Afri - Action from Ireland

BACKGROUND

Afri (Action from Ireland) is a group of committed and creative people who seek to promote debate and influence policy and practice in Ireland and internationally on human rights, peace, justice issues, and sustainability. In particular, Afri responds to injustice in the world caused by war and other violent conflict.

Afri engages in development education in order to promote critical thinking and to effect change at a personal and institutional level. Through development education, Afri seeks to present an alternative vision, to motivate and influence policy on peace and sustainability issues and in particular to raise awareness about the link between issues of conflict and development, specifically the impact that conflict has on the development prospects of individuals and communities throughout the world. 

CURRENT PROJECTS

Afri is perhaps best known for its annual Famine Walk in Mayo, which draws links between Ireland’s historical experience and the global challenges of hunger and food sovereignty. The Sustainable Development Goals are an integral part of the walk, raising questions for discussion particularly around goal number 1, Ending Hunger. Afri has developed a Hedge School, using an old Irish model of informal education as a way of engaging in debate about contemporary issues. Hedge schools involve learning through participation and sharing life experiences. The most recent edition of the Hedge School, carried out in collaboration with the Technology University at Blanchardstown, focused on food, fashion and fuel and involved a high degree of engagement from students and staff. 

AFRI believes that the role of war and militarism is sometimes excluded from mainstream development education. Its Just a Second programme in secondary schools aims to challenge that, and includes a focus on SDG goal 16, peace and justice. The programme runs in eight schools each year and incorporates lesson plans and teacher training. Afri seeks to be creative in all its work and methodologies often incorporate arts and theatre, with training led by Pete Mullineaux, a leader in the field of combining drama and global education and author of Just A Second! Exploring Global Issues Through Drama and Theatre.