The Immigrant Council of Ireland is calling on migrants and councillors from Galway to take part in the Migrant Councillor Internship Scheme.
The scheme, which was officially launched today, is a mentoring programme that pairs local councillors with migrants who want to learn more about Irish politics and get involved in their local communities. Following a successful pilot of the scheme in 2018, the Immigrant Council will now run 15 local political internships across Ireland for migrants, between September and December 2021.
Successful applicants will be placed with local participating councillors for one day a week (or the equivalent of seven hours spread over a number of days ) for a three-month period.
Commenting on the scheme, Teresa Buczkowska, Integration Manager at the Immigrant Council of Ireland said: “For many migrants the lack of diversity and representation in key areas of Irish society is an ongoing visual reminder that we are still some distance away from being a fully inclusive society. The Immigrant Council is working to change this by promoting diversity and inclusion across all aspects of Irish life, especially politics.
“With more migrant involvement in politics and in their local communities, we will see diversity in representation, and a truer reflection of the society we live in today. This is vital for young migrants who often tell us they don’t see themselves represented in many leadership areas in Ireland.”
Migrants living in Galway who are interested in getting involved in the scheme must complete an online application form. As part of the process, applicants are also required to create a three-minute video answering the following questions: ‘Why does representation in politics matter?’ Transport and lunch expenses, as well as childcare costs for single parents will be provided for successful applicants. Migrants must be non-European Economic Area (EEA ) citizens. The deadline for applications is Friday 23rdJuly 2021.
Councillors from Galway who would like to host an intern of a migrant background should send an email indicating their interest to [email protected] . The deadline for councillors is July 23, 2021.
