Bulelani Mfaco: Growing up in the apartheid ghetto of Khayelitsha in Cape Town, Bulelani Mfaco became involved at an early age in protests for adequate housing & access to land with Abahlali Base Mjondolo, health care in the Khayelitsha Health Forum, and improved policing in neighbourhood watches. In 2017 he claimed asylum, seeking protection from violence and targeted killings of LGBTQ+ people. He is one of the Spokespersons for the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) where he is campaigning for the right to work for all asylum seekers, and to end Direct Provision. Bulelani is also on the board of the Hope & Courage Collective, and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
Exploring Contemporary Issues through Global Citizenship Education: 'Social Inclusion in times of Rising Xenophobia'
Date: Wednesday, 15 May, 12.30-2.00pm
Location: Online via Zoom
IDEA is collaborating with Comhlámh to host a webinar on ‘Social Inclusion in times of rising Xenophobia’ #4 on our webinar series : Exploring Contemporary Crises and Issues through Global Citizenship Education on Wednesday, 15 May, 12.30-2.00pm, online via zoom.
This webinar will look at an existing gap in Ireland of refugee and migrant integration, resettlement, and community engagement in Ireland. More specifically speakers will explore how this gap, in a time of austerity and multiplying barriers to overall social inclusion feeds xenophobic, anti-immigration, racist and far-right narrative sentiments. This event will also aim to discuss and explore the ways global citizenship education, the international development and humanitarian sector can become pro-active players in filling that gap. Key questions we will ask ourselves are:
- How can these sectors reach out to local actors and community groups and become active participants in building the connections needed to promote social cohesion and intercultural diversity?
- How can we make sure that intersectional solidarity is at the heart of our responses and that the voices of those affected are centred?
The speakers will be Joe Munnelly, a PhD in Humanitarian and Development studies graduating from UCD’s Centre for Humanitarian Action; Bulelani Mfaco, one of the Spokespersons for the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI); and Sarah Kelleher, CEO of Lourdes Youth & Community Services (LYCS). The moderator for this webinar is Dr Caroline Murphy, CEO of Comhlámh.
This event is fully booked!
Biographies
Joe Munnelly: Joe has a PhD in Humanitarian and Development studies graduating from UCD’s Centre for Humanitarian action. His research background has focused on Europe’s refugee crisis and his doctoral research was focused on the social integration of refugees in Ireland. Joe also has years of experience in advocacy and campaigns having worked as Advocacy Officer for Oxfam Ireland and Failte Refugees.
Dr Caroline Murphy is currently working as the CEO for Comhlámh. She has over 15 years’ experience of working for organisations across the Irish International Development sector with key experience in educational drama, development education, strategy, policy, and safeguarding. Her PhD focussed on ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ and ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’, exploring applied theatre as a method for confronting issues of injustice and oppression.
Sarah Kelleher has worked as CEO of LYCS in the North East Inner City for over 20 years. With a background in youth work and community development, Sarah has vast experience of working in inner city communities both in Ireland and in the UK. She has recently gained a 1st Class Honours in M.A. in Management: Community & Voluntary Services with Dublin City Univeristy. Sarah has a special interest in policy development and measuring qualitative outcomes of programmes delivered to hard-to-reach communities. She has also served as a Board member of a number of local and national voluntary organisations and statutory agencies.
Wednesday 18 June, 10.00am - 4.00pm
Wynn’s Hotel, Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1
Last week, IDEA hosted the second webinar from our 2025 series, ‘Exploring Contemporary Crises and Issues through Global Citizenship Education, ' focusing on Palestine. If you missed out, you can watch the full video below!
At the end of March, IDEA staff and representatives from three IDEA members travelled to Riga, Latvia, for a two-day event marking the launch of IDEA’s Erasmus+ project with our partner LAPAS (Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation) focused on the IDEA Code of Good Practice The project’s core objective is to enhance the quality of global citizenship education (GCE) at local , national and European levels. Central to this work is the creation of a Code of Good Practice for Latvia based on learning from the IDEA Code that will support Latvian GCE practitioners, including teachers, NGOs, youth workers and others, by fostering a common understanding and approach to GCE. This represents the first piloting of the IDEA Code in an international context. The new IDEA task group for the project, made up of Code members, alongside IDEA staff, are supporting LAPAS members to adapt the Code for the Latvian national context by sharing our own experiences and learnings from the Code and GCE in Ireland. The event in Riga was the first in-person gathering of the project, bringing together LAPAS and IDEA members. This face-to-face interaction allowed us to begin the process of knowledge exchange, and mutual learning which will spread the Code’s reach and strengthen our GCE practice. IDEA was represented in Riga by Dean Oke (CDYS (Cloyne Diocesan Youth Service), Georgina Eastaugh (Concern Worldwide) and Claire Glavey (Global Village), alongside IDEA staff Elaine and Aine.
