Minister Brophy hosts online Town Hall meeting Development Education Strategy
Press release
31 March 2021The Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy TD, today led the first of three on-line Town Hall meetings on an Irish Aid strategy to encourage public engagement with global issues such as poverty, climate change, and injustice.
The meeting was attended by more than 60 members of the public, including representatives of adult, community and youth groups, third level institutions, schools and government departments. Two further events are planned for 7 and 21 April.
Minister Brophy said:
“Irish Aid wants to start a public conversation about the big global issues that affect all of our lives. I think we’ve all realised over the last year just how interlinked we are – no matter where in the world we live. We want to hear from the public about how we can encourage the community to grapple with issues like climate change, global injustice and poverty. And to think about how we can all respond.”
The Irish Aid Global Citizenship and Development Education strategy is due to be finalised by the end of the summer and today’s meeting was an important step in hearing the public’s views.
“The last year has brought enormous change,” Minister Brophy said. “We are all working, learning and doing business in ways that would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago. This strategy process gives us at Irish Aid an opportunity to reimagine, rejuvenate and refresh our work in this vital area - the world is changing and we need to change with it.”
The new strategy will set out how Irish Aid will support global citizenship and development education up to the end of 2024. The aim will be to reach into the broader community, engaging through formal education and with learners of all ages in communities across Ireland.
ENDS
Press Office
31 March 2021
Note to Editors
- Irish Aid, at the Department of Foreign Affairs, is developing a new strategy for global citizenship and development education for the period 2021- 2024. The new strategy will be launched in mid-2021. Today’s Town Hall is part of a series of three consultations which will take place in March and April. A youth consultation, will take place on April 7th in partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland. A written consultation process is also a key part of the process.
- Irish Aid defines development education as a life-long education process which aims to increase public awareness and understanding of the rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world in which we live.