Dr. Thomas Delahunty in the Department of Education has been awarded funding under the Recently Announced Research Ireland New Foundations call for his project entitled Mapping heteroactivist resistance to childhood education on gender and sexualities as core to global citizenship.
The project aims to analyse the discourse used by social actors resisting LGBTQ+ equality in childhood education, within the framework of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to 2030. It focuses on advancing policy, transforming learning environments, and building educator capacity. This research addresses global citizenship education (GCE) goals, especially regarding gender equality and inclusive RSE education. It critically examines far-right and heteroactivist discourse, uncovering its impact on educational content and policy, particularly in Ireland. The project includes phases of discourse analysis, interviews, report generation, and a dissemination workshop with practitioners, aiming to inform democratic counter-narratives and promote transformative learning environments.
New Foundations promotes close collaboration between researchers, civic society groups, and policymakers. The programme includes co-funding from a range of Government Departments and agencies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Irish Aid), Department of Education, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA), Department of Rural and Community Development, and the Heritage Council. See more here.