IDEA Annual Conference and 20th Anniversary “We Have to Turn the Mirror on Ourselves.”

At the recent 2024 IDEA Annual Conference, we had a lively panel discussion of ‘Current Context and Considerations for the Future of GCE’. Our panellists challenged, entertained, and inspired us all. 
Check out our 4 panellists and catch up on their presentations.

 

Dr. Lilian Nwanze-Akobo, Director of the Higher Diploma in Further Education, Maynooth University
Niall Tierney, Director, Global Programmes and Global Citizenship Education Unit, Irish Aid
Mohammad Naeem, Activist & Former UN Youth Delegate for Ireland

Sarah Kelleher, CEO, Lourdes Youth & Community Services (LYCS) 


“Get over yourself. If we are going to do this work, we have to turn the mirror on ourselves. We need to understand the critical aspects, the power imbalances the systems the structures. We have to put our money where our mouth is. We can’t say we want an even, beautiful world... but what policies are we going to pass if it is a monochromatic meeting?!” Dr. Lilian Nwanze-Akobo, Director of the Higher Diploma in Further Education, Maynooth University. 

“You have to speak the language of the people who are sitting in front of you. We have a community training centre for early school leavers. They are required to get 5 training modules every year. I don’t care if they get them- that's the truth. What I care about is that they leave us after 2 years and they have registered to vote. That’s what I care about. They have become active citizens. That they know they can be part of the world. Because all these people feel excluded, I can tell you.” Sarah Kelleher, CEO, Lourdes Youth & Community Services (LYCS).

“Growing up in a very rural area and attending a secondary school that was heavily focused on sports I found very few opportunities to explore... [CGE], empowering young people like me to engage in global issues and to think critically about the world around them. Unfortunately, that wasn’t provided to me during my education. Mine was the first year that CSPE was removed as an exam subject. When the pandemic hit, I was in Junior Cert and like many others I faced the challenge of isolation however what I initially saw as a barrier turned into an opportunity for me. The shift to online platforms meant that I could access a wealth of opportunities that were previously out of reach for me due to location and travel constraints.” Mohammad Naeem, Activist & Former UN Youth Delegate for Ireland 


"One of the key challenges is in the cacophony of noise and disinformation and immediacy... the immediacy of my prejudices, the immediacy of my perceived needs, my perceived right, is making the architecture and toolkit that educators like yourselves are trying to build through GCE, in every citizen's mind to give that breathing space, that mental step back to understand.... how is Ireland benefitting from multilateralism?" Niall Tierney, Director, Global Programmes and Global Citizenship Education Unit, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs. 


A very warm thanks to all our panellists, speakers and facilitators on the day. 

Call for Tender: Design of an Interactive Data Visualisation Tool, Theory of Impact for Global Citizenship Education in Ireland

October 8, 2025
We are looking for a consultant to design an interactive data visualisation tool for our Theory of Impact for Global Citizenship Education in Ireland. The consultant will lead the design or tailoring of off-the-shelf survey software and analytics software to our needs, in collaboration with IDEA staff. Please submit a tender including a description of stages in the development process, number of days, expected fee, and experience of relevant personnel for the work to be carried out to anya@ideaonline.ie . The deadline for application is Wednesday, 29 October, 5.00pm. Read the full terms of reference here.

Anya’s Next Chapter: Farewell, Legacy, and Our New Recruitment

October 6, 2025
After three remarkable years with IDEA, we are sad to share that Anya Sparynska is moving abroad to begin a new adventure. During her time with us, Anya made an indelible mark - first by shaping a pioneering programme role, and later by guiding us in a capacity development role that strengthened our impact across Ireland’s development education sector. From designing and implementing innovative initiatives to building partnerships and capacity across our member organisations, Anya has left IDEA stronger, more connected, and more ambitious for the future. “I am sad to leave at such a pivotal time in IDEA: we are faced with unspeakable horror, as the need for justice and accountability grows ever more urgent. I have seen, however, our members and staff respond with creativity, humanity and dedication to these challenging times and find inspiration in it, even at this darkest hour. A desire to be close to my family and the pressure of the housing crisis have driven me to Brussels, but I know I will be back as Ireland - it’s passionate, brave and kind people - now feels like home. I will be sure to follow IDEA and our members’ work closely in the coming year and hope to stay in touch! “Working at IDEA has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Seeing ideas and passion turn into real impact and change has been incredibly fulfilling - I’ll carry those lessons, and the very special friendships made along the way with me always.”

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 (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!