Everyone Loves Chicago

Chicago is the city of the moment.  Following the politicial coment the is the US President-Elect, the scenes from Chicago on the night of the election have brought this city into the spotlight.   In Galway, there has long been a synergy between Chicago and Galway, which was formalised in 1997 when the two became twinned cites.

NUI Galway has now partnered with the ‘Chicago Irish Project’, an initiative designed to improve the quality of life for Irish-born older adults living in the Chicago metropolitan area.  Students from NUI Galway’s M.A. in Social Work will be offered the opportunity to carry out their work placement in Chicago, supporting older Irish people who may be vulnerable, feel isolated or live alone.

The metropolitan Chicago area is home to a very vibrant group of Irish born older adults who are dedicated to the preservation and celebration of their Irish heritage in America.  While the most visible older adults benefit from social networks formed through existing cultural centers, the growing concern is for the unmet needs of older people who may have limited mobility, or may have lost those social connections.

For the students and hopefully the older Irish living there, Chicago is the city of the moment, in more ways than one.

Israeli peace movement – 30 year pioneer in town

Jeff Halper, one of the leading figures in the Israeli peace movement, will speak at a public seminar at 7pm, on Wednesday, 4 June, at Nun’s Island Theatre, Galway City. The event is part of a speaking tour jointly organised by Trócaire, NUI Galway’s Irish Centre for Human Rights, and Amnesty International Irish Section.

An activist for over 30 years, Jeff Halper is credited with pioneering the use of non-violent action and civil disobedience to resist the Israeli policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and mobilising international support to rebuild these houses. Halper has just published a new book, An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel.

Speaking about the upcoming event, Dr. Vinodh Jaichand, Deputy Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI Galway, commented, “Jeff Halper is a warrior for peace in a region so torn by violence. Many who work for peace there rarely get the attention they deserve. Along with his colleagues he has chosen to stand shoulder to shoulder with oppressed Palestinian communities in the name of human rights and equality. His visit to Ireland is an opportunity for us to hear the viewpoint of Israelis who are opposing their government’s actions.”

Student takes a STAND

Pictured is Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, who met with Nate Wright, George Mitchell Scholar and student of International Human Rights Law at NUI Galway, at Government Buildings in Dublin toward the end of 2007. Minister Ahern commended Nate for his work with STAND – A Student Anti Genocide Coalition, which highlights the situation in the Sudan and congratulated him on receiving the George Mitchell Scholarship.

min-ahern-nate-wright-2.jpgThe prestigious scholarships are awarded annually to twelve Americans, under the age of 30, to pursue a year of post-graduate study at any university on the island of Ireland. During the meeting, Nate and Minister Ahern discussed the role of the EU mission in Chad and DarfurFast, a day of fasting and sacrifice set for Wednesday, December 5th, and designed to draw attention to the Sudan.

Originally from Idaho in the US, Nate arrived in Ireland just two months ago and has already been successful at getting STAND, the student movement, off the ground. DarfurFast, for example, has already attracted great support from Michael D. Higgins and Jan O’Sullivan, as well as further support from celebrities, government leaders, international athletes and students globally. This is the fourth year in a row that a day has been set aside for this purpose. Last year, STAND raised hundreds of tho usands of dollars for humanitarian aid to help the Sudanese refugees.

More info ………………

http://www.standnow.org/

http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2005/09/nate_wright.html

http://www.us-irelandalliance.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=687

Irish Aid Development Conference

Photo by P. Sainath – Visible Work, Invisible Women – Women & Work in Rural India Exhibition

NUI Galway will host Irish Aid’s Third Level Conference ‘Development’s Futures’, from 24-25 November 2007. Minister of State for Overseas Development, Michael Kitt T.D., will officially open the event, which will be attended by some 200 practitioners and academics working in the field of international development and development education.
The keynote address will be delivered by Michael Edwards, Director of the Governance and Civil Society Program at the Ford Foundation, one of the world’s leading philanthropic foundations. Other speakers will include award-winning journalist Palagummi Sainath of The Hindu, who has been described as ’the conscience of the Indian nation’. An exhibition of his photographs on the theme of ’Women & Work in Rural India’ will go on public display in conjunction with the conference.

The conference aims to improve links between different sectors of the development community, with an emphasis on the importance of research to educators, practitioners and scholars alike.

Over 80 papers reflecting the latest research and practice in development education and in international development issues will be presented over the two days of the conference. Panel sessions will also take place on topics including HIV/AIDS; Crisis and Conflict; Education Policies in Africa; NGO Partnerships for Poverty Reduction; Gender Perspectives; Environment; and Food Security.

Lorraine Tansey, student volunteer co-ordinator with CKI will participate in a panel discussion on Volunteering.

Welcoming the announcement of the conference, Minister of State Kitt said, “This conference is part of Irish Aid’s commitment to promote development education in universities and other third-level institutions in Ireland. I am confident that it will facilitate contacts and networking between both third-level development education practitioners and academics working in the field of international development”.

According to conference convenor Dr. Su-ming Khoo, Department of Sociology and Political Science, NUI Galway, “This event will give international researchers, educators, practitioners and activists an opportunity to explore what the future holds for development. There is an onus on third-level institutions to engage with the development issues and support organisations and individuals to advance development cooperation through research and knowledge sharing”.

The registration fee for the conference has been heavily subsidised (€ 50 full fee or € 25 for students), and those interested in attending should register as soon as possible at www.conference.ie. For more info visit
>www.conference.ie/Conferences/index.asp?Conference=37