The Bookless Bookclub Series: Let’s talk about Home
ChangeMakers Donegal presents a new Bookless Bookclub Series on the theme of Home, Homeless and the Global Refugee Crisis.
Over four evening workshops, on Zoom, join ChangeMakers Donegal’s Francine Blache Breen and Annette Patton to talk about home. Using poetry, art and film to discuss important topics that matter in our collective lives today, we create a space to talk, learn and reflect with like-minded people.
Be inspired, be informed, to take action as a global citizen in your local community today.
We ask that you sign up to all four workshops at Eventbrite. Taking place across four consecutive Wednesday evenings, the dates are:
Wednesday 22 February, 7pm-9pm on Zoom
Wednesday 1 March, 7pm-9pm on Zoom
Wednesday 8 March, 7pm-9pm on Zoom
Wednesday 15 March, 7pm-9pm on Zoom
All welcome. Sign up to the Bookclub with no books today.
In partnership with Children in Crossfire, we are pleased to offer Vision 2030, a free two-day training on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February 2023.
Suitable for #Donegal/#North West based #Youth Workers and secondary school teachers involved in community projects on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February 2023. It’s an OCN NI Level 3 certified course which focuses on local and global justice issues and explores how these issues can be brought to life.
“For me, the opportunity to deal with youth work but to bring in those areas of, more global citizenship and looking at not just our own wee towns and communities but also being able to look further afield at the impact we have but also the impact we could have, is empowering,” said a course participant.
Watch this video to hear more:
To register your interest email: changemakers@inishowen.ie
Originally from London, Eve lives in the Donegal Gaeltacht. In her recent works, Eve has worked with stories, photographs, even recipes, to create immersive experiences that communicate themes of home, emigration, and immigration. Currently her exhibition, The Bridge of Tears is on display at An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny Co. Donegal. The exhibition features her co-facilitator for an up-coming ChangeMakers Donegal workshop, Francine Blaché-Breen.
About Stories of a Home
Now, Eve is collaborating with ChangeMakers Donegal, a community project specialising in Global Citizenship education for adults funded by Irish Aid, and Facilitator and Community Worker, Francine Blaché-Breen to create a new workshop centred around the theme of home. In this workshop, Eve’s input will feature a story exchange where participants are paired and share a story with eachother and then come back together as a group and share their partner’s story as if it were their own.
Bring Your Story
Participants will be asked to share a story or experience of home which they are comfortable sharing. Ideally, people would jot that down in advance of the workshop.
Francine Blaché-Breen will open the workshop talking about housing as a human right, looking at this issue of MICA and its ripple-effect as a social justice issue. Taking a global view, Francine will talk about similar scenarios around the world and the role of the Government and the regulators. This informative, educational, creative, participatory workshop will create a safe space to relate to each-other and others around the world. Pre-registration is essential, see booking link below.
Notes from Cloughaneely
Eve Li sent ChangeMakers some notes and photos of past work. Here, we share some excerpts of other past works of Eve’s to give people a glimpse into her practice ahead of the new ChangeMakers Donegal Stories of a Home workshop on Wednesday 30 November 2022 at 7pm – 8:30pm. At Stories of a Home which was especially created for MICA Week 2022, participants will be invited to bring a story about their home with them to Greencastle Community Centre. With an intimate group, we will create a safe space for people to reflect on the true meaning of home. The workshop was inspired by the MICA Week but of course people don’t have to talk about MICA specifically, rather, about what home means. Our intention is that this will create a supportive space for local people.
The Bus Stop
My bus stop installation in Killult about missing things from ‘home’ (London) which was the transport system for this installation: When I first moved here, to Cloughaneely, I moved from London. I had lived there all my life. It was a big change. I couldn’t drive and I lived on farmland. I was isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. So, I lost the independence I had of moving about freely the way I did back home in London. And, where this piece is (Killult main road), it is where the buses stop. But, buses are not frequent here in rural Donegal (or anywhere rural!). So, in the days I couldn’t drive (which was too many years!) I would look out the window here and wish and imagine there’d be something like the London bus and tube service here. Where there are frequent buses every 6-8 minutes. So, if you miss one bus, there’s always the next bus. And, 24 hour buses! I missed the 24 hour buses I would take to get home after a night out. The buses go everywhere in London wherever you live. After 15 years here, I could still tell you which number bus to take to where in London. And, wouldn’t it be lovely to have trains in Donegal? I know there were trains once upon a time here but they are long gone. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we had a rail service up here again? Maybe, an express train from here to Belfast or Dublin!
A Letter from Grace
The Woman’s Group in Pobal Earrasch in Falcarragh where I went to speak about my Bridge of Tears project to ask people’s experiences of emigration. One woman Grace shared her experiences with the group and wrote about her parent’s experiences and her own experiences in this ‘letter’ on paper.
Her community theatre project (an immersive theatre experience),The Bridge of Tears-The Stories of Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Immigrants with An Grianán Theatre, launched on Culture Night Donegal 2022 and the installation is open to the public until December of this year. This immersive experience explores the experiences of Irish immigrants abroad and the experiences of asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants who live in Donegal and Ireland. Opening hours there are 9.30 – 3.30 PM Monday to Friday.
Motherhood
This picture was part of the Motherhood Theatre Workshop 2022 I facilitated. As part of the storytelling and helping to write their stories for sharing and performing, participants were given canvas boards to express their stories of Motherhood through drawings. For this exercise, some also wrote their first paragraphs of their monologues in prose, poetry, and song. This participant who now lives in Direct Provision drew a picture of her home in South Africa and her children in front of it where her motherhood journey started.
ChangeMakers Donegal’s Stories of a Home Workshop Booking
🕖 Wednesday 30 November 2022 at 7pm – 8:30pm at Greencastle Community Centre, Donegal.
Pre-registration via Eventbrite is necessary, so participants can receive guidance before the workshop, to reserve your space visit: https://tinyurl.com/25wh8ntd
For more about ChangeMakers Donegal and our exploration of social, economic and environmental issues, visit www.changemakers.ie.
Join Change Makers Joanne Fullerton and Gráinne O’Neill for an introduction to composting ahead of Christmas.
Learn life hacks for reducing food and nutrient waste in the kitchen this Christmas.
Did you know?
Nearly 50% of our household waste could be composted to nurture our soil.
Waste is a global issue which we can all tackle locally and together.
Starter-kit
Participants will get a free compost starter kit provided by Donegal County Council.
Start your change journey in the home with something practical such as composting.
Join Joanne and Gráinne in a kitchen setting at the Exchange, Buncrana for the first of a series of hands on informational workshops for all the community.
Join Joanne Butler of ChangeMakers & OURganic Gardens and Gráinne O’Neill of ChangeMakers and Síolta Chroí on World Soil Day 2022.
What can I expect?
A safe space to:
•Explore how we can reconnect with soil in our daily lives in Donegal;
•Look at the practicalities of soil health, with the option to get soil tested if you wish;
•Make the connection between soil health and wider nature restoration by learning about gut health and soil health;
•Think about connecting with soil and the land as healing for mental health and generational healing when it comes to themes of colonialism, capitalism and modern soil management techniques;
•Reflect on the importance of soil in the context of the global challenge of climate change, learning how working the soil can mitigate the excess of carbon in the atmosphere.
According to the United Nations:
•95% of the food we eat comes from soil;
•About 1/3 of our soils are already degraded;
•Over the last 70 years, the level of vitamins and nutrients in food has drastically decreased;
•Globally, over 2 billion people are affected by hidden hunger or micronutrient deficiency
As part of the IFAN MICA Subgroup MICA Week, ChangeMakers Donegal invites you to Stories of the Home, an interactive and informative workshop that brings in the global dimension, looking at housing as a social and economic justice issue.
ChangeMakers Facilitator, Francine Blache Breen will reflect on housing as a human right, similar scenarios from around the world and the role of Government and the regulators.
Theatre-maker Eve Li, will help the group reflect on the meaning of home through story-telling and testimonial, to help people to connect with and express, the true meaning of home.
Wednesday 30 November 2022 at 7pm – 8:30pm.
Places limited to 10 people and early booking advised. To book visit Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/25wh8ntd
Join us for a bespoke workshop to immerse yourself in the themes of Global Justice: Thursday 17 November 2022 from 7pm to 8:30pm.
Look more closely at themes of Social, Environmental and Economic Justice at a global and local level.
Connect with other individuals and community groups in Donegal and find out about the ChangeMakers Seeds of Change and Mentoring Programmes which are two key pathways to becoming a change maker in a world that needs change.
What’s the workshop about?
This workshop will feature presentations on Social, Environmental, Economic Justice and break-out room clinics, designed to:
Remind you what ChangeMakers is all about, in its focus on ‘development education’ work, which means: linking the experience of people in their local environment to that of people around the world in particular, in the Global South (Asia, Africa and Latin America);
Look closer at the three categories set out in our Seeds of Change Small Grant Fund, specifically: Social, Environmental and Economic Justice;
Examine and discuss the current challenges facing us locally and globally in the areas of Social, Environmental and Economic Justice, to help you to consider your cause/future projects from all angles, and to discuss your work and ideas in more detail in a break-out room with a ChangeMaker mentor and other community groups interested in the same area;
To introduce the revised ChangeMakers Mentoring Programme, as for example, maybe you have a new community group or you are an individual who would like to receive mentoring so as to apply for funding in the future. We are here to help you on that journey.
Register
To register your place, visit Eventbrite:
https://tinyurl.com/2p8ypy5x
For More Information on the Seeds of Change Small Grants Funding visit:
Shooting the Darkness to feature in the November monthly documentary film club
War photography is the theme for the next Disappear Here Film Club on Friday 4 November 2022 at 7:30pm at the Market House, Clonmany, Co. Donegal. A post-show panel discussion will feature local photographer, Brendan Diver of photosfromireland.com and Adriana Valderrama of Ulster University.
About the Panel
Brendan Diver is a Donegal based photographer based in the beautiful peninsula of Inishowen in Co. Donegal. Through his work with Photos From Ireland, Brendan runs landscape and portrait photography workshops and photo tours in the wild rugged and beautiful location of Co. Donegal.
Adriana Valderrama is a Psychologist with a Masters in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution and PhD researcher in the School of Art and Humanities in the Programme of Heritage and Museum Studies at Ulster University. Her current research examines contested curatorial practice in societies dealing with a difficult past such as Colombia and Northern Ireland. She is the former director (2016-2018) of Casa de la Memoria Museum, Medellin, Colombia.
The monthly film night, which is funded by Concern Worldwide, takes place on the first Friday of every month and features issue-led films that spark debate and conversation. Each screening is followed by a talk exploring the local and global connection.
Fake News
Michael McLaughlin of Disappear Here Film Festival said:
“With the rising phenomenon of ‘fake news’ across the world and the impact of that disinformation, via conspiracy theories, it is important to recognise the power of photography to preserve the true narrative of the past. We look forward to gathering together at our next Film Club to watch Tom Burke’s great documentary. After, we will reflect with local photographer, Brendan Diver on important questions including: how can photography assist the curbing of disinformation and what are the free speech implications around it? Brendan will also reflect on his own work with photosfromireland.com capturing the beauty of the Donegal landscape.”
About the Film
SHOOTING THE DARKNESS
A powerful documentary by Tom Burke about the men who unwittingly became war photographers on the streets of their own Northern Irish towns.
They did not leave home in search of war and adventure: the violence erupted around them. They expected a career of wedding photography and celebrity photo-calls and instead the images they produced during the worst years of the Troubles would come to define that conflict.
The press photographer deals in single images that must distil story, character and context into a single frame which is often more impactful than moving images of the same event. What did it cost these men to take those pictures? What was the value of those images as the conflict raged on for 25 years? These moral and ethical questions are at the heart of this illuminating documentary by Tom Burke (Losing Alaska, The Liberties).
Event Details
Friday 4 November 2022 at 7:30pm at the Market House, Clonmany, Co. Donegal
Entry to the film and post-screening discussion costs €7.50 and all proceeds go to the newly established ‘Donegal Documentary Fund’, to raise awareness of socio-political and environmental issues in the county.
ChangeMakers thanks its funders, Irish Aid and partners Inishowen Development Partnership, Donegal ETB, Self Help Africa, Trocaireand Concern for making its work possible.
ChangeMakers is delighted to feature at Screen 2 during the Disappear Here Film Festival in Ballyliffin which runs 23 – 25 September 2022. On Saturday, film club enthusiasts can feast on an afternoon of documentaries and interesting post-show discussions to feed both the intellect and the soul. Join us!
About the documentaries
1pm
Feature Documentary 1: The Dali Lama: Scientist
In “The Dalai Lama — Scientist”, the Dalai Lama tells the unknown story, in his own words, of his lifelong journey into the world of science and technology, and how the world has changed as a result. With extensive, rare, and never before seen footage, this film tells the very human story of the Dalai Lama that no one knows.
Director: Dawn Gifford Engle (USA) 1hr 34mins
3pm
LGBTQ FOCUS Triple Bill: 3 x SHORT FILMS
Different (20mins) (As Gaeilge)
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.
Oisín (21.34mins)
A single mother longing for connection must choose between her autistic son and the girl next door.
High Society (12 mins)
High Society is a Drama, coming of age film about Leah who overdoses on cocaine provided by Gary. The story deals with themes of revenge, immaturity, and love, following a young women Ruby who is in love with her girlfriend Leah. As Leah falls into a coma, through the flashbacks of her memories and her brother’s death, Ruby deals with the aftermath choosing revenge to handle her grief.
Followed by a panel led discussion with Inishowen Pride organising committee members, on the seismic event, and its legacy for the peninsula.
6pm
Feature Documentary 2: Erasmus in Gaza
Riccardo, an Italian final-year medical student, is going on Erasmus. The destination: Gaza, a war zone. His friends are shocked. However, it is important to him as he wants to become a war surgeon and is writing his thesis on explosive bullet wounds. Entering Gaza is not easy, he needs permission from three different authorities: the Israeli army, the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas.
We’re excited to be expanding our team at Inishowen Development Partnership (IDP). IDP is one of 49 local development companies based in the Republic of Ireland. With two office bases in the Inishowen Peninsula, this position will be based out of our Buncrana Office. Delivering on community led local development for over two decades, we are proud of the company culture we have built where our team are committed to the peninsula and its people. Do you want to be part of our dynamic creative community led team where we support People, Place and Progress?
