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Promoting Community & Intercultural Relations through Dialogue and Encounter (CIR) project

Glencree's CIR project aims to support improved community and intercultural relations between host communities and diverse ethnic and faith groups.

This project supports the key message of the government’s National Migrant Integration Strategy: that integration is the responsibility of Irish society as a whole. It also advances Glencree's work to strengthen social inclusion and build diversity at local level, while supporting the earlier work of our Belonging & Identity Project.

Under the project, Glencree works with the communities of 4 local authority councils: South Dublin County Council (Tallaght, Clondalkin and Lucan), Fingal County Council (Blanchardstown and Balbriggan), Dublin City Council (inner city), Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and Wicklow (Enniskerry/Bray/Arklow/Wicklow).

Within these communities, initial project work focused on:

  • building trust, relationships and encounters between individuals/leaders from Irish Muslim backgrounds and other African Irish backgrounds and key people from host communities at local level
  • identifying the challenges to, and solutions for, advancing integration at local and national level with minority ethnic and majority communities.

    • Project Activities

    Using creative methods in intercultural dialogue work, initial local dialogue activities included the co-design and co-hosting of Africa Day 2021 with subsequent further collaborations resulting in the coordination of the Africa Day 2022 showcase event; partner participation in Refugee Week, and the hosting of an event as part of South Dublin Co Council (SDCC) Social Inclusion Festival.

    In September 2021, refugees, students, writers, artists, intercultural practitioners and environmental activists gathered at Glencree to explore the intersections of community, art, nature and interculturalism through a series of artistic, interactive and immersive workshops. The event, ‘Where Community, Art, Nature and Interculturalism Meet’, was held in association with the Shaking Bog 'Where Art Meets Nature' Festival.

    In 2023, a Glencree partnership with the Dublin North East Inner City Intercultural Inclusion Programme and Hill Street Family Resource Centre led to the commissioning of the Outlandish Theatre Platform to facilitate a theatre process between diverse residents and staff of statutory agencies working in the inner city. Entitled 'Dancing Conversations' the theatre process also included creative writing, movement and deep listening exercises. Supported financially under the Dublin City Council (DCC) Integration Strategy Framework, the focus of this work was to investigate the manner in which we inhabit the physical and natural worlds we exist in together.

    Other recent collaborations include a series of Irish African and Irish Muslim creative intercultural projects with:

  • ReWrite, the creative organisation led by award winning writer Melatu Uche Okorie, and the RTE Diversity Lead Zbyszek Zalinski.
  • the National Museum of Ireland, which originated through Glencree’s partnership with the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS). This project aims to engage participants on a journey to explore significant themes and moments in the intertwining histories of the African and Irish diasporas.

    Broader national level policy consultation submissions on anti-racism and intercultural Issues have included contributions to:

  • two consultation sessions on the new National Anti-Racism Plan 2023-27
  • the 2023 public consultation to inform the development of a new national strategy for migrant integration
  • a joint submission to the IHREC 2022-2024 Strategy Statement consultation process in collaboration with the Glencree Women’s Programme
  • an event on Irish army recruitment among African Irish young people
  • a Focus Group organised for the TASC (Social and Economic Think Tank) Climate Action Pilot
  • the Wicklow County Council Local Economic and Community Plan
  • to the Garda Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

    • Learnings and feedback from CIR network participants and other stakeholders are shared in a fortnightly Information Bulletin. To subscribe to this Bulletin, please click on this link. >

    #InterculturalGlencree

    Funded by Tomar Trust and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Glencree's 'Promoting Community & Intercultural Relations through Dialogue and Encounter' (CIR) project shares the key message of the government’s National Migrant Integration Strategy: integration is the responsibility of Irish society as a whole.

    Glencree's CIR project, which runs from 2021 - 2024, is delivered as part of our Intercultural and Refugee Programme. This programme aims to make Ireland a more welcoming and inclusive place with respect for all ethnic, faith and cultural backgrounds, by facilitating intercultural dialogues among refugees, migrants, and members of diverse ethnic and faith communities.

    Find out more about Glencree’s Intercultural and Refugee Programme and subscribe to the Programme Bulletin
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