Friends of the Earth

BACKGROUND

At Friends of the Earth, we believe that building power is a pedagogical process. Our aim is to develop awareness and to further engagement in issues of global justice, primarily among those aged between 18 and 35. By facilitating an exploration of the root causes and consequences of global injustice, we support learners to identify leverage points for potential change, and support them in their learning journey.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Our projects foster a more interconnected perspective in the learner's approach to change. Our goal is that those involved in the environmental and social justice movements in Ireland are connected, able to think holistically about the root causes of environmental and social injustice, and apply this critical thinking to planning for action. We want those we connect with to increase their knowledge and understanding of historical reasons for inequality and social injustice and thus be better positioned to take informed action on injustice. Our approach is collaborative, learner-centred and participatory, and recognises the lived experience of all participants.

The activities allow for deep reflection on the distribution of the burdens and benefits of injustice, how local actions connect to global injustices, and pathways for expressing agency. We participants on a journey of engagement and ensure they’re supported at all times to increase their knowledge, strengthen their values, enhance their skill-set and take part in action.

Our development education work is deeply rooted in the Sustainable Development Goal number 13, Climate Action. However, that said, the work we do increases the capacity of all those we engage with to take action on a number of the SDGs as our conceptualisation of the issues we face is that they are interconnected. We draw out knowledge and experience and facilitate collaborative learning, employing methodologies based on the experiences of popular education on development issues carried out by other Friends of the Earth groups all over the world. Moreover, the methodology we use is rooted in the experiences of the Freirian School of Sustainability in Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa.