IDEA to Honour President Higgins at Annual Conference

IDEA to Honour President Higgins with Inaugural Global Voice for Humanity Award at Annual Conference

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IDEA is deeply honoured to announce that we will be presenting President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins with our inaugural Global Voice for Humanity Award at the IDEA annual conference on Wednesday, 28 May at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, Dublin. 


The Global Voice for Humanity Award has been created by IDEA to honour individuals whose life and work exemplify the values at the heart of Global Citizenship Education and Development Education - values such as justice, human dignity, solidarity, critical thinking, and the power of education to transform lives and societies. 


As Ireland’s national network for Development Education and Global Citizenship Education, IDEA represents over 100 organisations and educators working to foster global justice through learning. The award seeks to celebrate those who have used their voice, leadership, and vision to inspire positive change - both within Ireland and globally. 


It is difficult to imagine a more fitting first recipient than President Higgins. A former academic and lecturer, poet, parliamentarian, Minister for the Arts, and now President of Ireland, he has spent his life standing up for the marginalised, promoting peace and equality, and advocating for a fairer world. Through his words and his actions, he has consistently reflected the values that guide the Global Citizenship Education community. 


“President Higgins has long been a rare kind of leader - someone who combines intellectual courage with deep humanity. He has spent a lifetime speaking out against injustice, standing with the marginalised, and challenging us to think critically and act with compassion. Through his words, his leadership, and his example, he has inspired generations across Ireland and beyond to believe in the power of education and the responsibility of citizenship. In honouring him with the Global Voice for Humanity Award, we’re not only recognising his legacy - we’re celebrating the values that drive our work every day: justice, dignity, solidarity, and hope. It’s a privilege to honour him in the company of our members and the wider community at a time when those values are needed more than ever.”  Ruairí McKiernan, CEO of IDEA 


The award will be presented during a special ceremony from 12-1pm, as part of IDEA’s all-day Annual Conference 2025.


Neale Richmond, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for International Development and Diaspora will address the conference, which will be attended by organisations and educators across the Global Citizenship Education and Development Education sector. 



IDEA Conference 2025 


The theme of this year’s conference, “Reclaiming Ground for Hope, Alternatives, and Action” invites us to come together to reflect, reconnect, and reimagine the role of transformative education in building a better future. 


The IDEA Annual Conference 2025 brings together educators, community leaders, artists, activists, and change-makers for a day of music, workshops, fireside chats, panel discussions, and shared learning. 


This year’s powerful line-up of speakers includes: 


Grace Dyas - award-winning artist, activist, and director 

Joe Caslin - street artist and educator whose public work has inspired national conversations 

Dean Oke - youth worker and spoken word artist using creativity for social impact 

Neale Richmond - Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for International Development and Diaspora

Senator Lynn Ruane - Senator and lifelong campaigner for equality and community justice 

Seán McCabe - Head of Climate Justice at Bohemian FC, bridging sport and social change 

Donnah Vuma - human rights advocate and migrant justice leader 

And many more contributors across education, activism, and creative practice. 


This will be a landmark moment for the IDEA community - a day to pause, honour, connect, and gather strength for the work ahead. It will also be an opportunity to come together in deep appreciation of a President whose life’s work reflects the very spirit of global solidarity and justice we strive to nurture every day - through education, community, and courageous action. We hope you’ll join us. 


Please note: Attendance is by registration only and spaces are almost fully booked. A few final places remain - once full, a waiting list will be established. 


Conference details & registration 


For any questions relating specifically to the awards ceremony, please contact:ruairi@ideaonline.ie 

Launch of IDEA's Theory of Impact for GCE

September 26, 2025
Date: Tuesday, 04 November, from 3.30–4.30pm Location: Online via Zoom IDEA is thrilled to invite members to the online launch of our new “Theory of Impact for Global Citizenship Education” on Tuesday, 04 November, from 3.30–4.30pm, Online via Zoom. During this session, we will present the model, share insights into the process behind its development, and explore how it will be used to strengthen impact across the sector. We will also introduce a new tool in progress, an interactive data visualisation map designed to showcase our collective impact as a network. For many years, IDEA and its members have been grappling with the concept of impact in Development Education/Global Citizenship Education (hereinafter ‘GCE’). As GCE practitioners, tracking impact helps us to identify how, where and with whom our work is creating positive change, as well as investigating areas in which our impact could be stronger. Furthermore, we can also benefit from examining the collective impact of GCE carried out by the wide-ranging work of IDEA members, and from exploring how these impacts contribute to the major social changes to which the GCE community aspires. Driven therefore by the need to understand how projects and programmes are collectively “making a difference” in IDEA we looked at models that could help us visualise and capture GCE “impact networks”. We formulated our vision of impact and then a theory of how we expect this desired impact to be achieved to allow us to map our activities and collect data to corroborate that theory. This Theory of Impact model is how we hope to illustrate this complex GCE impact network. Building on work done by IDEA over many years including building sectoral capacity in using Results Frameworks for GCE, our Quality & Impact working group, engagement with Irish Aid on their Performance Measurement Framework (PMF), and the successful roll-out of a Code of Good Practice for DE/GCE, this Theory of Impact represent the next stage of our effort to ‘develop a consistent approach to measuring impact among the sector’. We are therefore thrilled to invite you to the presentation of our ‘Theory of Impact for GCE’. At this online presentation, we will tell you about the process that led to the creation of this model, how it will be used and what we hope it could bring to the sector. We will also touch on a new tool being developed based on the model, which should allow the creation of an interactive data visualisation map of our collective impact as a network. Join us as we launch into this exciting new phase of our Impact Measurement work. Join us as we begin this exciting new phase of our Impact Measurement work. Register below!

IDEA Advocacy Toolkit and GCE Policy Guide Workshop, November

September 26, 2025
Date: 11 November, 10.30am – 4.30pm. Location: IDEA offices, 6 Gardiner Row IDEA launched its new Advocacy Toolkit and GCE Policy Guide resource pack in early March. The advocacy toolkit and policy guide were developed for IDEA members to strengthen their capacity to effectively advocate with policymakers and to actively engage in policy processes on GCE in Ireland and the wider world. IDEA will facilitate a full-day in-person workshop on these resources in the IDEA offices on Tuesday, 11 November ,10.30am – 4.30pm. Places are limited to 20 participants and will be given on a first come, first served basis. Please note that this is a repeat of the workshop that took place in May and is aimed at members who did not have the opportunity to participate in May. A vegetarian lunch will be provided. Register below!

Code Network Meeting November 2025

September 17, 2025
Date: Wednesday 26 November, 10.00am – 3.30pm 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 Wednesday, 26 November, 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. Register below!