“With the generous support from the Irish American Partnership, we can continue to support schools to foster compassionate global citizenship, reaching up to 40 new schools in 2020-2021.”
– Donna McFeeley, Development Education Officer, Children in Crossfire
Our Work
Peace & Reconciliation
The Partnership works in tandem with inclusive programs including Children in Crossfire, Unite Against Hate, Youth Link, Fighting Words Northern Ireland, and 174 Trust in their efforts to promote reconciliation and foster communities with a shared sense of humanity.
Children in Crossfire
The Partnership is proud to support Children in Crossfire, an organization based in Northern Ireland founded in 1996 by Richard Moore. Alongside their work across the world, they aim to provide global citizenship education in Ireland and the United Kingdom to introduce individuals to the structural causes of poverty, while empowering communities with the tools and knowledge to make the world a fairer, more inclusive place.
Their ‘Educating the Heart’ program supports educators through a series of continuing professional development courses, helping teachers to shape students into the people that the world needs most: compassionate and active citizens who are engaged with global issues and have the knowledge, skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity needed to create a fair and sustainable world.
“With the generous support from the Irish American Partnership, we can continue to support schools to
foster compassionate global citizenship, reaching up to 40 new schools in 2020-2021.”-Donna McFeeley, Development Education Officer, Children in Crossfire
Cross-Border Teaching and Learning
The Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS) is a network of Irish colleges, councils, and trade unions that offer a variety of programs aiming to develop a culture of educational collaboration across the island.
The annual North-South Teacher Exchange is an innovative cross-border project. This exchange sees student teachers from Dublin spend three weeks teaching in Belfast schools, and Belfast student teachers spend three weeks teaching in Dublin. At their placement school, the participants have the opportunity to live and work in a new city, learning from host teachers, observing different teaching methods, and exchanging ideas.
SCoTENS is learning how the project helps to overcome barriers, reduce prejudice, and lead to increasing cooperation between colleges of education and their students. The network has also created a free online collaborative tool for educators, student teachers, and schools, to further expand access to this important program.
The program grew out of the desire to promote peace and reconciliation across the island of Ireland. It has since allowed dozens of students the opportunity to experience life and education in their neighboring jurisdiction, forming lasting friendships, and enabling students to step out of their comfort zone and engage in meaningful dialogues with people of different backgrounds.