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.

These are just some of the issues raised in a new booklet that will be launched in the Amnesty International Café on Middle Street Galway at 7pm on Wednesday the 3^rd of September. The booklet details the results of a research project that surveyed one month’s output of seventeen of the West of Irelands’ local papers. ‘Changing Perspectives- an exploration of the portrayals of the Majority World in the West of Ireland’s local print media’ is the work of post graduate students Louise Murphy, Cillian O Kelly, Paul Grealish, and Emily Mc Groder; all students from NUIG’s Masters in Philosophy, Ethics, Culture and Global Change. The project was devised and supervised by Sarah Clancy of the Galway One World Centre. The finished booklet makes for interesting reading and will be available free of charge at the launch or by request from the Galway One World Centre (info@galwayowc.org). Copies of the booklet will also be furnished to all the local newspapers in the region many of whom assisted with the survey. The launch is open to the public, however as space is limited please advise us if you will attend- Galway One World Centre on 091 530590 or info@galwayowc.org

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.”

The Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI Galway has officially welcomed this year’s Bank of Ireland Fellowship Scholar, Dr. Abou Abass from Mauritania. Since 2001, the Fellowship has allowed the Centre to host scholars from developing countries. The aim of the fellowship is to support academically gifted individuals, providing them with an environment in which they can undertake research and increase their knowledge in the field of Human Rights and International Criminal law.

At the Irish Centre for Human Rights, Dr. Abass will pursue research on the subject of Africa and the International Criminal Court, while lecturing a course on Gender and Human Rights. Dr. Abou Abass holds a PhD in Law from the University of Paul Cezanne in Aix-en-Provence, France. Prior to taking office as Bank of Ireland fellow, Dr. Abass has spent six months at the Hague, the Netherlands, working as a Law Clerk at the Legal Advisory Section of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

There are lots of upcoming events at the centre. Next up on 12 April is a presentation by Geoffrey Harris, Head of the Human Rights Unit within the Secretariat General of the European Parliament. He will speak about the The Promotion of Human Rights by the EU: The Parliamentary Dimension.

For more info visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/human_rights/events.html

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

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

Wandering around the Annual NUI Galway Volunteering Fair last week, it was evident that there are indeed more and more students taking action.  There were almost 2000 students present, encouraged by the University’s volunteer campaign and also by a growing number or academics who are promoting volunteer work among their students. 

There were no twin-set-and-pearl types at the fair, in fact, the event itself was very like the sports clubs and societies days held the week prior.  There was that same sense of occasion, the same level of colour, energy and excitement.
The volunteer organizations are changing their style to appeal to a wider ranges of volunteers and are becoming ever more flexible toward their time constraints.  For students, this is paramount, as lectures and exams cannot be missed – and they can worry that the organisation will not realise this.  However, the community partners do recognise the particular situations of students. 

Voluntary organisation also increasingly see that students are available at weird and wonderful times, during the day at the evenings, late at night.  These odd hours are often the times when homework clubs are run, or fundraising is done or helplines need to be manned.  The students also have their summers, a portion of which so many give over to volunteering. 

Part of the challenge in this area is communicating between both groups.  For community partners, they need to understand that students need a fresh ‘twin-set’ free approach and volunteer work that is perhaps short-term or flexible.  For students, they need to hear that volunteering is not a rigid thing, but something that can fit around them as an individual.  Last week’s fair, and the response from both groups since, indicated that the communication channels are opening wide.

(Pictured above is Deputy President and Registrar Jim Browne, Student Volunteer Coordinator Lorraine Tansey, Vice-President Mary O’Riordan and Deputy Mayor Galway Catherine Connolly.)

According to Dr Pat Dolan, Director of the Child and Family Research Centre, there is a need for more research that focuses on finding ways to support children and families in crises and prior to the escalation of problems. 

Its director, Dr. Pat Dolan, writing in today’s Irish Times says “This responsibility to achieve better outcomes for families lies not just with government or local services, it applies to young people, their families, schools, communities and the the Irish universities’ children’s research community”.

In 2007 the Child and Family Research Centre was awarded significant support from The Atlantic Philanthropies Ireland under its Disadvantaged Children and Youth Programme which aims for better health and life outcomes for young people experiencing adversity. Over the next five to ten years the CFRC will become a leading centre of excellence, with over 20 full-time staff and PhD students and an international visiting faculty programme.

Staff and students are invited along to the annual NUI Galway Volunteering Fair which showcases community organisations and highlights volunteering opportunities.   The Volunteering Fair is a joint initiative between the Community Knowledge Initiative’s ALIVE programme and Student Services.  Around 50 of the University’s community partners will have stands at the fair to share information about the work they do and the volunteering support they need. 

All community organizations are welcome – local, national and international. Please feel free to forward this date onto your colleagues. To book a stand please contact the CKI office.  We look forward to building on the success of past Fairs and welcome you to NUI Galway!