Concern

BACKGROUND

Concern Worldwide has been involved in development education for four decades, and development education is an important part of the organisation’s work. There are seven staff members in the Concern development education team. 

CURRENT PROJECTS

Concern’s flagship development education programme is the Concern Debates, which have been running for 36 years, and have involved tens of thousands of secondary school students. The aim of the programme is to equip young people with research and critical thinking skills and to enable them to become lifelong advocates on issues relating to poverty, justice and human rights. The programme has recently been extended into primary schools. At third level Concern runs the Mandela Debate in cooperation with the African Studies Association of Ireland. Concern also collaborates with Comhlámh, the returned development workers NGO on its series of First Wednesday debates for adults. Concern is collaborating with Technological University of Dublin on a project called Where there is no Engineer.

More recently, Concern has launched Project US, a series of community conversations based on the Sustainable Development Goals, which are held all over the country in venues such as community centres, direct provision centres and businesses for groups of between 20 and 40 people.

At primary level, Concern supports programmes such as Hunger Heroes and Solar Buddies, a project-based competition. At post primary level Concern runs a programme called Speak, Act Do. Classes research and explore the local and global impacts of one of five topics (Gender Equality, Climate Action, Conflict, Hunger or Inequality) and with support from the Concern schools team, organise and plan two actions focusing on their issue. Students can showcase their project at the annual Agents of Change event.

TY Academy is a week-long programme, which runs three times over the year in November and February. It is ideal for Transition Year students who are keen to learn how they can become active global citizens and find out about what it is like to work in an NGO. During each of these weeks, Concern hosts 16 Transition year students on a programme that includes seminars and simulations of work in various roles.

Concern also produces a wide range of teaching resources, including lesson plans, project planning guides, country factsheets and detailed information on the SDGs. It is involved in teacher training and curriculum development in association with a range of partners including WorldWise Global Schools.