A journey to discover the people who change our world.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Skoll Forum Kick Off

The annual Skoll Forum for Social Entrepreneurship kicks off today in Oxford, for three days of meetings and discussions on the growth of the social sector under the theme ‘Culture, Context and Social Change’. Over 700 delegates from all across the globe are expected. I was not able to make it to the event this year, but will be following some of the debate on line through socialedge.org it has shaped up to be an impressive line up and I am keen to see what comes out of the forum.

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Sli Eile Conference- Charleville, Cork. 18th April

With three out of four of all admissions to psychiatric units being re-admissions, Slí Eile was set up to explore ways of helping people caught up in this revolving door to recover within an accepting and supportive community setting.
On April 18th, Slí Eile- one of the organisations supported by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland- is hosting a conference to celebrate the establishment of its pilot project in Charleville, Co Cork. The aim of the Slí Eile approach to recovery through community living is to provide another way of supporting people to recover from their experience of mental distress.

Slí Eile believes the journey to recovery is:

A re-awakening of hope after despair

A movement to active participation in life from withdrawal and isolation

A shift to engagement and active coping rather than passive adjustment

Reclaiming a positive sense of self

A transformation from alienation to a sense of meaning and purpose

This approach to supported housing offers an environment of hope and empowerment, where meaningful activities support the process of recovery for its five tenants and creates an environment which instils the belief that change is possible.
The conference will include presentation by Slí Eile tenants & staff The Lived Experience, Martin Rogan HSE: Assistant National Director for Mental Health Services, service users, local practitioners and others with an interest in recovery. The programme allows ample time for a Question & Answer session in the morning and afternoon with Chairman for the day, Vincent Browne.
Admission is free, tea / coffee on arrival but please note lunch is at delegates’ own expense. Booking is advisable as numbers are limited.

Anyone wishing to attend can register by email slieileha@eircom.net or send a stamped addressed envelope to: - Slí Eile, Dromina, Charleville, Co Cork

Available for download

My interview on Newstalk 106-108 with documentary maker Louise Williams can now be downloaded here :

http://83.138.170.50/podcasts/audio/Week11.mp3

(my interview is in the second half of the Show. You can also here fellow SEI awardee, Helene Hugel, talk about her own project, Freddie&Friends, a puppetting programme she runs for children in hospital.

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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Coming to a sofa near you.. or a wall, or a town square, or a TV, or a mobile phone...



Imagine thousands of people coming together to share their own stories.

Imagine the world connecting in a global day of film.

Imagine watching the tears and laughter, hopes and dreams, of people all across the world.

Well, come May 10th this is about to happen.

Pangea Day, is the result of filmmaker Jehane Noujaim's 2007 TED Wish to Change the World. It will be a global day of international film- an effort to bridge cultural divides and increase our understanding of our global neighbours.

The films will be broadcast live on the internet and television. There will also be a series of main sites in cities across the continents- Cairo, Kigali, London, LA, Mumbai and Rio, along with a growing number of smaller events around the world.

I'll be hosting an event from a sofa in Dublin. You can do so too. To find out more visit the Pangea Day website.

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Suas looking for volunteers for St. Patrick's Day



Yes, it is that time of year again- time to paints the cities of Ireland green- with the annual Suas Facepainting extravaganza. Suas are on the hunt for more volunteers, to help beat last year's record of €32,000.
All money raised will go to Suas' partner projects in India and Kenya.

I met up with TV presenter Sile Seoige in Galway the other day where she lent a hand.

To sign up visit www.suas.ie

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Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Tune in on Sunday 9th March- Newstalk’s Change Makers series.

As part of the Change Makers series on Newstalk (106-108FM), documentary maker Louise Williams came along with me to St. Andrew’s College, where I gave a presentation on my travels to fourth year students. She interviewed myself and some of the students. The show will be broadcast at 1pm, Sunday 9th March and will also be available for download from the Newstalk website.

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