The year 2017 sees a new exciting team at Junior Chamber International Galway. Newly elected president Dominick Whelan along with vice president Sara Gilligan, Cathal Dullea, Olivia Lavelle, and Keith Killilea, representatives of the local branch, will be representing Galway at various international events throughout Europe in 2017; from community development, international relations, as well as social and community enterprise. For the next five years, European eyes will be paying close attention to the very edge of Europe’s western edge in environment, gastronomy, and culture, as Galway becomes centre stage of Europe’s social and community epicentres.
This year will see the city play host to promoting Europe’s Green Leaf Initiative and part of Junior Chamber’s role is to support active engagement of citizens in their community. In January, Whelan will be representing Ireland at the Clean World Conference in Tallin, Estonia, with 115 countries attending to discuss topics of environmental impact and support UN sustainable development goals in environmental policies. Vice president and international debating champion Sara Gilligan will be defending her title for Ireland with events scheduled in Switzerland and Holland next autumn. Gilligan’s rise in international debating, is a spark for those seeking to work on elevator pitches and create inspiring debate that performs to international audiences.
Cathal Dullea will be collaborating with international projects in 2017, as 37 of the National presidents and European representatives are confirmed to visit Ireland in February as part of Junior Chamber International Europe annual meeting, to discuss trans-European issues, alongside fostering international relationships with partners throughout Europe.
Olivia Lavelle and Keith Killilea are looking forward to the year ahead with international relationships and supporting Galway’s enterprise community with programmes to foster and support Galway’s innovation community. Killilea will be an ambassador of JCI Galway to JCI Hong Kong, China, with 400 enterprise and community delegates in Hong Kong and the potential of a new relationship with Hong Kong, China, for the city, alongside established relationships of Edinburgh, Scotland, and Rhein-Hunsruck, Germany.
If you are interested in becoming involved in JCI Galway, it welcomes new members at the monthly trainings at the Portershed. To find out more information email [email protected].
