Social Justice Matters

The Programme for Government (PfG)- Securing Our Future, published in January 2025, outlines a series of commitments made by Government across a range of policy areas. Social Justice Ireland welcomed the PfG and believes that it contains several policies and proposals that, if resourced and implemented, would represent a significant step to creating a fairer and more just Ireland. These policies would make a positive difference to society, to our wellbeing and to our communities. However, the programme also contains several causes for concern with a lack of real ambition around poverty and income adequacy and a lack of policy coherence in other areas. Read the publication and watch the full webinar HERE. Our podcast is featured as a Best Social Justice podcast on MillionPodcasts - a hand-curated database of amazing podcasts. 

William Welser IV is Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Lotic.ai. As a passionate, curious, and creative technologist, he is dedicated to generating visions for the future that are big, bold, and fearless. In his roles at Lotic, he directs innovation, technology infrastructure, and user experiences. William has tackled, communicated, and solved complex problems throughout his career using storytelling, multidisciplinary teams of experts, and state of the art methods and technologies. He has a rich history with organizations like the RAND Corporation, where he tackled some of society's tough challenges, like bias in AI and the evolution of tech landscapes. His efforts have consistently been about bridging tech with social justice, crafting a future where initially impossible ideas become realities and grounded in economic fairness.  William chats with us about wealth, wealth inequality and using data and AI to ultimately create value and make positive change.  TEDxManhattanBeach - Bill Welser - How to ensure Al is a force for good TEDxPaloAlto - William (Bill) Welser IV - Self-tracking and storytelling to make sense of your world Our podcast is featured as a Best Social Justice podcast on MillionPodcasts - a hand-curated database of amazing podcasts.     

Paul Goldrick Kelly is an economist with the Nevin Economic Research Institute. Paul is a graduate of University College Dublin with a HDIP and MA in Economic Science, Paul's work has examined issues related to healthcare, housing, tax and revenue sufficiency as well as productivity performance in the Republic of Ireland. Paul's current research interests relate to ecological sustainability and political economy, incorporating issues related to Just Transition. Paul presented a paper at our 2023 Annual Social Policy Conference on the theme of A Just Transition.  Watch the conference HERE.  Our podcast is featured as a Best Social Justice podcast on MillionPodcasts - a hand-curated database of amazing podcasts. 

James Casey is a disability rights activist from the west of Ireland. He previously worked for the disabled person's organisation ILMI as a policy advisor and prior to this role he worked on the transformative EU Onside Project. He holds a PhD in Critical Disability Studies from the University of Galway, where he was the recipient of a Doctoral Teaching Fellowship and he has presented at UN conferences on behalf of civil society. James, a disabled person, has worked as a lecturer, disability equality consultant and communications advisor in addition to his continued role as a peer reviewer with several international journals.  Prompted by Independent Living Day 2025, Susanne and James discuss what that means in reality and what needs to be delivered by policy makers and Government.   Eurofound - Paths towards independent living and social inclusion in Europe Sage Advocacy - Older Persons in Receipt of Care: Five Human Rights Concerns in Ireland. A Scoping Document    

We launched our socio-economic review for 2025 on Thursday, 3rd April 2025. This annual publication is where we present a detailed analysis of a range of key matters which are central to social justice; a vision of Ireland's future as a just and sustainable society, and a framework for a new Social Contract to move consistently and coherently towards becoming a just society. It also sets out detailed policy proposals grounded in the common good that will deliver improved wellbeing for everyone in society as we manage demographic, climate, digital and geopolitical changes. In this episode, you can listen back to the presentations from this launch. The full publication is also available to download from our website here.

Marc Ó Cathasaigh is an Educator and SDGs advocate. He was the Green Party T.D. for Waterford in the 33rd Dáil.  Marc chats about his work progressing a Future Generations Commission for Ireland, wellbeing, sustainable development and sufficiency.   Commission for Future Generations Bill 2023 OECD Measuring well-being and progress Understanding Life in Ireland: The Well-Being Framework 2024 CSO Well-being Information Hub

On the 31st January 2024, Social Justice Ireland hosted The Social Justice Movement–A Fifty Year View conference to mark the retirement of Dr Seán Healy and Sr Brigid Reynolds of Social Justice Ireland and to celebrate their more than fifty years of public service in Ireland and Africa. The Opening Address was given by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.  More on that event can be found here.    We are delighted that Social Justice Matters has been recognised by Feedspot as one of the 35 social justice podcasts you should be following in 2025. Check out the list here. 

The Shared Island Youth Forum was launched as part of the Government's Shared Island initiative, in September 2023. The Forum brought together 80 young people aged 18 to 25 from across the island, who met over the next year to develop a statement of their vision and values for a shared future on the island of Ireland. Four members of the Shared Island Youth Forum, Eden Byrne, Tiarnan Moss from Co-Operation Ireland,  Alannah Wrynn and Charlie Beaudelot generously took time out to chat with Susanne Rogers about their experiences in the Youth Form and their work on the Statement.  Read the Vision and Values Statement HERE.  We are delighted that Social Justice Matters has been recognised by Feedspot as one of the 35 social justice podcasts you should be following in 2025. Check out the list here. 

Our 2023 Annual Social Policy Conference was on the theme of 'A Just Transition'. The fundamental principle of a Just Transition is to leave no people, communities, economic sectors or regions behind as we transition to a low carbon future. Such a transition means changing how we travel, communicate, work, what we eat, wear and even the entertainment we consume.  Joe presented his paper at our 2023 Annual Social Policy Conference.  All videos, papers and presentations for the 2023 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE. We are delighted that Social Justice Matters has been recognised by Feedspot as one of the 35 social justice podcasts you should be following in 2025. Check out the list here. 

Government's plan for the next 5 years has been published - Programme for Government 2025 : Securing Ireland's Future  Research and Policy Analysts Michelle Murphy and Susanne Rogers chat about preliminary thoughts and reactions. More on Social Justice Ireland's response HERE.   We are delighted that Social Justice Matters has been recognised by Feedspot as one of the 35 social justice podcasts you should be following in 2025. Check out the list here. 

Our 2023 Annual Social Policy Conference was on the theme of 'A Just Transition'. The fundamental principle of a Just Transition is to leave no people, communities, economic sectors or regions behind as we transition to a low carbon future. Such a transition means changing how we travel, communicate, work, what we eat, wear and even the entertainment we consume.  Dr Shane Colclough DipEE, BSc(Eng), MIE, MBA, PhD, MIEI, C.Eng, EurIng is a Chartered Engineer and carries out research at The School of Architecture Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin and at the Centre for sustainable technologies in Ulster University. He is also principal at the consultancy firm Energy Expertise Limited. His research area of interest for the past 10 years has focused on low-energy dwellings in Temperate Maritime Climates and Building Performance Evaluation. He believes passionately in the potential afforded by the low-energy building standards in providing a better standard of housing for our citizens, simultaneously reducing Ireland's dependence on fossil fuels and eliminating fuel poverty. He is co-chairman of the Passive House Association of Ireland and has authored papers on the topic of passive houses & energy storage in addition to presenting at national and international conferences. He is an experienced consultant and serves in the EU as an Expert on Energy-Efficient Buildings.  Shane presented his paper at our 2023 Annual Social Policy Conference.  All videos, papers and presentations for the 2023 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE. We are delighted that Social Justice Matters has been recognised by Feedspot as one of the 35 social justice podcasts you should be following in 2025. Check out the list here. 

The Just Transition Commission is an advisory body established by Government in April 2024. Michelle Murphy, research and policy analyst with Social Justice Ireland has been appointed to the Commission. In this episode, she explains what that means and the aims and objectives of the Commission.

At our conference to mark the retirement of Seán Healy and Brigid Reynolds in January 2024, Dermot McCarthy presented a paper entitled 'The impact of social justice advocacy: a policy maker's reflections'. To watch that presentation or any of the other speakers, the full conference is available here.   

Dr. Daithí Kearney is an Ethnomusicologist, geographer and performer. He is a lecturer in music, theatre and tourism and co-director of the Creative Arts Research Centre at Dundalk Institute of Technology. His research is primarily focused on Irish traditional music but extends to include performance studies, community music and music tourism. Daithí has toured regularly as a musician, singer and dancer with a number of groups including Siamsa Tíre, The National Folk Theatre of Ireland. In 2012 he released an album with Cork accordion player John Cronin entitled Midleton Rare, which is related to a wider research project on the music and musicians of the Sliabh Luachra region. In 2017 he released an album of new compositions with Dr Adèle Commins entitled A Louth Lilt. Their compositions also feature on the 2020 recording by Ceolta Sí entitled Oidhreacht Eochaille and are regularly performed by the award-winning Oriel Traditional Orchestra, of which they are both musical directors.  Dr. Kevin Burns is Head of Department (Acting) Dept of Hospitality Management at Dundalk Institute of Technology. Kevin is skilled in Hospitality Industry, Tourism Management, Social Media, and Training with a Doctor of Hospitality and Tourism Management focused on Tourist Behaviour from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.  Daithí and Kevin chat with Susanne Rogers about what we mean by the night time economy, who it's for, who it impacts and what we would like to see coming in the future, particularly outside the major cities and towns.  Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce  

At our conference to mark the retirement of Seán Healy and Brigid Reynolds in January 2024, Dr Catherine Kavanagh and Dr Micheál Collins presented a paper, 'Income Inequality and Poverty: A fifty year view'.     To watch their presentation or any of the other speakers, the full conference is available here.   

Aileen is the Senior Research & Evaluation Manager at ALONE. Prior to joining ALONE, Aileen worked at Jigsaw, The National Centre for Youth Mental Health, where her efforts played a critical role in the development of youth mental health services globally. Holding a PhD in psychology, she possesses a strong academic foundation that complements her practical experience. She has published research findings in reputable journals and has presented her work at numerous international conferences (see: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aileen-Oreilly-2). Seán is Chief Executive Officer of Alone. After a career within the private sector, Seán moved to the NGO sector 20 years ago, working as Head of Housing and then Director of Service for the Simon Community. He went on to work as a Project Manager and consultant , working with many NGOs for a number of years before becoming Chief Executive of ALONE. Seán has also been involved in multiple national oversight groups, and has played a role in influencing social and health policies for older people on housing, loneliness, and ageing at home, in order to meet emerging needs of an ageing population. He has played a key role in advocating and developing services for and with older people, particularly those who are medically or socially vulnerable and whose voices and views often go unheard. Seán and Aileen chat with Susanne Rogers about their work, what we understand as loneliness, why it is damaging and what we can do about it.  ALONE ECC Report HALO Report Loneliness Taskforce Research Network website Loneliness Taskforce report   The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) Report - Social disconnection correlates of a ‘Wish to Die' among a large community-dwelling cohort of older adults EU-wide survey on loneliness

Raili Lahnalampi is Ambassador of Finland to Ireland. She served as the Chief of Cabinet for the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2015 -2019. She was responsible for the foreign and security policy and for the relations with other ministries, state administration and representatives of other countries. Ms Lahnalampi has held various international positions and she has a strong background in foreign and security policy. Before having been nominated as Chief of Cabinet Ms Lahnalampi worked as the Counsel to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Finland. She has pursued a diplomatic carrier at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs over ten years and has served as an advisor to the Secretary-General of OECD and to the President of the UN General Assembly H.E. Harri Holkeri. After graduating from the University of Turku Law School (LL.M) Ms Lahnalampi continued her studies achieving a diploma in European integration from the University of Saarland and followed international and human rights law studies at the University of Notre Dame Law School. Raili spoke at our 2022 Annual Social Policy Conference on the theme of Towards Wellbeing For All.  All videos, papers and presentations are for the 2022 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.

James Casey is a disability rights activist from the west of Ireland. He previously worked for the disabled person's organisation ILMI as a policy advisor and prior to this role he worked on the transformative EU Onside Project. He holds a PhD in Critical Disability Studies from the University of Galway, where he was the recipient of a Doctoral Teaching Fellowship and he has presented at UN conferences on behalf of civil society. James, a disabled person, has worked as a lecturer, disability equality consultant and communications advisor in addition to his continued role as a peer reviewer with several international journals.  Loosely prompted by Make Way Day, Susanne and James discuss the importance of inclusion, access and most importantly, dialogue with and by the disabled community to ensure equality of outcomes.  Make Way Day 2024 ILMI - A Manifesto for Change Disabled People Taking Control

Research and Policy Analysts Michelle Murphy and Susanne Rogers chat through the key asks that will deliver for communities in Budget Choices 2025. 

EnergyCloud work to create solutions to divert surplus renewable energy - which would otherwise be wasted - to Irish homes, with a primary focus on those in fuel poverty. Derek Roddy is co-founder and CEO of climote, a home energy management company. He is a manufacturing and process engineer who represented Ireland in the World Skill Olympics. He developed a strong interest in the challenges of global warming. climote was established to provide technology solutions that manage energy consumption and allow users to transition from fossil fuel to zero carbon renewable energy. climote partners with ESB Networks, SSE, Scottish Power, and Power NI to deliver low-cost de-carbonization technologies to millions of homes. Prior to climote, Derek was co-founder of Smarthomes, Ireland's largest home technology company. A serial entrepreneur, he is passionate about social enterprise and building teams that can help make a real difference to people's lives. He chats with Susanne Rogers about the work of Energycloud, the solutions to energy poverty it provides and how to scale up.    

Michelle Murphy, Research and Policy Analyst and Mansi Rawat, Economic and Social Analyst chat with Susanne Rogers about the key infrastructure asks in Budget Choices 2025.  100 Years of Irish Housing 

Nat O'Connor is lecturer in social policy in UCD's School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice and part-time policy specialist at Age Action Ireland. He has taught politics and social policy since 1999. He has a PhD in political science from Trinity College Dublin and a MA in political science and social policy from the University of Dundee. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK), a member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) and chairperson of the Irish Social Policy Association (ISPA). You can find him on LinkedIn (natoconnor) and TwitterX @natpolicy Nat chats with Susanne Rogers about the impetus, reasoning and content in his recent report

Research and Policy Analysts Michelle Murphy and Susanne Rogers chat through the key asks for Rural Ireland and the environment in Budget Choices 2025.  Our Just Transition Policy Paper -  'Delivering a Just Transition for Ireland: Policy Options'

Gareth Redmond is Research and Policy Officer with Threshold Ireland. He chats with Susanne Rogers about findings in the most recent We are Generation Rent - Threshold's Annual Tenant Sentiment Survey 2024.  Simon Talks Webinar - Joined Up Thinking: Proposals on Social Housing Reform from the Housing Commission Book - Out of Reach - Inequalities in the Irish Housing System  Report of The Housing Commission ESRI Report - Poor housing conditions harm family wellbeing Security and Agency in the Irish Private Rental Sector  

Research and Policy Analysts Michelle Murphy and Susanne Rogers chat through the key social welfare asks in Budget Choices 2025. 

Carrie Ann Moran is Consultant and Founder of Circular Fashion Ireland and Director at Fashion Revolution Europe. She is an award-winning Irish social entrepreneur, recognised nationally as a leading voice on circular fashion. For over 15 years, Carrie Ann has pushed sustainable fashion in Ireland, gaining recognition for her industry perspective and her pragmatic approach to embedding sustainability and circularity themes into the mainstream. She holds an honours degree in Law, Dip in Fashion, Post Grad Environmental Management and an MSc in Environmental Sustainability. She is also the country coordinator for Fashion Revolution Ireland annual campaign and was previously appointed to the National Advisory Committee of the Irish Government for the implementation of the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy. In 2020 Carrie was appointed by the European Commission as a judge on the European Social Innovation Competition “Reimagine Fashion”. Carrie Ann's expertise span numerous fields from lecturing, fashion design, environmental management, sustainability and labour rights. She is committed to bringing awareness of the environmental impacts and ethics within the fashion industry and works towards circularity and transparency. Carrie Ann's recently published research: The challenge of “Depeche Mode” in the fashion industry – Does the industry have the capacity to become sustainable through circular economic principles? Carrie Ann presented her paper at our 2023 Annual Social Policy Conference.  All videos, papers and presentations for the 2023 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.    

David Lohan is an engineer from Galway, living in Cork. He has a research interest in human trafficking and modern slavery. His latest work is a book entitled At Freedom's Crossroads: Making Sense of Modern Slavery. The book is available in print and eBook formats. More Here.  GRETA – the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings Global Slavery Index 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report: Ireland

We launched our socio-economic review for 2024 on Thursday, 2nd May 2024. This annual publication is where we present a detailed analysis of a range of key matters which are central to social justice; a vision of Ireland's future as a just and sustainable society; and a policy framework to move consistently and coherently towards that society.  In this episode, you can listen back to the presentations from this launch. The full publication is also available to download from our website here.

Fionnaigh Connaughton-O'Connor has worked for over 20 years as an adult literacy tutor, tutor trainer and most recently voter education.  She works for Dublin Adult Learning Centre (DALC).  DALC provide targeted adult education services to ensure that everyone in the inner city has the opportunity to avail of their right to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. DALC's core values are student centredness, empowerment, inclusivity and transformative learning. They are committed to social change, justice and equality. In Fionnaigh's experience, people with literacy difficulties or people who are excluded and margainalised are often not registered to vote and do not exercise their right to vote.  DALC believes that education is empowering and helps people reach their potential to participate fully in society. Exercising your right to vote is essential to this. Fionnaigh has also been involved in projects for NALA (literacy publications and prison education). DALC is committed to equality, education and including all in the democratic process in Ireland.    Fionnaigh discusses the origins and content of the Active Citizenship Voter Education programme, why it's needed and the impact it has.    More Information here: https://www.vote.ie/   Electoral / An Coimisiún Toghcháin Campaign Advert Advert  Advert   Check the Register   Hope and Courage Collective   Your Voice, Your Vote: Voter Education & Active Citizenship   INOU Analysis   Active Citizenship Voter Education Course in Dublin - Adult Literacy for Life  

The All Together in Dignity (ATD) Ireland team are Paul Uzell, Tara Doherty and National co-ordinator, Dann Kenningham. Paul and Dann chat about the origins, aims and core work of the organisation and the #Add the 10th campaign to see socio- economic status recognised as the tenth ground of discrimination in Irish equality legislation.     ATD Ireland  Add the 10th Campaign Breaking Barriers Report  Walking, Thinking and Talking Research Project   ATD Toolkit to Conducting Participatory Research  Epistemic injustice (the injustice of knowledge)  ATD Ireland Presentation of Hidden Dimensions of Poverty International Research to the World Bank Feb 2024 ATD Research on The Hidden Dimensions of Poverty More on Father Joseph Wresinski ATD International   

A chance to listen back to Social Justice Ireland's paper, 'Delivering Social Rights for Ireland' presented by Economic and Social Analyst, Colette Bennett at our 2021 Annual Social Policy Conference.    All videos, papers and presentations are for the 2021 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.

Khalil Moran is pursuing a PhD in Democratic Economic Solutions to Inequality, with a specific focus on Community Wealth Building, an approach coined in Cleveland in the US and Preston in the UK. They have a particular interest in the interplay between our intra and interpersonal skills, theories of learning and how they impact our communication, and the systems and institutions we shape and are shaped by.   Khalil has been a staff member at Wicklow Democratic School since it opened in 2016 and was the Project Coordinator for two years. They currently work on the WDS staff team as a facilitator to the school's facilitators, supporting with research, activity plans, systemization and culture building, course development, and overall strategy for the school's continued development of democratic education.   Khalil chats about the history of Community Wealth Building with examples from the U.K. and U.S.A. , the benefits and challenges of the approach and how it might work in an Irish context.    The People's Transition   Democracy Collective Action guide for advancing Community Wealth Building in the United States     Community wealth building 2023     Preston City Council: What is Community Wealth Building     Solidnetwork.ie   Social Justice Matters Podcast episode with Daniel Lambert CEO Bohemians Football Club    

Prof Brian Caulfield is Head of Discipline in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. His research addresses global issues such as the environmental impacts of transport and methods to reduce the carbon impacts of transport. He has published over 200 papers in international journals and conferences and to date has been awarded approx. €7 million in research funding. He currently has 9 PhD students and 6 postdoctoral researchers in his research group.  He is a Senior Editor of Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews and an Editor of Transport Policy. He is a member of the International Editorial Board of Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Case Studies on Transport Policy, the Journal of Cycling and Micro-mobility Research, and the Journal of Transport Geography. Brian spoke at our 2023 Annual Social Policy Conference on the theme of A Just Transition.  All videos, papers and presentations for the 2023 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.

Alicia O'Sullivan & Mohammad Naeem are the UN Youth Delegates for Ireland in 2023/2024. They chat about their journey towards being appointed in the role, what they actually do, their experiences of the UN, would they recommend it and what's next for them.  UN Summit of the Future.  United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)  UN Youth Delegates for Ireland Instagram.    Comhairle na nÓg are councils for the youth located in 31 locations in the Republic of Ireland, which gives the youth in Ireland the opportunity to be involved in the progress of local services and policies.  Applications now open: UN Youth Delegate Programme for Ireland 2024-2025. All information must be submitted via the online form below, by 5pm (Irish time) on the 18th of March 2024. Applications submitted after this time will not be considered. More Here. 

Dr Clodagh Harris is a senior lecturer in the Department of Government & Politics in UCC and affiliate of the Environmental Research Institute and MaREI.  Her research focuses on deliberative and participatory democracy; democratic innovations; and deliberative democracy and climate change. She sits on the expert advisory group of Ireland's Citizen Assembly on biodiversity loss and is part of a wider consortium funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to design and implement a young persons and children's assembly on biodiversity loss.    Clodagh presented her paper 'Participatory and deliberative dialogue and the Imagining 2050 Toolkit' at our 2022 Annual Social Policy Conference  'Towards Wellbeing For All'.   All videos, papers and presentations are for the 2022 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.

Meaghan is the Coordinator of Coalition 2030 where she supports over 70 Irish Civil Society Organisations in their collaborative efforts to bring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to fruition. She has eight years of experience in the non-profit world pushing for social, environmental and financial justice, while simultaneously developing a skill-set ranging from policy analysis and campaigning, to communications and mobilisation. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Ollscoil na Gaillimhe and a Masters in International Political Economy from University College Dublin.    She spoke at our 2023 Annual Social Policy Conference on the theme of A Just Transition.  All videos, papers and presentations for the 2023 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.  

Fleachta Phelan is Senior Policy Advocate with the Disability Federation of Ireland. She chats with Susanne Rogers about  The Cost of Disability in Ireland – Research Report (The Indecon Report), the history behind it and what we are likely to see next.    Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters Green Paper on Disability Reform – A Public Consultation to Reform Disability Payments in Ireland The Hidden Cost of Poverty Report  

Séamus Boland is the CEO of Irish Rural Link and the current President of the European Economic Social Council - Diversity Group III. The Diversity Group is made up of delegates drawn from each member state, representing sectors which include, community, agriculture, environment, consumers, social economy and various professions. He spoke at our 2021 Annual Social Policy Conference, Social Rights for All? Time to Deliver on the European Pillar of Social Rights.   All videos, papers and presentations are for the 2021 Annual Social Policy conference are available for download HERE.

As Ireland becomes more and more diverse, assisting communities to thrive and develop as they adapt is vital. Valerie McAllorum Byrne is Integration Officer with Fingal County Council. She chats with Susanne Rogers about the work she does in this vibrant, diverse growing county to support everyone living there to be part of the community. Learn more about the work HERE. If you read this on time and live local, Fingal Inclusion week takes place between the 13th and 19th November 2023. Details can be found HERE.  We discuss the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) Reports which can be accessed HERE. 

In today's episode, Colette Bennett chats to Dr. Yvonne Skipper of Glasgow University on a brilliant project - Project Real - which provides a full, fun and interactive lesson plan for educators of 11-13 year olds on how to spot fake news, fake photos, fake people, and fake videos. Check it out at www.projectreal.co.uk This is a really timely interview in light of a recent report which indicated that internet use by Irish children is well above the European average (87% v 62%) with more than half of Irish children using the internet daily or nearly daily - Risks and Safety for Children on the Internet: the Ireland Report (webwise.ie)

In May 2023, Coalition 2030 published their Report, authored by Sorley McCaughey (independent freelance public affairs, advocacy and communications strategist), 'Furthest Behind First, or Falling Behind Further? The human stories that challenge Ireland's claims to be leaving no one behind' which can be accessed HERE. Following on then, in July 2023, a delegation of Coalition 2030 members travelled to the United Nations for the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. The Coalition 2030 delegation comprised: Louise Finan, Head of Policy and Programme, Dóchas Dr. Sadhbh O'Neill, Co-ordinator, Stop Climate Chaos Belinda Nugent, Community Development Project Leader, Inner City Organisation Network (ICON) Dr. James Casey, Policy Lead, Independent Living Movement Ireland Meaghan Carmody, Co-ordinator, Coalition 2030 Susanne Rogers, Research and Policy Analyst, Social Justice Ireland. The HLPF 2023, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, was held from Monday, 10 July, to Friday, 14 July 2023 in New York. The high-level segment of the Council, including the three-day ministerial segment of the HLPF, was held from Monday, 17 July, to Thursday, 20 July 2023. Ireland presented its second Voluntary National Review during the second week and Dr. James Casey from the delegation responded from the floor of the UN.  In this episode, we gathered together to discuss the Coalition's Report, Ireland's Voluntary National Review (VNR) and what we brought to and away from the experience.  Ireland's Second Voluntary National Review 2023 can be accessed HERE.   Watch Ireland's VNR presentation and the civil society statement read by Dr. James Casey (VNR from 2:40:00, Civil society intervention from 3:18:50, Minister Ryan's response from 3:32:20) HERE. Any Irish organisations who would like to know more about Coalition 2030 and get involved can email : infocoalition2030@gmail.com  

MECPATHS is the only non-profit organisation in Ireland which focuses specifically on the issue of Child Trafficking.  It works to raise awareness on this hidden issue and educates frontline and emerging professionals to prevent Child Trafficking and enhance existing protective measures. Education Manager, Ann Mara and Network & Communications Manager, J.P. O'Sullivan chat with Susanne Rogers about the issue of child trafficking in Ireland, how we currently understand it, how the language needs to shift and what supports must be put in place.  The podcast referenced by J.P.,  "The Witness: In His Own Words" carries the following warning, "there are references throughout this podcast to violence, sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts. If you are negatively affected and need help or advice, please contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's Freephone National 24-Hour Helpline on 1800 77 8888 in Ireland, or call the Samaritans on Freephone 116 123 in Ireland and the UK."  

Dr. Patricia Scanlon is the founder and Executive Chair of SoapBox Labs, now the world's leading provider of Voice AI for children. In 2022, the Irish Government appointed Dr. Scanlon Ireland's first AI Ambassador. Dr. Scanlon holds a PhD and has 25 years experience working in Artificial Intelligence and speech recognition technology, including at Bell Labs and IBM. She has been granted 7 patents and is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). An acclaimed TEDx speaker, in 2018 Dr. Scanlon was named one of the world's top 50 women in tech by Forbes and a top “Visionary in Voice” by Voicebot in 2020. She is also a contributor to Forbes, TechCrunch and TheNextWeb. She chats with Susanne Rogers about the role of AI Ambassador, advances in artificial intelligence, ethics and AI,the opportunities as well as challenges posed by AI and what regulation can bring to the space. 

We all know that Ireland's population is living longer, which is really good news! However, we need to plan for the needs of our future older people today, particularly in the area of housing. A new report commissioned by ALONE and Threshold, 'Double Deficit: Older and Ageing Persons in the Private Rental Sector', highlights the experience of older people who are renting privately, the impact that this has on their housing security, mental health, and overall quality of life, and makes a series of key recommendations on how Government and stakeholders might learn from these experiences. Colette Bennett, Economic and Social Analyst with Social Justice Ireland, chats with Gráinne Loughran of ALONE and Ann-Marie O'Reilly of Threshold about this report, their work in the sector generally, and why key reforms are needed now to advance the quality of life of future older generations.

Dr Peter Doran is a founding member of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance hub on the island of Ireland and has worked with the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust on a wellbeing outcomes framework for the Northern Ireland Programme for Government. He is a senior lecturer at the School of Law at the Queen's University Belfast and a senior writer with the International Institute for Sustainable Development's reporting services at UN negotiations on environment and development. He has authored numerous articles on ecology and politics, and authored A Political Economy of Attention, Mindfulness and Consumerism - Reclaiming The Mindful Commons (Routledge 2017). A practising zen buddhist, Dr Doran draws heavily from zen and decolonial literature (the pluriverse) in his work on the wellbeing economy.   Peter spoke at the Social Justice Ireland Annual Social Policy Conference in 2022 on the theme 'Towards Wellbeing For All'. You can also watch his presentation, view his slides and read more here.    

In this week's episode, Colette Bennett, Economic and Social Analyst, chats with Paul Goldrick Kelly, Economist at the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) about his latest blog on carbon locks. What they are, where they are, and what needs to be done to progress towards a real just transition. If you're not familiar with their work, check out NERI's website - www.neriinstitute.net - and subscribe to their regular blog.

Niamh Moore-Cherry is Professor in the School of Geography, Deputy College Principal in the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, and Honorary Professor at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London. Her research is focused on understanding governance and the impact of territorial politics on urban and regional outcomes. She founded and leads the Cities, Governance and Sustainability (www.citiesgovernancesustainability.eu) research group in UCD which brings together academic, policy and community engaged work. In summer 2022, she was appointed as an independent member of the advisory National Economic and Social Council (NESC) by An Taoiseach. She chats with Susanne Rogers about what the 15 minute city is and is not, the challenges and possibilities for the concept in the Irish context.   

Due to a technical glitch when we launched our Budget Choices 2024 policy briefing on Monday, 3rd July 2023, our launch did not record. But don't worry! We've recorded a podcast covering all of the relevant details from the launch, including your great questions. We hope you enjoy it.   Budget Choices 2024 is available to download here: Budget Choices 2024 | Social Justice Ireland

Issy Petrie is Research and Policy Officer with the Society of St.Vincent de Paul (SVP) and Nicola Fox is National Development Officer with Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).  They chat with Susanne Rogers about energy poverty in Ireland, who is affected, what supports are available and policy asks into the future.    Find out more about SVP HERE. Find out more about MABS HERE. 

In this week's episode, Colette Bennett chats with Dr. Amanda Roberts and Avril Easton of the Irish Hospice Foundation on their research looking at the financial impact of bereavement. An estimated 300,000 people every year are impacted by bereavement and many of those will struggle, not just with the emotional fall-out, but the financial impact too. If you want to start planning for your future, the Irish Hospice Foundation have a brilliant tool to help: Think_Ahead_Editable.pdf (hospicefoundation.ie) If you or someone you know has been bereaved, the Irish Hospice Foundation have a range of supports: Irish Hospice Foundation - To Die and Grieve Well Wherever the Place

In this episode, Colette Bennett welcomes back Keith Adams, Penal Policy Advocate in Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and Doctoral candidate at Leuven Institute of Criminology. It will come as no surprise that we're talking all things prisons - the latest scandals, the unpublished reports, and what really needs to be done if the criminal justice system is to work effectively.  If you want to learn more about Keith's work, check out www.jcfj.ie to read his many articles and publications, and check out the work of his colleagues across a range of areas too.