IDEA Conference 2021: Women in Peace & Security
On Wednesday 23 June we conducted a workshop ‘Women’s role in Peace and Security’ as part of the 2021 IDEA Virtual Conference. It allowed us in Mind the Gap
to discuss how we would like to bring awareness to DE/GCE practitioners the current pivotal role Ireland is playing in the EU/UN in designing policy and the approach to policy design in the area of Women in Peace and Security.
Nura Hagi, the lead facilitator, is on the Irish Government’s Oversight Group that is advising the formation of Ireland's 3rd National Plan on Peace & Security and the level of community engagement in it's creation is gaining praise and interest internationally.
During this workshop we showcased the magnitude of the challenges and danger women still face when putting themselves forward to represent their community in the political arena, especially in regions experiencing conflict and/or oppressive regimes. These include ridicule by established (male) leaders/politicians, a lack of access to organisational structures, supports and finances, as well as a very real threat of verbal and physical abuse. In the case of Somalia, actual endangerment of life is a real threat as detailed by Nura’s own experience and need to flee her home and seek asylum through the assistance of Frontline Defenders. Many of these issues are very succinctly demonstrated in the documentary on the peace process in Northern Ireland; ‘Wave goodbye to dinosaurs’.
During the workshop, we explored the comparisons that can be made between the struggle in Somalia and Northern Ireland and the lessons that are being shared by women involved in both to others around the world. Comparisons such as the true grassroot peace building efforts being fulfilled by women in mediation, conflict resolution and education but that go wholly unrecognised by the establishment and even by the women themselves. These issues are discussed in the video ‘Women’s voices; building networks’, in which Nura features.
We also introduced the suggested action of getting involved with, and raising awareness of, the City/Place/School of Sanctuary campaign in Ireland. Building on the idea that peace and inclusion is not a passive ideal but a constant active engagement ensuring that the extra steps are taken to include the most vulnerable and marginalised in accessing services and being given agency. We heard examples from the participants of University College Cork (UCC) working towards becoming a 'University of Sanctuary' and of realising eight full scholarships for refugee students; of Cork University Hospital (CUH) working towards being a 'Hospital of Sanctuary', for instance in efforts to provide translation services. Also there is the community running group 'Sanctuary Runners', a running club in Cork that brings locals and new communities together to raise the visibility of the refugee community by taking part in community fun runs and the city marathon.
Campaigns were only beginning here in Ireland before the outbreak of Covid-19 and associated lockdown in March 2020, and now need to be re-imagined and re-energised. In the UK there are more established examples and a wealth of educational resources and guides to how to organise for all types of; organisations, institutions, education settings and community groups (see City of Sanctuary)
Written by Arran Towers, Mind the Gap
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!
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!
Date: 06 November a nd 18 November from 3.30–4.30pm Location: IDEA offices, 6 Gardiner Row, Dublin 1 Due to positive feedback following a workshop during our annual conference, we are thrilled to invite members to a full 2-part interactive workshop about “Racial Justice” on 06 November and 18 November. This event will take place in-person in Dublin. Our facilitators Bronwyn April and Mdahyelya Bassi will guide participants through a critical exploration of the interconnections between racial justice, philanthropy, migration, and decolonisation within global and Irish contexts. The workshop will delve into how historical and ongoing colonial legacies influence contemporary issues of racial equity and social justice in Ireland and beyond. The dates for this event are fast approaching, so if you have any specific accessibility requirements, please email events@ideaonline.ie as soon as possible. Places for this event are limited, and registration is mandatory. Deadline to register is Monday, 04 November. Register below!
