New York Irish Center’s Inaugural Youth Conference “Ireland Today 2022” May 20-22
The New York Irish Center hosts “Ireland Today 2022″ – The Inaugural America-Ireland Youth Conference” which takes place virtually beginning on Friday, May 20th to Sunday, May 22nd. Ireland Today brings together policymakers, educators, and students from Ireland and the US for a live-stream video conference featuring internationally recognized experts on a number of urgent global topics, including the panel moderators Nisha Varia of Human Rights Watch (May 20), the UN and UNICEF’s Sarah Crowe (May 21), and Irish Green Party politician and Dublin City Council Member Claire Byrne (May 22).
According to New York Irish Center’s executive director George C. Heslin, ‘Ireland Today 2022’ supports the next generations who will inherit our two great nations – the United States and the Island of Ireland. We want to give participants the opportunity to create global connections and encourage travel and cultural engagement in both countries. We also want to foster peer relationships between higher education institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. So we are delighted that so many educators and outstanding students from prominent universities from both the US and Ireland will be collaborating together.”
Educators from eleven university programs on both sides of the Atlantic are taking part and serving as panelists, together with a range of current students. Each day will feature two-hour panel talks moderated by distinguished thought leaders followed by a question and answer session.
The conference producer is Ryan McNally, New York Irish Center’s director of Social Care, who is a graduate of Ulster University. Hannah Ciesil — a graduate of Baruch College CUNY – is the conference coordinator.
Day 1
Gender-Based Violence: A Road to Understanding (Friday, May 20, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST)
Moderated by Nisha Varia — Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch; Women’s Rights Division
“The aim of this conversation is to identify the causes of gender-based violence in both cultures and forge a road to solutions.”
Panelists:
Kyle Friedler – University of Illinois Chicago, MA Public Administration student
Raven Hodges – The Intelligence Project Research Analyst, Southern Poverty Law Center
Roisin Keenan -President of Queen’s University Belfast’s feminist and equality society
Moderator – Nisha Varia
Nisha Varia is the advocacy director of Human Rights Watch’s women’s rights division. As a researcher in the women’s rights division between 2003 and 2014, she conducted investigations, published reports, and carried out advocacy campaigns on migrant domestic workers’ rights across Asia and the Middle East. Her advocacy contributed to the adoption of the groundbreaking 2011 International Labour Organization’s Domestic Workers Convention. Varia’s other work has included developing training materials for interviewing survivors of sexual violence and research on human rights impacts of coal mining in Mozambique, women’s political participation in Afghanistan, and abuses against refugee women in Nepal.
Day 2
Shifting Landscapes: The Value of Peace (Saturday, May 21, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm EST)
Moderated by Sarah Crowe — Senior Communications Consultant with multiple UN agencies.
Moderated by Sarah Crowe — Senior Communications Consultant with multiple UN agencies.
“The aim of this conversation is to touch on global conflicts, like Ukraine/Russia, Palestine/Israel, election violence in Kenya, etc., and discuss how peace can be achieved by reflecting on the Irish Peace Process.”
Panelists:
Dr. Brendan Ciaran Browne – Trinity College Dublin – Asst. Prof. Conflict Resolution & Reconciliation
Sarah Nanjala – Notre Dame, Master of Global Affairs student
Ryan Conner – Georgetown – Walsh School of Foreign Service, MA in European Studies student
Casey Donahue – Georgetown, MA in History + MS in Foreign Service student
Eóin Cummings – Queen’s University Belfast, President of QUB Politics Society
Moderator – Sarah Crowe
Sarah Crowe is a Moderator, Writer, Strategist, and Senior Advisor/Consultant for UN Communications. In 2022 she helped craft a major UNESCO Global Report on the impact of Covid on the cultural sector. She previously lead on Convening at the UNICEF Office of Research Innocenti in Florence where she moderated and organized the Leading Minds conferences with high-level panelists to interview children and young people on key issues of our time: mental health together with WHO in 2019, COVID-related content in 2020 and 2021 such as vaccine doses, distribution, and the great divide, online learning, climate change, and a special focus on Africa. At Innocenti in Florence, she managed the communication team, launched the Report Card into Child Wellbeing, and advised the team of researchers. She helped rebrand Innocenti and produced a 10-part podcast on the Future of Childhood with global experts. Crowe previously worked as UNICEF’s Chief of Crisis Communications and the Spokesperson for UNICEF’s Executive Director, Anthony Lake, from 2015 to 2018 and as the Regional Chief of Communications in Delhi from 2008 to 2011. Before joining the UN, Crowe worked as an international journalist and has covered major global news and current affairs events such as the end of apartheid, the Mandela era, and civil wars in DR Congo, Angola, and Somalia.
Day 3
Tackling Climate Change Together (Sunday, May 22, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm EST)
Moderated by Claire Byrne – Green Party Politician and Climate Campaigner, Dublin City Council Member
Moderated by Claire Byrne – Green Party Politician and Climate Campaigner, Dublin City Council Member
“The aim of this conversation is to discuss the reality of climate change and realistic steps and measures young people of both cultures can take to shift the tide in our favor.”
Panelists:
Marissa Kuriakos – Oberlin College, Environmental Studies major, sophomore
Maeve Richardson – Co-Chair of University College Cork’s Student Green Campus Committee & Communications & Engagement Officer UCC Students’ Union 2021/22
Jelena Collins – Oak Park River Forest High School, Senior; Executive Director & Co-Founder of Chicago’s Youth Climate Coalition
Moderator – Claire Byrne
Claire Byrne is a politician, climate campaigner, environmental education specialist, and sustainability consultant for the events industry. She is a Green Party Councillor in Dublin for the South-East Inner City. First elected in 2014, Claire’s work is dedicated to influencing public policy in the areas of climate action, planning, waste, equality, arts, culture, and active transport, aiming to create a climate-resilient Dublin while improving the quality of life for its citizens. She is Chair of the Dublin City Climate Action Plan Committee, an active member of the Arts and Culture SPC along with several other boards and committees.
Claire is also parliamentary assistant to Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Environment, Climate Action, Communications, and Transport was the Green Party candidate for the Dublin Bay South by Election 2021. She has been an active member of the Green Party for almost 20 years, was part of the Programme for Government negotiation team for Arts and Culture in 2020, and has worked with the Party through two terms in Government.
Claire is passionate about exploring the interface between creativity, politics, and climate as a way to communicate both the challenges and solutions of the climate crisis and to inspire positive, meaningful behaviour change through effective public policy.
Confirmed conference participants include students and educators from the following schools: University of Illinois, Chicago; the Southern Poverty Law Center; Notre Dame; Queen’s University Belfast; Trinity College Dublin; University of Ulster; Georgetown University in Washington DC; Oberlin College; University College Cork; Baruch CUNY, and Oak Park River Forest High School.
To register for the 3-day conference visit the New York Irish Center or to stream the conference live click here during the time and date of the session you would like to view. ♦
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