Young Global Advocates Present to Development Studies Conference Delegates

On the 8th of November, IDEA staff along with two of the Young Global Advocate ’s (YGAs) from the Challenging the Crisis project were invited to speak at the Development Studies Association of Ireland (DSAI) annual conference “Bridging the gap- Translating Development Research into Practice”. The two YGAs Emmet and Méabh spoke alongside Elaine Mahon, project coordinator for Challenging the Crisis.

They spoke on the second day in the Education and Development panel about “The Challenges Ahead”. Other speakers included Dr. Su-Ming Khoo from NUI Galway & DSAI and Professor Paul Conway from University of Limerick.

Both YGAs spoke about what Challenging the Crisis is, how they got involved and why they got involved. They then went on to speak about the campaign that would be launched in early 2015 and their plans for the campaign. They both also spoke about the Global Youth Forum they attended in Brussels in July 2014 with YGAs from Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia.

After the event, Méabh and Emmet shared their thoughts on this experience.

I enjoyed the DSA conference. I liked hearing about other studies and perspectives we hadn't thought of and also I see that there are many people we can link up with for our campaign. Making the speech was fine, there were some nodding heads so I think people like our idea! – Méabh

 

It was interesting to see such a congregation of experts from various fields, from gender equality to civil society. I particularly enjoyed hearing debate on the topic of the MDGs. As for the brief speeches made by Meabh and I, they were very well-received by the other attendees and we were approached by many people afterwards to wish us well. –Emmet.

Méabh also enjoyed attending other sessions during the event.

I attended the Gender session. I found it very interesting. A woman from Concern was talking about the 'community engagement conversations' that are held in parts of Africa to challenge gender oppression and sexism. I found it inspiring and also thought community engagement conversation could be a tool we could use to educate about our campaign. There were also academics talking about studies they were doing. I like learning about studies and campaigns being run by other people who commit their lives to change. Overall I think it was very worth attending, I think these types of events are important for self-education. – Méabh.

 

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!

Workshop: Brave Spaces for Racial Justice

September 26, 2025
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!