We are proud to bring the Disappear Here Film Club which is funded by Concern Worldwide to the Disappear Here Film Festival for the
The Seeds of Change Grant Scheme for 2023/2024 is now open for community groups in Donegal. Funding of up to €650 is available for a change/sustainability
ChangeMakers Donegal will run an accredited course in Intercultural Studies from Tuesday 3 October. Facilitated by Francine Blaché-Breen, a Community Worker with 25 years of experience in the field. Funded by Inishowen Development Partnership
Intercultural Studies explores intercultural issues such as diversity, racism, and equality. It also encourages self-reflection and active participation in a complex and diverse society.
Expect plenty of lively discussions to help you understand the world we live in, and your role in changing it.
Hybrid course, with four ‘in-person days’ in a central Letterkenny location. Course runs from Tuesday 3 October 2023 to Thursday 30 November 2023. Email Myra via changemakers@inishowen.ie to receive a copy of the schedule and a description of the course. Everyone is welcome to take part.
INISHOWEN’S community members who champion sustainability and environmental protection, will be gathering as part of special event during Heritage Week in Carndonagh in
Wednesday 9 August 2023 at 2:30pm – 3:30pm at the Clonmany Agricultural Show
Join Patsy Toland of ChangeMakers Donegal for a panel discussion facilitated by Inishowen Development Partnership (IDP)
Join us at the Disappear Here Film Club during the Clonmany Festival for a screening of the Rights of Nature documentary and a panel discussion on Friday 11 August 2023 at 5pm at the Clonmany Community Centre.
The Environmental Justice Network Ireland has produced a short film in collaboration with organisations and individuals from across the island of Ireland and beyond that explores the concept of rights of nature.
ChangeMakers Donegal in collaboration with ECO Carn, present: Environment & Economics – Striking a Balance, A Walk & Talk event at Trawbreaga Bay, a Special Conversation Area.
Featuring:
– A walk of the site by Karin Dubksy of Coastwatch and Trish Murphy of Inishowen Rivers Trust
-An overview of the opportunities presented by the LEADER programme by Andrew Ward of Inishowen Development Partnership
Register: https://tinyurl.com/2pce4ecf
SUSTAINABILITY and solidarity in the community will be at the fore of the annual ChangeMakers Donegal seminar early next month.
Taking place at the Station House Hotel in Letterkenny on Friday, June 9, the annual seminar is inviting everyone who is interested in coming together to share ideas to attend the free and public event.
Speakers on the day include Rebekah Shirley of World Resources Institute Africa and David O’Hare, Communications Officer with Trócaire, who are ChangeMakers partners, along with Inishowen Development Partnership, Self Help Africa, Donegal ETB, and Concern Worldwide.
As well as Rebekah and David being the main speakers at the annual seminar on June 9, there will also be a a panel discussion featuring Greencastle Community Centre, Muff District Heritage Group and the Donegal Gay Walking Group and others who signed up to the Seeds of Change Grant and Mentoring programme as well as music from the New Lands Choir.
Booking for the seminar is now open and while it is a free event people are asked to book their spot in advance to allow for lunch/dietary requirements for the venue.
Book your free spot now via Eventbrite and the link below:
The Disappear Here Film Club is going on the road for one week only from its usual location, Clonmany, to feature in the Inishowen Pride weekend in Buncrana for the first time on Friday 2 June.
The Disappear Here Film Club is designed to bring people together once a month to see a societal or global theme played out on screen and to give people the opportunity to discuss these issues as a community.
Everyone is welcome to join our Club which is a partnership between Disappear Here Film Festival, ChangeMakers Donegal and Concern.
To reserve your seat visit Eventbrite and enter the words: Disappear Here Film Club at Inishowen Pride.
Further Information
As part of the Inishowen Pride Weekend, Michael McLaughlin of Disappear Here Film Festival has chosen five short films to reflect LGBTQ+ stories. The short films will be followed by a post-film discussion featuring Orla Walsh, the Director of the film Bent out of Shape about a gay punk working in a video shop.
A panel discussion will follow the Film screenings and it will feature Karl Hayden, LGBTQ+ and HIV activist for more than 30 years, Orla Walsh, Film-maker and Anne-Marie Mc Laughlin, Healthy Club Officer at Buncrana GAA, chaired by Ruth Garvey Williams of Exchange Inishowen.
“We’re very much looking forward to hosting the Film Club in Buncrana as part of Inishowen Pride weekend,” said Myra McAuliffe, Project Coordinator, ChangeMakers Donegal.
“And we expect the panel discussion after to be very lively and informative. As well as being an activist, Karl has been working on a scheme to disregard historic convictions of men prosecuted under Victorian Law, which criminalised consensual sex between men up to 1993.
“Karl was also one of the organisers of the Dublin Pride so we’re looking forward to having him in Buncrana,” added Myra.
“Also on the evening, an exhibition Where Love is Illegal, will be unveiled. Witness Change has partnered with Inishowen Pride to bring this exhibition to Ireland for the first time. The exhibition documents and shares LGBTI+ stories of discrimination and survival from around the world. The exhibition will be on display throughout the weekend at The Exchange Inishowen.“
The Disappear Here Film Club will take place in the Exchange on Friday June 2 at 7.30pm. It is free and open to everyone over 18. However advance booking is required to be able to accommodate everyone.
Programme
The programme of short films is as follows:
Film Title 1: Bent out of Shape
Director: Orla Walsh (IRL)
Description: Danny, a gay punk working in a video shop, befriends a young bullied boy Stephen but their friendship has consequences…
Running Time: 26 minutes
Film Title 2: Dream Kitchen
Director: Barry Dignam (IRL)
Description: A young man arrives home to find his Dad repairing the car again and his Mum busy cooking, as usual. In these depressingly dreary surroundings the son imagines a luxurious dream kitchen, in which he plucks up the courage to tell his astonished parents the good news: “I’m gay”. But, all too soon, his fairy-tale comes to an end…
Running Time: 9 minutes
Film Title 3: Different
Director: John Farrelly (IRL)
Description: Summer 1980’s, The West of Ireland. A time and place where homosexuality is frowned upon, a promising young gaelic footballer, Patrick, falls in love with another young man from his local village.
Running Time: 20 mins
Film Title 4: In Orbit
Director: Katie McNiece (IRL)
Description: There was once an invisible optician, trapped in a strange and lonely world. Her story starts with a broken lens and the woman who taught her to see things differently.
Running Time: 17 mins
Film Title 5: PINK
Director: KY Baldwin – (USA)
Description: Elody is realizing that finding love is a gift not to be ignored. Being happy and living without fear is what matters and will make you the person you are destined to be.
Running Time: 7 mins
Panel discussion to follow the event, details to be announced soon.
SUSTAINABILITY and solidarity in the community will be at the fore of the annual ChangeMakers Donegal seminar early next month.
Taking place at the Station House Hotel in Letterkenny on Friday, June 9, the annual seminar is inviting everyone who is interested in coming together to share ideas to attend the free and public event.
Speakers on the day include Rebekah Shirley of World Resources Institute Africa and David O’Hare, Communications Officer with Trócaire, who are ChangeMakers partners, along with Inishowen Development Partnership, Self Help Africa, Donegal ETB, and Concern Worldwide.
David will speak about the impact of climate change on Somalia following a visit there recently.
“I am looking forward to delivering a speech about climate change at ChangeMakers Donegal’s upcoming annual seminar,” said David.
“Trócaire has enjoyed a long partnership with ChangeMakers Donegal and both organisations are funded by Irish Aid to work for global justice in today’s unbalanced world.
“Just six weeks ago, I visited Somalia, where eight million people are facing starvation. This is the consequence of three years without rain. A drought the like of which hasn’t been seen for four decades has been fuelled by climate change and the result has been devastating for the people of this east African country.
“While these are hard truths to confront, it is my hope that speaking about my recent experiences in Somalia, telling the stories of the people I met, will spur on more action at a local level as we all have a role to play in confronting climate change.”
ChangeMakers raise awareness of global issues, such as sustainability, climate change, gender equality, Fairtrade, and so much more, but in a local way.
“Global issues are local issues and that’s what Irish Aid and our partners support us to highlight here in Donegal,” said Myra McAuliffe, Project Coordinator of ChangeMakers Donegal.
“In the past year we’ve worked with local people to embrace Fairtrade products in towns and villages across Donegal and we’ve celebrated UN Mother Tongue Day and we’ve launched our new Sustainability Passport programme.”
The ChangeMakers Sustainability Passport Programme offers a guide to a more sustainable life specific to Donegal and isopen to individuals, community groups, social enterprises and businesses.
Buncrana Tidy Town Committee piloted the Sustainability Passport by choosing to focus on reusing and recycling in recent months, by taking up community gardening in the community garden owned by the Swilly Community Employment Programme behind the Vincents Buncrana shop on the Main Street.
“This shows sustainability in action in the community and we hope it will encourage local people to reuse waste materials in their everyday activities given Ireland produces the highest
volume of plastic waste per person in the EU ,” added Myra.
Myra hopes that the annual seminar on June 9 will be an opportunity to reflect on the previous year, as well as a chance to look to the future and see how when local come together to share conversations and ideas.
“ChangeMakers is quite unique in Ireland and thanks to our partnership model we’ve been going 11 years now,” said Myra.
“We invite anyone interested in a movement for change to come along to the Station House Hotel Letterkenny on Friday 9 June 2023 as we’ll make plans there for the year of ahead of inclusive education and discussion for adults.”
As well as Rebekah and David being the main speakers at the annual seminar on June 9, there will also be a a panel discussion featuring Greencastle Community Centre, Muff District Heritage Group and the Donegal Gay Walking Group and others who signed up to the Seeds of Change Grant and Mentoring programme as well as music from the New Lands Choir.
Booking for the seminar is now open and while it is a free event people are asked to book their spot in advance to allow for lunch/dietary requirements for the venue.
Book your free spot now via Eventbrite and the link below:
For more information see www.changemakers.ie
