Venue: Exchange House Ireland National Traveller Service.
In attendance 30 AONTAS Members
The Multiplier Event focused the importance of on community education and the importance of getting engaged in politics in Ireland.
The morning opened with presentations from Conor Thompson of AONTAS on the project results and activities of BEEP. Participants discussed the issue of political participation within and beyond the election cycle.
Fionnaigh Connaughton, Dublin Adult Learning Centre (DALC) delivered an interactive session from their Voter Education and Active Citizenship programme. The presentation was interesting and looked at innovative ideas and resources on how to deliver voter education programmes and encourage learners’ awareness of their power as a citizen. The presentation generated deep discussion from those and the issues that they are facing in their communities.
The next section of the morning was provided by the women’s drama group from Women’s Collective.
Political Performance, ‘How Long is a Piece of Rope,’ WCI Ronanstown Drama Group Learners from the Women’s Collective Ireland, Ronanstown who performed a scene from their play, which explores the controversy around the wording of Article 41.2 of the Constitution of Ireland, ‘the woman’s life within the home’ This was followed by a Q&A session with the group about their experiences producing the play. The discussion around the women’s experience of participating in the play were inspirational, the women spoke about their learning around the issue of politics and how it created dialogue within their families and their wider communities. They also spoke about how participating in the play enhanced their critical thinking skills and how the world of politics works.
The afternoon session provided a space for the Community Education Network to come together to discuss some of the issues they were facing.