Blog.
Naming the Unnameable: Poetry and the Refugee Crisis
The experiences of people seeking refuge are near impossible to understand for those of us whose lives have never been disrupted by conflict. Who do we turn to then, to make sense of such suffering? Salman Rushdie suggests that it is, “A poet’s work … to name the unnameable,” and
Notes from Kampala: Reflections of a gendered walk
I was out walking the dog this morning. It was a particularly hot morning as the rains haven’t quite taken force. It was lovely and quiet with very few people around. Kampala is always quiet on weekend mornings. Snoopy is 15 years old, so for an Mzee (old man) of
An SDG Guide – for starters!
The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) Summit is upon us and all eyes will be on the Paris meeting and its potential wrangles, challenges and outcomes. Given the debates that characterised the previous Millennium Development Goals agenda, the temperature is likely to hot up with national governments now discussing the SDGs
Infographic: which kind of activist are you?
Links mentioned in the infographic Read up on global issues, visit: World’s Best News www.dochas.ie/WBN The Guardian theguardian.com/global-development Inside Out: stories from a Developing World series on The Irish Times irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/inside-out Find out what you can do in response to humanitarian crises. Visit howyoucanhelp.ie Volunteer locally or volunteer online. Visit
A reflection on my privilege
I decided to go in to the ‘refugees welcome’ protest last Saturday in Dublin, partly because I really care about this issue, partly because I knew I had to write this blog, and partly because, as my mom likes to joke, I love a good protest. I wondered who would
The refugee crisis in the Mediterranean: 5 things you can do right now.
‘In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’ – Martin Luther King Jr. The horrifying image of the little boy drowned trying to flee Syria has gone viral in the last twenty four hours. People are outraged and rightly so.
Connect for change – NYCI and UNICEF event for young people and the 2030 development agenda
Grace McManus reports from an event for Ireland’s post-millennials on preparing for the era of the sustainable development goals, organised by UNICEF Ireland and the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI). ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Three Friday’s ago a group of young people met in the lovely building of the ombudsmen for children,
Earth Overshoot Day 2015 – it takes 1.6 planets to support humanity’s demand on nature…but we only have one.
Six days from now we will have used up our ecological budget for 2015. Our ecological footprint is how much we demand from nature. Presently, we consume 1.6 planets worth of earth’s resources. Overshoot occurs when: HUMANITY’S ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT > EARTH’S BIOCAPACITY Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s
Peace and Peace Matters – the Global Peace Index Report 2015
For the past 8 years, the Global Peace Index (GPI) has been prepared by ‘think tank’ the Institute for Economics and Peace (HQ Sydney with branches in New York and Mexico) focused on the measurement of peace, its causes and its economic value. The Index ranks countries according to their
Ireland’s newest political parties just aren’t compatible with Ireland
Migration is a human rights issue. The universal declaration of human rights outlines that humans have a right to social security, a right to work, a right to an adequate standard of living and a right to an education. People who find themselves in countries where these rights are not