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Irish Independent
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kerry's African community to showcase cultures and traditions at major celebration
The Kingdom's African community will come together at the park and members will showcase their different cultures and traditions. The event will celebrate traditional African food and drumming and those from the continent, now living in Kerry, will don their traditional dress. African-themed displays will also be setup in the park. The family-friendly day is open to everyone of all ages, no matter where they are from. A DJ will provide music while there will be face-painting, bouncy castles and plenty of games on hand to keep youngsters entertained. The Africa Day celebration has been organised by Tralee International Resource Centre, Killarney Immigrant Support Centre and the African Community in Kerry. Manager of Tralee International Resource Centre, Mary Carroll, said the day will be an opportunity to celebrate African diversity and success and join the millions around the world highlighting the cultural and social energy of the continent. 'Importantly it will support integration and inclusion by bringing different cultures and communities together,' Ms Carroll said. 'This type of initiative is more than just good fun, it is about raising awareness and encouraging integration as the different communities come together,' she continued. 'Music, games and food is a fun way to achieve this very important goal. It makes us realise what we have in common; we all have families, we enjoy our children having a fun day out, we like nice food, music and laughter is appreciated by us all. 'This is our fourth time holding an event like this, and each year it gets bigger and better! In the past years it was wonderful to see so many people coming to try African food, and learning so much about the different cultures, and meeting and talking together, in a fun way.' ADVERTISEMENT The celebration, which was officially launched this week, is supported by funding from Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, facilitated through Kerry County Council. The organisers said they are very grateful for the use of Tralee Town Park and for all the help from local groups and businesses including Sean Murphy Electrical contractor. Africa Day in Tralee Town Park will run from 2pm-5pm on Sunday, May 25.
Irish Independent
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Board game created by Ursuline College students comes third in national final
Their game, 'Isteach is Amach' impressed judges and other youth attendees alike at the finals event, which took place at The Helix, Dublin on Tuesday, 13 May. More than 200 students, teachers, and youth workers from across Ireland attended the final showcase, where 29 teams of finalists presented their original board or card games on global justice themes linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). Winners were chosen by other finalists and the Trócaire judging panel after all those in the competition played and voted on all 29 games. Now in its seventh year, Trócaire's Game Changers competition, which is supported by Irish Aid, invites young people to explore complex world issues and creatively respond through the medium of play. Mary Coogan, Trócaire's Development Education Programme Manager, explained: 'Game Changers brings global justice learning to life. The standard this year was outstanding, and we're delighted to celebrate the creativity and passion shown by young people. You could tell all of the young people at the final enjoyed playing 'Isteach is Amach' as did the adults, the game was the only Sligo entry to reach the final, they should be so proud of the work they did to build such an informative game.'
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Irish Times
Jeannette and the thief at the market
Once upon a time, Jeannette, a chicken seller, went to the market to sell her wares. She found the other women were also selling chickens at $5 a chicken. Suddenly it started raining. Jeannette decided to take shelter in a nearby plot. A thief came and stole one of Jeannette's hens while she was fast asleep in the rain. When she woke up, Jeannette asked: 'Who stole my hen?' The people told her to go to the market and see if her chicken was there. She found someone selling her chicken. Jeannette asked him where the chicken she was selling came from. She replied, 'It is my hen. I breed hens in Isonga village. A verbal argument ensued between Jeannette and this person. The other sellers confirmed that the hen was indeed Jeannette's. The thief was taken to the market office for discussion. After listening to all the parties, the market authorities ordered the thief to pay double the value of the stolen chicken. Moral lesson: be careful of thieves at the market. READ MORE Fighting Words is working with World Vision Ireland to support creative writing activities with children in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This long-term partnership - funded by Irish Aid - is part of a broader five-year programme that World Vision is leading to empower and protect children and women. These creative education opportunities can strengthen children's resiliency, build their confidence and contribute to the bigger objective of protecting children from violence.
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
The lion and the forest
Once upon a time, there was a lion living in the forest. He was an aggressive lion, which made people flee from the area. Despite this, the lion wanted some people to move into the forest. The lion was also afraid of guns and bullets. It rained well in the forest. One family decided to settle in the forest. As they approached the area where the fierce lion lived, they encountered a man who warned them that he had left the forest because of the aggressive lion. However, the family was undeterred by his warning and chose to settle in the heart of the forest. That very night, the lion attacked the family, injuring a boy who was sleeping near the animals and taking one of the family's goats. The commotion woke the family, and shots were fired in response. By the early morning, the family decided to leave the forest for good and never returned. READ MORE Illustration supplied by students at Taageer Primary School, Dangorayo District, Puntland, Somalia Fighting Words is working with World Vision Ireland to support creative writing activities with children in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This long-term partnership - funded by Irish Aid - is part of a broader five-year programme that World Vision is leading to empower and protect children and women. These creative education opportunities can strengthen children's resiliency, build their confidence and contribute to the bigger objective of protecting children from violence.
Irish Independent
28-04-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Wicklow schools reflect spirt of global citizenship at this year's ‘Our World' awards
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's flagship programme with primary schools has seen thousands of young people become inspired to engage with global issues and take action for a fairer, more sustainable world. This year, Wicklow primary schools were encouraged to learn about the lives of children and their families in Mozambique, Somalia, and The Lao People's Democratic Republic, also known as Laos, focusing on how Ireland and 192 other countries are working together to create a better future for all through support for the 17 UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. County Wicklow was well represented in this year's awards, submitting strong, thoughtful, and creative entries that truly reflected the spirit of global citizenship. From gender equality to environmental sustainability and global solidarity, the pupils across Wicklow demonstrated not only creativity, but a genuine commitment to learning about—and acting on—global issues. 5th class pupils attending Kilcoole Primary School produced a professional-level podcast, showcasing their deep research and understanding of global citizenship themes. 3rd class pupils from Lacken NS Blessington proudly displayed their research on Laos, learning about challenges facing children in other parts of the world. At Scoil Nicoláis Naofa, Dunlavin, 6th class pupils created a powerful video on equality, with each pupil contributing their thoughts and voice—a truly moving project. St Patrick's NS, Curtlestown welcomed a guest speaker to talk about reusing and upcycling clothing, tying into their project on sustainability and the global goals. Kiltegan NS took inspiration from their learning about Mozambique and created a thoughtful and creative 'Bee Inspired' project, linking the role of bees to environmental themes and sustainability. St Mary's SNS, Blessington brought their global citizenship learning to life through beautiful artwork and shared their heartfelt wish for a future of peace—a powerful message from the next generation. Junior minister Neale Richmond was delighted to see so many schools taking part in this year's awards. ADVERTISEMENT He said: 'This year saw an impressive rise in the number of entries for the Our World Awards. This response highlights the growing emphasis on global citizenship education in our primary schools, which is very encouraging. 'The Our World Awards challenges children, as global citizens, to put the spotlight on world issues. It encourages pupils to learn about Ireland's international development programme, Irish Aid which aims to fight world hunger and poverty on behalf of all the people of Ireland. 'International development has a positive impact on the lives of people who are trying to survive hunger, poverty, inequality, climate crises, natural disasters, political instability and conflict. This is why the Our World Awards are so important, to increase awareness of global issues in schools and highlight how we all have a part to play in helping to make the world a better place, by sparking creativity and critical thinking and building empathy, awareness, and a sense of global responsibility.'
