Social Justice Week 2024

Welcome from the Social Justice Week Committee

Social Justice Week  4th-8th March 2024

  
Maynooth Social Justice Week at Maynooth University is a collaborative project between students, staff, as well as internal and external organisations aimed at tackling social justice issues locally and globally, promoting social justice and challenging injustice. The theme of Social Justice Week 2024 is ‘Belonging: Creating Communities for Social Justice’

As you will see from this programme, the events this year showcase social justice focussed work across the faculties and the university in teaching and learning other core business. This highlights a strong response across the university to a wide array of social inequalities and concerns, nationally and globally, including racism, climate justice, the housing and accommodation crisis, conflict, forced migration, prisoners, inclusive education and the struggle for women’s rights.

The Social Justice Week Committee 2024 would like to thank the organisers of all events in the programme. Thanks also to the event contributors and speakers, within the University community and beyond. The Chair of the Social Justice Week Committee would like to highlight the commitment and work on Social Justice Week 2024.

With best wishes,

Social Justice Week Organising Committee 2024

Dr Ciara Bradley, Department of Applied Social Studies
Sam Blanckensee, Office of the Vice President for Equality & Diversity
Zoryana Rshyk, College Connect
Declan Markey, Community Outreach Officer
Dr Aoife Titley, Froebel Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education
Megan Berry, Traveller Outreach Officer, Maynooth Access Programme
Niamh Riney, MSU Vice President Welfare & Equality
Alex Balfe, MSU President
Dr Abdul Aziz Mohibbi, Post-doctoral Researcher
Dr Rory Hearne, Department of Applied Social Studies
Ann Marie Cudden, Front Office Manager Maynooth Students Union

Monday, 4th March

Time	Details	Venue
11:00	Watermarks Under the Skin Exhibition Mountjoy Prison & Maynooth University Partnership 'Watermarks under the Skin' is an EU-funded collaborative project involving prison students in Ireland, Norway and Malawi which exhibits photos and stories by prisoners of scars they hold to challenge the stigma connected to imprisonment. The launch of Social Justice Week 2024 will also take place at the start of this event. Contact gemma.a.lynch@mu.ie for more information	TSI 0.30
12:00	A place to belong: Why we need a referendum on a right to housing Dr Rory Hearne, Department of Applied Social Studies, Tanya Ward, CEO, Children's Rights Alliance, Dr Conor Crummey, Department of Law and Criminology, Vanessa Conroy, Project Officer, Feminist Communities for Climate Justice, Amy Ward, National Traveller Accommodation Policy Officer, Irish Traveller Movement, Wayne Stanley, Executive Director and National Spokesperson, Simon Communities of Ireland, Clodagh Daly & Mary Heavey, Community Law and Mediation. Civil society & academic speakers on homelessness, social exclusion, housing & environment Contact rory.hearne@mu.ie for more information or to take part online	2.40, TSI
16:00	Perspectives on the Far-right in Ireland Prof Claire Hamilton, Dr John Morrison, Dr Clíodhna Murphy, Dr Charles O'Sullivan Roundtable event with speakers giving brief briefly discuss their perspectives on the emergence of the radical right in Ireland followed by some Questions and Answers. Contact anastasia.campbell@mu.ie for more information.	Education Lecture Theatre (ELT), Education House
16:00	Film Screening: Writing with Fire Dr Aoife Titley and Laura Thornton As part of ongoing Global Citizenship Education (GCE) modules in the Froebel Department, a film screening of the Academy Award nominated documentary ‘Writing with Fire’ is being organised for Social Justice Week. This film focuses on the narratives of three women journalists from India’s only all-female newspaper. The film is based in Utter Pradesh, India. For registration contact aoife.titley@mu.ie.	School of Education
17:00	Visit from Director Kasuhiro Soda and screening of his film 'Zero' Dr Rebecca Chiyoko King O'Riain, Sociology Department SODA Kazuhiro is an award-winning Japanese independent director, screenwriter, cinematographer, producer, author. He practices an observational method of documentary filmmaking where he imposes rules on himself in order to minimise preconceptions and to make unexpected discoveries while filming and editing. Contact rebecca.king-oriain@mu.ie for more information.	2.40, TSI

Tuesday, 5th March

Time	Details	Venue
11:00	Station teaching on the theme of ‘Sanctuary/ Belonging’ with visiting primary school Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education – in association with the MU Sanctuary Committee (Aoife Titley and Rita Sakr) For the second year in a row, the 4th class from Dún Laoghaire Educate Together (DLETNS), along with their teacher Ryma Halfaoui, will visit Maynooth University to explore themes of Sanctuary and Belonging. Students from second year of the Professional Master in Primary Education programme in the Froebel Department will facilitate a range of educational activities related to asylum seekers, refugees, and migration with the children. For registration contact aoife.titley@mu.ie.	School of Education
12:00	Belonging at University: To what and to whom? MU THRIVE Initiative & MU Healthy Campus A sense of belonging at university is often used in a way that implies a common understanding of what belonging is and why belonging is important (Mee and Wright, 2009). But does such a common understanding exist? This interactive session, delivered in collaboration between the MU THRIVE Initiative and MU Healthy Campus, will outline what the literature says about belonging in Higher Education and the link to social justice, exploring student feedback on the link between belonging and wellbeing at Maynooth University Audience, and finish with a group activity where participants discuss the ‘what, whom and when’ of belonging as well as what activities can increase or decrease it. Contact eddie.corr@mu.ie for more information.	Training Room C&D, MU Library
14:00	An Introduction to Design Justice Dr EL Putnam, Department of Media Studies In this workshop, participants will be introduced to design justice as a tangible means of enacting social justice through practice. Design justice offers an approach to world-building where collective, sustainable approaches are taken to foster non-exploitative solutions. Contact gavan.titley@mu.ie for more information.	1.37, Iontas

Wednesday, 6th March

Time	Details	Venue
10:00	LGBTQ+ rights in a Global Context: Spotlight on India Maynooth School of Law and Criminology in conjunction with the MU Sexualities and Genders Network Contact fergus.ryan@mu.ie for more information	Education Lecture Theatre (ELT), Education House
10:00	Learning through Praxis: Developing community partnerships for holistic education and social change Dr Jerry Shannon, Assoc. Professor, Departments of Geography and Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics, and Director of the Community Mapping Lab, University of Georgia 9.30am -10.00am: Welcome Tea, MUSSI Kitchen 10.00am-11.30am: Session 1: Community geography, social engagement, and the public university classroom 12.15pm -1.45pm: Session 2: Workshop: Building equitable partnerships for engaged learning and social change This Masterclass is co-funded by the Dean’s Office of Teaching and Learning of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Department of Geography. It is available for all Maynooth academic and research staff and postgraduate research students. Please contact Karen.till@mu.ie for more information.	MUSSI Seminar Room, Iontas
11:15	Launch event for We Are Here Hear Exhibition College Connect The WAHH project is a photovoice exhibition of photographs taken by refugees to illustrate the barriers they experienced accessing higher education (HE), alongside accompanying descriptions. This exhibition offers a poignant narrative that aligns with the theme of this year's Social Justice Week: "Belonging: Creating Communities for Social Justice." Contact eilis.nichorcora@mu.ie for more information.	MU Library Foyer
12:00	Digital placemaking for nature and wellbeing. Exploring opportunities to creating belonging through technology mediation in public space María Fernández de Ossó Fuentes In the face of economic globalization, cities confront the challenge of preserving and improving their natural areas. The deterioration of public places, especially urban nature due to the rise of technology affects the human-nature disconnection. In the context of climate change, urban nature spaces have the potential to increase city resilience and citizen wellbeing. This events shares the story of a research study wwhich aims to reach a consensus regarding the application of digital placemaking as a place branding strategy for nature and wellbeing. Click here for a link to the event. Contact maria.fernandezdeossofuentes.2022@mumail.ie for more information.	Online
14:00	Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Inclusive Play from research to practice Miriam O’Keeffe Ahern (Maynooth Access Group), Deirdre Forde (Assistant Professor in Inclusive Education), Evelyn Reilly (Froebel Department Early Childhood Education), Georga Dowling (Froebel Department Early Childhood Education) This will be an interactive seminar where a wide range of inclusive toys and strategies will be introduced across many dimensions of diversity, particularly disability and race. Authors of chapters on inclusive play and neurodiversity have coupled with Maynooth Access Group to ensure that this seminar offers both research based evidence and an experiential lens. Contact georga.dowling@mu.ie for more information.	SE301, School of Education
14:00	Exploring referenda and citizenship education with children Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education – Dr Aoife Titley and Dr Suzanne O’Keefe To mark the referendum on the 8th March, and as part of ongoing lectures in citizenship education in the Froebel Department, a workshop exploring how to teach about referenda in the primary school is being organised as part of Social Justice Week. Please contact aoife.titley@mu.ie for registration.	School of Education
15:00	Interactive Workshop on Children’s Rights and the Online Safety Code Dr Ollie Bartlett, Assistant Professor of Law, Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology; Kathryn Reilly, Policy and Legislative Affairs Manager, Irish Heart Foundation This interactive workshop will invite participants to consider how the safety and health of children should be protected when they participate in the online community. The Online Media and Safety Regulation Act 2022 created a new media regulator for Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, which has responsibility for adopting legally binding codes to regulate online platforms and activity for the protection of citizens. The proposed Online Safety Code for Video Sharing Platform Services has been criticised for not being sufficiently inclusive of the range of harms that children are exposed to and endangered by when they go online. In particular, commercial communications for alcohol, unhealthy food, and breast milk substitutes receive weak treatment despite the proven role of this content in encourage harmful behaviours in children. There is concern among children’s rights advocates that children may be or feel excluded from safe participation in the online world if they cannot be afforded crucial protections that will allow them to participate in ways that promote their healthy development. This interactive workshop will encourage participants to engage with leading experts on this subject to identify the ways in which children might be at risk when they go online, and how these risks will impact upon children’s ability to belong safely to the online community. Participants will then seek to understand how these impacts can violate children’s fundamental rights, and how Coimisiún na Meán could respond in a socially just way to shape an online space that welcomes children, protects them from harm, and plays a positive role in the healthy development that they are entitled to. Contact ollie.bartlett@mu.ie for more information.	TSI 0.30
16:00	Book Launch: 'Rights and Social Justice in Research: Advancing Methodologies for Social Change' Edited by Dr Kathryn McGarry, Dr Ciara Bradley, Dr Gloria Kirwan, Applied Social Studies Can our research create conditions for people to flourish? What kinds of questions do we ask about the social world and how knowledge is produced? Does our approach to research itself matter? This edited collection explores and illustrates the nature of research for social justice. Drawing on a diverse range of social research projects, it examines research with and for young people, marginalised communities and those who work to further social justice and human rights goals. Speakers include: Professor Maggie O'Neill, Professor of Sociology & Criminology, UCC Anastasia Crickley, MU DAPPSS Associate Professor Emeritus, Chair Minority Rights Groups Int. Professor Linda Connolly, Director of MUSSI Professor Mary Murphy, Department of Sociology, Head of Department Dr Seamus Taylor, MU DAPPSS, Head of Department RSVP to edsresearchforsocialjustice@mu.ie by March 4th.	MUSSI Seminar Room, Iontas
All day	Breaking Bread: Building Up Solidarity College Connect and Maynooth Access Programme Breaking Bread: Building Up Solidarity will bring together four groups of graduates and participants of the Changemakers Mentoring Programme facilitated with refugees and international protection applicants at Maynooth University and TUS Athlone. Participants will spend the day getting to know each other, engaging with the WE ARE HERE, HEAR exhibition, meeting the Ombudsman, and learning about options and pathways to higher education. For inquiries, please contact: Zoryana.Pshyk@mu.ie	For participants of the Changemakers programme

Thursday, 7th March

Time	Details	Venue
10:00	Feíle Mac Gréil Prof Mary Corcoran Over the course of his career as a sociologist and a Jesuit priest, Rev Dr. Mícheál Mac Greil, who died in January 2023, shone a bright light into the corners of Irish society where intolerance and lack of compassion for others prevailed. He called out inequalities and injustices wherever he encountered them. His moral compass remained resolute throughout his long and productive life working assiduously to build a more solidaristic, empathic and fairer Ireland. Micheál was a leading member of the Department of Sociology at Maynooth University from 1971 to 1996, where he was known as a gifted teacher and an outstanding researcher. A pioneering advocate of empirical social science research, his path breaking sociological inquiries into prejudice and tolerance in Irish society spanned several decades. Thurs, March 7th 10-12 @ Maynooth University: As part of Social Justice Week, a seminar focusing on “Prejudice and Tolerance in Ireland” will featuring Prof Jane Gray on Micheal’s social scientific approach; Prof Emeritus Tony Fahey, Micheál as a teacher and his early years in Maynooth, alongside his role in the context of the Catholic social justice movement in Ireland since the 1960s; Martin Collins (Pavee Point) Mícheál s advocacy on behalf of Travellers and Niamh McDonald (Hope and Courage Collective), Intolerance in Ireland today. The event will be chaired by Mary P. Corcoran, Sociology. Contact mary.corcoran@mu.ie for more information.	MUSSI Seminar Room, Iontas
10:00	BIOrbic - An Interdisciplinary Approach BioBeo Blended Intensive Programme at Maynooth University Professor Jane Stout (VP for Biodiversity and Climate Action, at TCD) delivering a lecture on ‘BIOrbic - An Interdisciplinary Approach' The BioBeo Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), an output of the Horizon Europe funded BioBeo Education Programme led by Maynooth University (MU), pioneers new approaches to circular bioeconomy education across Europe. BioBeo strategically introduces circular bioeconomy curricula in primary, secondary schools and in university settings, aiming to foster youth and citizen engagement in bioeconomy policy-making. Maynooth University, University College Dublin, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Odisee University of Applied Sciences collaborate on the project, inviting students to join the BIP, enhancing their understanding of bioeconomy and encouraging knowledge dissemination. This eight-day ERASMUS and Horizon Europe funded programme includes in-person and online components, culminating in the European BioBeo Festival on the 15th March 2024. Aimed at future educators, the BIP equips participants to teach bioeconomy concepts in diverse educational settings. *Ensure that everyone brings suitable outdoor clothes and footwear for rainy days as we will be learning outdoors throughout the week. For more information about how to take part, contact maire.nicanbhaird@mu.ie.	SE133, School of Education
11:00	MU-UDL and U UDL Faculty T&L Fellows 2023-24 The purpose of this event is to share information about new initiatives in Maynooth University Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practice and perspectives, as part of promoting and celebrating a culture of inclusion on campus. UDL in teaching practice and in other aspects of university life promotes inclusion and equality, and supports belonging. Our team of HEA funded UDL T&L Fellows is developing an online accessible hub of Open Education Resources (OER) in support of UDL across MU. This event will highlight the roll out of these resources, and will launch our UDL Awareness Campaign which will take place this semester. It will also foreground the many instances of good practice regarding how UDL is currently being used by colleagues and students. Registration https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/fa5a5bec-4558-40b9-b2c9-9a9462c401fa@1454f5cc-bb35-4685-bbd9-8621fd8055c9	Training Room E, MU Library
11:00	Indigenous Gender Justice: Two-Spirit Identity, MMIWG Crisis, and Canada's Commitment to UNSDG 5 Research Centre in International Justice, Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology Indigenous Gender Justice: Two-Spirit Identity, the Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis, and Canada's Commitment to UNSDG 5 Thursday 7th March, 11am-1pm, SE128, School of Education. Join us in Maynooth for a hybrid keynote by Dr Gerard Maguire (Lecturer, Irish Centre for Human Rights and the School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University) that seeks to delve into the positioning of gender within Indigenous life. Dr Maguire will focus particularly on the pre and post-colonial roles of Two-Spirit peoples and the crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) in Canada. This event is organised by the Research Centre in International Justice, School of Law and Criminology, and will take place in person and online. All are welcome! Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85108691667?pwd=3uatSQRwYNXXbJSj0QIolS0SAxFfOi.1 Meeting ID: 851 0869 1667 Passcode: 158004 Contact amina.adanan@mu.ie for more information.	SE128, School of Education
11:00	Understanding and Including Neurodivergent Children in the Primary Education System Claire O'Neill and Deirdre Forde This seminar will combine research and practice, focusing on transformative approaches to support autistic children to thrive. Educators and student teachers will be empowered to identify, develop and use children's strengths to inform inclusive educational strategies in the classroom. This approach enables children to unlock their inherent skills, qualities, and talents, setting the groundwork for a more fulfilling and happier life. Thank you to the Centre for Teaching and Learning for funding this seminar as part of a Teaching and Fellowship Award. Contact deirdre.forde@mu.ie for more information.	SE130, School of Education
14:00	Promoting the integration of post-primary refugee students in Ireland and across the world Centre for Mental Health and Community Research (CMHCR), Dept of Psychology and Social Sciences Institute This two-part hybrid event, hosted by the SALaM Ireland research team, will explore, firstly, the key facilitators of, and barriers to the successful integration of young adolescent refugees who have resettled to high-income countries (including Ireland and the US) from conflict-affected regions. Our findings highlight the importance of language (both English and heritage language) and positive student-teacher relationships and peer relationships for fostering belonging in schools and the wider community. Secondly, our US-based guest presenter, Dr Daniel Shephard, from the Center for the Study of Global Change at Indiana University, will discuss (remotely) his exciting 'Teachers Supporting Teachers (TST)' project. This aims to create a transnational online community of practice for teachers of displaced learners/refugee students, with a view to facilitating global learning by sharing experiences, challenges, generalisable lessons and good practices across country contexts (including Ireland). For more information, contact yvonne.leckey@mu.ie.	2.31, Iontas
14:00	UDL and Inclusive Educational Strategies to support Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education Claire O'Neill and Deirdre Forde As our classrooms and lecture theatres become increasingly diverse, our practices must also adapt to reflect the changing landscape of Higher Education. UDL is about ensuring that a variety of pathways (choice and flexibility) are offered to students for understanding content; that goals are clear and specific to the expected outcome; and that student assessment is flexibly designed to enable every student to demonstrate their knowledge, values, understanding, and skills in a variety of ways (Meyer et al., 2014). If you are an educator who wants to create a neurodiverse friendly learning environment, then this talk is for you!! Thank you to the Centre for Teaching and Learning for funding this seminar as part of a Teaching and Fellowship award. Contact deirdre.forde@mu.ie for more information.	TBC
15:00	Looking out for, looking after, looking to each other: A Research Report Tonye Benson-Olatunde and Aidan Farrelly (Department of Applied Social Studies) This will be a presentation session on a new research report. The title of the report – ‘Looking out for, looking after, looking to each other’ draws on the words of the research participants and captures some of the positive aspects of their lives and experiences: the strong bonds of friendship, solidarity, caring, and fun. But it also touches on the negative aspects: the need for ‘guardedness’ and solidarity, especially in the context of routine experiences of racism and discrimination, for both the young people and their families. It explores a range of reasons why youth work has had limited success in the past in attracting and engaging Black young people but highlights some positive recent developments, notably ones where Black young people and adults are taking the lead. The research also suggests that community development approaches within the Black and Black Irish community have played a key role in addressing and – to some extent – ameliorating inequalities experienced by young people, for example in their relations with the Garda Síochána. The session will include time for students to identify and articulate some of the concepts and theories implicit and explicit in the research report and to brainstorm on further solutions. For further details, contact: Tonye.BensonOlatunde@mu.ie	Classhall F, Arts Building

Friday, 8th March

Time	Details	Venue
11:00	Solidarity and the Civil Society Space Department of Sociology and Department of International Development This event will consist of a presentation by Chris O'Connell, Governance & Civil Society Space Advisor at Trócaire of his recent report 'A Struggle for Rights and Freedoms: Solidarity and Civil Society Space’. The report discusses questions around the narrowing of civil society space in some developing countries due to increased political and geopolitical polarisation and the impact and implications of this dynamic for these organisations’ work. Chris’s presentation will be followed up by comments from Niamh Rooney of MU’s Department for International Development as well as from speakers from other organisations concerned with this issue, such as Front Line Defenders. The event will be facilitated by Barry Cannon, MU’s Department of Sociology. Contact barry.cannon@mu.ie for more information.	Education Seminar Room (ESR), Education House
12:00	BISC-E Irish University Students Final for the 23/24 Biobased Innovation Student Challenge BioBeo Blended Intensive Programme at Maynooth University The BioBeo Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), an output of the Horizon Europe funded BioBeo Education Programme led by Maynooth University (MU), pioneers new approaches to circular bioeconomy education across Europe. BioBeo strategically introduces circular bioeconomy curricula in primary, secondary schools and in university settings, aiming to foster youth and citizen engagement in bioeconomy policy-making. Maynooth University, University College Dublin, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Odisee University of Applied Sciences collaborate on the project, inviting students to join the BIP, enhancing their understanding of bioeconomy and encouraging knowledge dissemination. This eight-day ERASMUS and Horizon Europe funded programme includes in-person and online components, culminating in the European BioBeo Festival on the 15th March 2024. Aimed at future educators, the BIP equips participants to teach bioeconomy concepts in diverse educational settings. *Ensure that everyone brings suitable outdoor clothes and footwear for rainy days as we will be learning outdoors throughout the week. For more information about how to take part, contact maire.nicanbhaird@mu.ie.	SE301, School of Education

All Week Events

The following will be happening for the entirety of Social Justice Week:

MU Library Initiatives

For the duration of Social Justice week, MU Library will promote via social media their OER guide, developed by our Teaching & Research Development team, and identify selected OERs that are relevant to the theme of ‘belonging’, highlighting the Library’s rich resources available to all.
The Library will identify and promote collections that support the theme of Social Justice Week, one key resource (database) each day which will be promoted via their social media channels.

We Are Here, HEAR - Satellite Exhibition

College Connect is a Higher Education Authority (HEA) funded PATH (Programme for Access to Higher Education) project. Maynooth University are leading the project in collaboration with Dublin City University, Dundalk Institute of Technology and Technological University Shannon (Athlone Campus). In 2021, College Connect published a community needs analysis (CNA) with refugees and people in the protection process. The We are here, HEAR (WAHH) exhibition is based on this piece of research (Meaney-Sartori & Nwanze, 2021).
The WAHH project is a photovoice exhibition of photographs taken by refugees to illustrate the barriers they experienced accessing higher education (HE), alongside accompanying descriptions. This exhibition offers a poignant narrative that aligns with the theme of this year's Social Justice Week: "Belonging: Creating Communities for Social Justice." This proposal seeks to display the WAHH exhibition in the main foyer of the MU Library during Social Justice Week (March 4th – 8th), providing an impactful platform for engagement and reflection.

BioBeo Blended Intensive Programme at Maynooth University
March 1st – 8th 2024

The BioBeo Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), an output of the Horizon Europe funded BioBeo Education Programme led by Maynooth University (MU), pioneers new approaches to circular bioeconomy education across Europe. BioBeo strategically introduces circular bioeconomy curricula in primary, secondary schools and in university settings, aiming to foster youth and citizen engagement in bioeconomy policy-making. Maynooth University, University College Dublin, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Odisee University of Applied Sciences collaborate on the project, inviting students to join the BIP, enhancing their understanding of bioeconomy and encouraging knowledge dissemination. This eight-day ERASMUS and Horizon Europe funded programme includes in-person and online components, culminating in the European BioBeo Festival on the 15th March 2024. Aimed at future educators, the BIP equips participants to teach bioeconomy concepts in diverse educational settings.
For more information about how to take part, contact maire.nicanbhaird@mu.ie.

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Welcome from the Social Justice Week Committee

Monday, 4th March

Monday, 4th March

Tuesday, 5th March

Tuesday, 5th March

Wednesday, 6th March

Wednesday, 6th March

Thursday, 7th March

Thursday, 7th March

Friday, 8th March

Friday, 8th March

All Week Events

All Week Events