Four Galwegians have been selected to attend a special bootcamp for community changemakers, sponsored by a philanthropic foundation.
Bel Aghedo, Sai Gujulla, Ruth Hegarty, Edel Ní Churraoin are among 21 people from across Ireland invited to attend the Alice Academy for Activists, a residential course that equips emerging activists with strategic campaigning skills. It takes place in Dublin, in January.
Over the course of the four-day Academy, attendees will study strategy and planning; community organising and coalition-building; fundraising; political engagement; and media relations. Course contributors include Ailbhe Smyth, a feminist and LGBTQ+ activist behind the Repeal the Eighth Amendment campaign, and veteran former RTÉ newscaster, Eileen Dunne.
Food policy expert Ruth Hegarty is a campaigner for the transformation of school food in Ireland. She advocates to change how the government’s current Hot School Meals Scheme across primary schools is providing food of low nutritional value, generates vast quantities of food and packaging waste, does not integrate with education, and channels public money into profit for private firms rather than benefiting Irish farmers.
Bel Aghedo, aged 18, lives in Galway city. Her experience living in Direct Provision has prompted her to commence a ‘One Story, Many Voices’ campaign to strengthen community relations. She is an aspiring author.
Sai Gujulla, from Wellpark, works for a medical technology company. He is involved in anti-racism movements across Co Galway. The former President of the University of Galway Students’ Union is aiming to grow his anti-racism activism by connecting schools, local youth groups, and migrant communities to co-create workshops on recognising bias and promoting inclusion.
Cultural activist Edel Ní Churraoin, from Indreabhán, wants to ensure Gaeltacht voices are central to the Irish language revival. The Belfast resident bases her activism on the belief that Irish language and culture must actively act to promote truth, inclusion and solidarity while challenging narratives that seek to divide or marginalise communities, including by far-right groups attempting to co-opt culture for nationalist agendas.
The Alice Academy for Activists is supported by Community Foundation Ireland.
