) finish with the support of expert trainers and learn through group exchange in a welcoming and inspiring setting. Participants will come out of the training with: An early project design proofed, tested and built through group feedback, iteration, trialling and support. New approaches in designing innovative projects they can apply to their workplace Headspace and time to work on the design of an innovative project A chance to actively learn through group exchange and strengthen the sense of an innovative community of practice in Ireland How? Please email anya@ideaonline.ie to request an application form. Requesting an application form does not commit you to applying. The deadline for returning application form (including organisational sign off letter) is Friday 23 May, midnight . You will find further details in the application form. Participants must register as a team of 2min.- 4 max. Participants without a team member will be asked to pair up with other individual participants or find a partner outside their organisation. Cost : This training is funded by Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs and offered at a reduced rate. This training is only available to IDEA members. Non-IDEA members can participant as part of an IDEA member team. Fees for members of IDEA is €50  Irish Aid is the Government’s overseas development programme which supports partners working in some of the world’s poorest countries. Irish Aid also supports global citizenship education in Ireland to encourage learning and public engagement with global issues the ideas, opinions and comments expressed in this training are entirely the responsibility of its author(s) and do not necessarily represent or reflect DFA policy. Timeline: Applications open: 07 May Applications close: 23 May, midnight Preparatory session with trainer (30min, online): Mid June Lab arrival: Where possible we advise arrival on Wednesday 09 July in the evening. Accommodation and food will be provided from 09 July, 5.00pm - 11 July, 3.00pm Lab: 10 July,10.00am-6.00pm. 11 July, 10.00am-3.00pm Please don’t hesitate to get in touch at anya@ideaonline.ie if any of the above pose a barrier to your participation, or if you have any other questions.

Code Network Meeting 2025

April 29, 2025
Wednesday 18 June, 10.00am - 4.00pm Wynn’s Hotel, Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1