Engagement

    We see active engagement with those involved in development policy and practice as central to enhancing the quality, relevance and reach of our work at the Department. For many years, we have developed partnerships with organisations in Ireland and internationally. These included work with Irish Aid, ICOS, Misean Cara and various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and faith-based organisations (FBOs) in Ireland, and long-term partnerships with MS-TCDC in Tanzania and the GRAIL in South Africa. In recent years, we worked with many partners throughout Europe and Asia. These included partnerships with the Pontis Foundation, Slovakia, and NGO Support Centre (SC), Cyprus on an EU-funded partnership development education project UNIDEV (Development Education in Theory and Practice) (2013 – 2017), as well as work on the CODET project (2017-2019) with Keric, Slovakia along with partners in Asia, Europe and Latin America. 

    We are currently engaged with a number of organisations and initiatives including:

    • Capacity development events and actions with various international third sector organisations in partnership with a network of international facilitators. 
    • Solidarity Partnership with Comhlámh, engaging in a mutually supportive way on events and initiatives, such as the First Wednesday debate series.  
    • Engagement with and membership of networks and bodies such as the Irish Development Education Association (IDEA), Dóchas, Bridge47, the Development Studies Association of Ireland (DSAI), the European Association of Development Institutes (EADI) and Coalition of European Lobbies for East African Pastoralism (CELEP) network.
    • Peer learning and exchange partnership with the Department of Development Studies, University of Makeni, Sierra Leone.
    • Active in peer-based groups such as DSAI working groups, IDEA working groups, and CELEP working groups, and active on boards of organisations such as Development Perspectives and others.
    • Engaged in a series of workshops with fourteen other educators and facilitators as part of a dissemination process of an Erasmus+ funded project known as DEPAL – Digital Education and Participatory Adult Learning.
    • Member of the advisory group for the Dóchas WorldView project on attitudes and understandings of development co-operation and aid in Ireland.
    • Engaged in IRC funded New Foundations Research with Dóchas on Communicating International Development. The research aims to explore how international development NGOs in Ireland communicate in relation to international development and the challenges and opportunities offered by the Dóchas Code of Conduct on Images and Messages for practice.
    • Collaborating with Mon Women’s Organisation (MWO) Myanmar to enhance organisational research capacity.
    • Mutual collaborative supports with various NGOs such as Development Perspectives, Trocaire, Plan Ireland, GOAL, and others, on programmes and events.