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Development Perspectives recently hosted the first stakeholder meeting for INVOLVIM, marking an important step in the initiative’s progress. INVOLVIM is an EU partnership involving organisations from Finland, Ireland, Slovenia, Poland, and Portugal.
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The purpose of the project is to improve the policy instruments of the partner regions, in our case Co. Louth. This will be achieved through the exchange of experiences, including: state-of-the-art service provision (both formal and informal) and regional needs analysis, interregional learning events, study visits, and thematic workshops.
As the Irish project partner, the organisation facilitated an engaging session with local stakeholders. Participants were introduced to the project’s aims, shared insights on best practices and policy needs in Co. Louth, and contributed ideas for the upcoming interregional learning event scheduled for June.
The meeting brought together a committed group of stakeholders working towards social inclusion, providing a strong foundation for future collaboration. Attention now turns to the June interregional event, where stakeholders from partner countries will visit Co. Louth to explore local best practices in integration.
The INVOLVIM project is supported by the EU-funded Interreg Programme. More information is available at: https://www.interregeurope.eu/involvim
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Saolta Trainer Martin and Programme Officer Eolain recently delivered an engaging training session for Westmeath Public Participation Network (PPN), focusing on Global Citizenship Education and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The session provided a valuable opportunity to raise awareness, inspire meaningful action, and support communities in strengthening their local impact. Participants actively engaged with the themes, contributing to a dynamic and insightful learning experience.
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The DP team were delighted to welcome Dr. David Hickey to the office for an engaging and wide-ranging discussion on current international issues. The conversation explored developments in Cuba as well as the ongoing situation in Palestine, with an open and thoughtful exchange of perspectives and insights. The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on global challenges and the wider movements shaping international affairs today, reinforcing the importance of dialogue, shared learning and informed discussion. The team expressed their appreciation to Dr. Hickey for taking the time to join them and contribute to such a meaningful conversation.
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The SDG Challenge Schools project, supported by World Wise Global Schools, has been engaging students and educators over the past number of months across Cavan, Louth, Dublin, Monaghan and Meath. Working closely with students, teachers and school management teams, the initiative has explored Global Citizenship Education (GCE) within the context of both school environments and the wider community, encouraging creative approaches to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Participating schools, including St. Louis Secondary School Dundalk, The Royal School Cavan, St Clare’s College Ballyjamesduff, Ballymakenny College Drogheda, Scoil Mhuire Trim and St Joseph’s Secondary School Rush, have demonstrated enthusiasm and innovation in connecting global issues to local action, highlighting the growing impact of the project in fostering awareness and engagement among young people.
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SDG Challenge Schools, teaming up with St Joseph’s School, Rush to plant trees alongside Rush Tidy Towns. A great day of community, sustainability, and making a real difference.
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Two members of our team, Bobby McCormack and Paul Crewe, were represented the organisation in Slovenia at a meeting of the INVOLVIM project under the Interreg Europe programme. The project brought together NGOs and local authorities from Poland, Portugal, Finland, Slovenia and Ireland who are working collaboratively to improve the inclusion of migrants within local communities.
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The gathering provided an opportunity for partners to share experiences, exchange examples of good practice and explore practical ways to strengthen integration, community participation and accessed to services for migrants. By learning from each other’s approaches, the partners aimed to develop stronger policies and initiatives that support more welcoming and inclusive communities across Europe, with Bobby and Paul contributing Irish perspectives and bringing valuable insights back to inform local work.
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Saolta had a strong start this year with facilitating impactful workshops for teachers in training across the island. For the first time, Saolta was able to extend the mission of making sustainability accessible and engrained in curriculum to Northern Ireland through Ulster University. With a focus on what sustainability means in education, further education teachers were introduced to what the Sustainability Development Goals and Global Citizenship Education can look like in the classroom. Similar workshops were facilitated with Maynooth University and Mary Immaculate College, but with a specific focus on the resources provided by Saolta. Each institution was introduced to resources which would assist them to meet the mission outlined via group discussions and practical application of activities. To get involved, please contact mag...@saolta.com.
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Saolta Report
Saolta completed its annual report for 2025 during January and we were delighted with another successful year of outcomes and outputs. Once all the figures were collated it became clear the extent of the work that the Saolta team had contributed to embedding Global Citizenship Education into the Adult Community Education (ACE) sector. We directly reached over 800 ACE practitioners and indirectly reached over 30,000 learners and educators. The reporting each year is a vital part of reflecting on what the team has achieved and how we can use the learning from those achievements for planning and future work.
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Team Residential
The Saolta report feeds directly into the shape of the first annual team residential where the we put strategy and structure onto the programme. This year’s meeting brought the Saolta team to An Tairseach Ecology Centre in Wicklow town. The team spend two days bonding reflecting and planning for the 2026 year ahead. We explored modes of communications how we could improve workflows, collaboration and promotion of the work that we do. The team spirit is building well and the hard work of the team over the last number of years is clearly paying off as organisations and groups are reaching out in increasing numbers to avail of GCE for ACE.
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AONTAS Star Awards
The AONTAS Star Awards is an annual awards programme and ceremony that happens annually in Croke Park. Saolta is delighted to be a sponsor of the Global Citizenship Education Star Award. The event is always inspiring and packed with brilliant examples of the work being carried out with GCE in the ACE sector.
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The standard of entries to the GCE Star Award this year were excellent. The judging panel was made up of the Saolta Programme manager and partners from Concern Worldwide and Inisowen Development Partnership. The decision was tough as the standard was so high but in the end the Rediscovery Centre’s project: Empowering Communities in Circular Opportunities won the award. But it genuinely was a day where everyone was winning through the incredible work that they are doing.
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Saolta Admission to the DFHERIS ESD forum and presentation.
Saolta successfully submitted to be added to the Department of Further and Higher Education innovation Research and Science (DFHERIS) Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Forum this year and presented on Saolta’s work and the importance of cross-fertilisation between ESD and GCE work. It is an important space for Saolta to be engaged in and the potential for further collaboration between DFHERIS and The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Irish Aid, through Saolta’s activity in this group are a welcome development.
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Preparing and Planning for Global spACEs
Much work has been going on behind the scenes at the beginning of 2026 in setting up the second phase of Global spACEs programme, following on from last year’s successful 8 day journey for 8 Irish participants to our partner organisation in Liberia, DEN-L. This year Saolta will be welcoming 9 participants to Ireland for the second half of the exchange programme. The programme in DEN-L in 2025 was rich with learning and cultural exchange and the Saolta team will be bring the same energy to the Irish leg of the programme. This growing, learning relationship between DEN-L and Saolta is an exciting part of the programme and we are looking forward to many more years of exchange and sharing between the organisations.
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Development Perspectives has recently joined the Apartheid Free Zones initiative, a grassroots campaign aimed at transforming local communities into spaces of solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality. The initiative encourages a wide range of organisations—from community groups and businesses to local authorities—to publicly support Palestinian rights and build awareness within their communities.
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Across Ireland, more than 330 businesses, public spaces and organisations have already declared themselves Apartheid Free Zones, with participation continuing to grow. Support for related actions has also been reflected at local level, with over 20 councils, including Dublin City Council, and several student unions backing measures aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, highlighting increasing momentum behind the movement nationwide.
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Saolta trainer Alice took part a placement with Centre for Women’s Research (CENWOR) in Colombo, Sri Lanka as part of the PreLab Programme. During her time there, Alice was gaining valuable experience working alongside the organisation on research and initiatives focused on women’s rights and social development. The placement provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and learned from local expertise while strengthening international connections and perspectives within Saolta’s work.
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DP’s CEO Bobby and Programme Officer Eolain recently met with this year’s SDG Advocate Leaders, Greg and Teju, to kick off planning for the nine-month SDG Advocate Training Programme in 2026. The meeting focused on aligning goals, setting key priorities, and shaping a strong foundation for a successful training cycle. The team also discussed strategies to engage participants, maximise learning outcomes, and ensure the programme has a meaningful impact across communities, marking an exciting start to the next chapter of the SDG Advocate journey.
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Visiting VSA Thailand
From 13th September 2025, I participated for two months in a Horizon Europe Staff Exchange project called “Prelab” The sending organisation was Development Perspectives (Ireland) and the host was VSA Thailand. VSA Thailand is a volunteer organization focused on supporting local communities through education, social development, and cultural exchange. The organization works closely with local partners to ensure that volunteer efforts are sustainable and beneficial to the communities involved. Volunteers come from different countries, creating a diverse and collaborative working environment.
Read more: https://developmentperspectives.ie/2026/02/19/visiting-vsa-thailand/
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Gregory Doran, a volunteer with Drogheda Town FC and a participant in the 2025 SDG Advocate Training, shows how meaningful climate action can begin at community level.
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After completing the SDG Advocate Training with Development Perspectives, Cork-based Arts | | |
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