Becky Hatchett, facilitator and lead brings over 18-years consultancy experience in training development, effective communication, community engagement, hosting & facilitation, illustration & design. She is driven by a passion for promoting creativity and social wellbeing and loves to innovate around complex issues, drawing on her creative background to harvest learning and drive change. Becky is used to supporting our clients online and offline to suit their needs. Engaging, coaching and co-designing with them to reach clear, meaningful and timely outcomes. Rebecca holds academic and vocational qualifications in Art & Design, Teaching, Counselling, Mental Health First Aid, Transactional Analysis and Safeguarding.
Workshop: The Innovator's Toolkit
Date: Tuesday 16 May, 10.30am - 3.30pm (please note change of date), and Friday 09 June, 10-12 noon
Location: Session 1: The Fumbally Stables, Dublin 8, and Session 2: Online via Zoom
IDEA is inviting you to join us for the first event in our Innovation Series 2023. This interactive and engaging 2-part workshop will introduce you to Innovation, as well as methods, exercises and activities that will help you identify your creative strengths, and enable you to think about, design and frame your projects differently.
The facilitators for this very first event in IDEA’s 2023 Innovation Series are Becky Hatchett, and Stéphanie Heckman of Think Visual. The aim is to equip participants with the tools they need to push the boundaries of how they think about their work, design their activities and engage with their audiences. Think Visual is a creative engagement consultancy that develops meaningful and impactful stakeholder engagement and communication. It helps organisations transform into places where people's spirit and innovation thrive, by harnessing their inherent creativity towards finding meaningful and purposeful connection to their work, their leaders and their peers.
The challenges Global Citizenship Education works to address are always evolving. To be able to respond effectively, we need to explore new ways of thinking about our work, designing our activities and engaging with our audiences. Strengthening our ability to imagine new solutions and trialling new ideas is vital to this. This is why IDEA is providing a space for our members to experiment and push the boundaries of Global Citizenship Education, so you can harness your creativity to bring about transformational change.
“It’s about creating ‘muscle memory’ for innovative ways of thinking and acting. The only way to learn innovation is to actually take action and do things”. - Emilia Saarelainen, Innovation Fellowship Programme Manager, UNHCR Innovation Service.
The workshop will take place across 2 sessions, Tuesday 16 May, 10.30am - 3.30pm, and Friday 09 June, 10-12 noon, and the activities will be grounded in practice, offering you the chance to start designing a project (real or fictional) that relates to you and your work. This could be designing a new workshop, a ground-breaking event or looking for a solution to a challenge you’re facing.
More details to follow shortly.
Fees:
Innovator's Toolkit Workshop:
IDEA Members: €90.00
Non Members: €120.00
Unwaged ( (refugees, asylum seekers, students, others): €5.00 - this can be paid in person
A general 2-day Design Thinking and Innovation training usually costs up to €1,500 per person. So, don’t miss out this great opportunity!
The fee includes participation in both days of the training workshop, lunch as well as templates and tools to take away for each participant.
The next session in our Innovation Series 2023, is The Innovator's Studio, taking place 22 June, Richmond Barracks, Dublin 8, 10.00am – 5.00pm.
You can attend the Innovator's Toolkit Workshop or the Innovator's Studio Lab as stand alone events, but if you would like to take part in both, you can sign up for a combined reduced rate when you register below.
Fees for the Innovator's Toolkit Workshop & Innovator's Studio Lab:
IDEA Members €150.00
Non Members: €200.00
Unwaged ( (refugees, asylum seekers, students, others): €5.00 - this can be paid in person
For more information, please contact Anya Sparynska via email here
Registration for this event is closed!
Biographies
Stéphanie Heckman, co-facilitato - Stéphanie, originally from the dune coast of The Netherlands, but now living and working in Belfast has an academic background in psychology, sociology, anthropology, linguistics and strategic sustainable leadership (MSc), as well as professional training in process design and facilitation, and visual practice. Stéphanie works internationally as an independent graphic recorder, visual facilitator and illustrator, prioritising collaborations with organisations working to address the climate crisis, peace & reconciliation, and leadership development. She has recently been focused on visually supporting the global political process for addressing climate change in partnership with the UN Climate Secretariat (UNFCCC).
Budget 2026: Investing in Global Citizenship Education is Investing in Global Solidarity “Ireland has received international recognition for its development education strategies… Without additional investment, we cannot seize the opportunity to turn development-aware children into development-aware adults.” - OECD DAC Peer Review of Ireland Read IDEA’s full Pre-Budget 2026 submission here . For over half a century, Ireland has invested in Global Citizenship Education (GCE), enabling people across the island to explore complex issues such as climate justice, human rights, and equality - and to take informed action for a more just and sustainable world. Between 2021 and 2024, €33.6 million was invested in programmes reaching over 1.2 million people, helping to embed GCE across schools, communities, and other learning spaces. This investment has made Ireland a European and global leader in the field. But in today’s turbulent context - with rising disinformation, polarisation, climate emergencies, and deepening inequalities - the need for GCE has never been greater. As Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Neale Richmond, told the IDEA Annual Conference in May 2025: “Now is the time to focus on the hard issues… These are among the greatest challenges of our time.” Why Now? Budget 2026 comes at a critical moment. Ireland is: Running out of time to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Preparing a new national GCE strategy for the next five years. Operating in a global context where democratic values, human rights, and multilateral cooperation are under unprecedented strain. The OECD has commended Ireland’s strong GCE strategies but has also warned that without additional investment, we risk falling short on SDG Target 4.7 - ensuring all learners acquire the knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development. Our Key Budget 2026 Asks: Increase investment in GCE Move towards the widely recognised target of 3% of Official Development Assistance (ODA), using a cross-departmental approach and accounting for inflation. Current spending is 1.2% of ODA - far below the €26 million annually needed to reach the 3% target. Boost GCE/ESD funding under “ESD to 2030” Provide adequate and dedicated funding for projects led by organisations, schools, and higher education institutions to ensure the successful delivery of the Second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development. Create dedicated GCE/ESD funding lines Integrate and resource GCE/ESD within the SDG National Implementation Plan, Climate Action Plan, and National Action Plan Against Racism, recognising that climate justice and anti-racism are core components of global citizenship. Increase Ireland’s ODA Commit to a €300 million increase in Budget 2026 to make tangible progress towards the UN target of spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA by 2030. Adopt Coalition 2030 recommendations Implement budget measures that ensure resources reach those furthest behind first, and align budget lines with specific SDG targets. Beyond Funding – Policy Coherence and Decent Work In addition to resourcing, GCE requires stronger coordination across government departments and better integration into policies, institutions, and networks. GCE practitioners must also have secure, decent working conditions in line with SDG 8, ensuring that expertise is retained within the sector. The Opportunity for Ireland Ireland is respected globally for its principled, values-based approach to international development. By investing in GCE now, we can: Strengthen civic trust, participation, and resilience in our society. Equip citizens to navigate complex global challenges. Ensure Ireland remains a strong, independent voice for justice, solidarity, and human rights on the world stage. Budget 2026 is our opportunity to protect the progress made, scale up impact, and deliver on our commitments. IDEA and our members are ready to work with Irish Aid and across government to ensure Ireland continues to lead with integrity, foresight, and global solidarity. _______________________________________________________ Read IDEA’s full Pre-Budget 2026 submission here to explore our recommendations in detail and see how, together, we can strengthen Global Citizenship Education in Ireland and beyond.
Catch-up on a Summer of Learning!
IDEA invites tender submissions from interested auditing service suppliers to provide auditing and associated professional services to the organisation from the year ending 31 December 2025. IDEA is seeking to engage an experienced auditing service firm that will provide the full range of auditing services required to fulfil its statutory obligations, to comply with relevant accounting and reporting standards and best practice. All submissions to be made to sal@ideaonline.ie You can find the full details here. The deadline for the application is Monday, 11 August, 5pm .
