Keynote Speaker

Dr. Eilish Dillon 

Dr. Eilish Dillon is an Assistant Professor at the Maynooth University Department of International Development, where she teaches at postgraduate and undergraduate levels on different aspects of critical development theory and practice. Eilish has been actively engaged in global and development education in Ireland for over 30 years. She has been a regular contributor to civil society global development and education projects during this time through work with and membership of organisations such as Comhlámh, Amnesty International, Banúlacht and the Irish Development Education Association (IDEA). She completed doctoral research in adult and higher education in 2017 and has published widely on global and development education and on ethical communications in global development. She has recently co-edited a book, 'Global Education in Ireland: Critical Histories and Future Directions', due to be published by Bloomsbury Press in October 2024.

Panelist

Sarah Kelleher

Sarah Kelleher has worked as CEO of LYCS in Dublin’s north east inner city for over 20 years. With a background in youth work and community development, Sarah has vast experience of working in inner city communities both in Ireland and in the UK. Sarah has recently gained a 1st Class Honours in M.A. in Management: Community & Voluntary Services with Dublin City University. She has a special interest in policy development and measuring qualitative outcomes of programmes delivered to hard-to-reach communities. She has also served as a board member of a number of local and national voluntary organisations and statutory agencies.

Panelist

Dr. Lilian Nwanze-Akobo 

Dr. Lilian Nwanze - Akobo has a PhD in Adult and Community Education and is a Director of the Higher Diploma in Further Education (HDFE) Program in Maynooth University. Lilian uses her professional, academic and lived experiences to contribute to adult and community education in Ireland and is particularly passionate about making classrooms more inclusive for people ‘on the margins’. Lilian’s PhD research explored the lived experiences of black women in adult education in Ireland and proposed a racially and culturally responsive pedagogy for use in Ireland. This pedagogy has already started being implemented in learning spaces across the country.

Lilian serves as a Director on the Board of AONTAS and has also been appointed to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Anti-Racism Advisory Group. 

Panelist

Mohammad Naeem

At 19 years old Mohammad already has an established record in activism, having served as chairperson of Mayo Comhairle na nÓg and was the youngest person to sit on a county council committee when he joined the Mayo County Council sub-committee on Climate and Biodiversity in 2021. 

In September 2023 Mohammad was announced as the UN Youth Delegate for Ireland, the youngest to be selected in Ireland and globally. More recently Mohammad was appointed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to the Advisory Group on Anti Racism as an independent expert. Mohammad is currently on a gap year having completed his Leaving Certificate in 2023.

Panelist

Niall Tierney 

Niall Tierney has been the Director of the Global Programmes Unit within Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs since September 2023. That unit supports Ireland’s cooperation programming in S/E Asia, Central America, Colombia, SIDS, Palestine and Jordan, as well as the Ireland Fellowship Programme and the Global Citizenship Education programme. Previously, Niall was seconded to the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Mozambique in support of the national responses to the Covid19 pandemic and conflict in northern Mozambique. He also served as Head of Cooperation to Mozambique; Deputy Head of Cooperation to Ethiopia and was Ireland’s negotiator to the SDGs 2013-2015.  Prior to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2013, Niall served as Country Director and in other roles for Concern Worldwide in West and Southern African Countries for 13 years.  He holds an MSc in Economics and an MSc in Development Studies.

Panel Moderator

Pierre Yimbog  

Pierre is Co-founder and Managing Director of Black and Irish and Co-founder & CEO of his travel start up SoloBook. Pierre has a Bachelor of Law from DIT, a Diploma in Technology and Intellectual Property Law from the Law Society and is currently undertaking a Masters in Corporate Governance at the University of Law. He has previously worked for Engineers Ireland as Community Engagement Executive. 

Laura Power

Laura is an Education Officer with WorldWise Global Schools, Ireland’s national Global Citizenship Education (GCE) programme for post-primary settings. Based in Waterford City, part of Laura’s role is to help create a GCE community of practice among educators through individual and whole school support, conferences, funding, and training. She has over 9 years of experience in teaching, facilitation, and programme management in the NGO and education sectors. Laura was awarded a place on the ‘EU India 40 under 40 Young Leader’ list at The European Parliament for her work on building relationships between Ireland and India, and is an alumna of the Washington Ireland Programme for Service and Leadership. Laura is passionate about GCE and the small yet significant steps we can take to help change the world. 

Mark Cumming

Mark Cumming started his working life in industry but the call to explore the world and work in solidarity with people who have and continue to be excluded from the mainstream brought him to Kenya as a volunteer some 30 years ago. Mark saw the connections between those excluded in our own society and people in Kenya. There he worked as a youth and community worker on programmes that were inspired by African Liberation movements and was involved in facilitating young people to analyse their condition and act collectively to transform their reality. That time set him on a new path that he has ploughed for 30 years, working in international solidarity work, with a range of development agencies, both state, secular and faith-based. For the last 8 years, Mark has worked as the Head of Comhlámh, prior to that he was the Governance and Human Rights advisor to Trócaire where he led a successful campaign to change the investment policies of the National Pensions Reserve Fund. He is currently working part-time as the Development Coordinator of the Sister of St Louis and engaging in freelance consulting.

 Bronwyn April

Bronwyn April is originally from South Africa, Bronwyn has carved her career in social development and social justice, over the last 19 years - from working in community and social development in South Africa, to now carving her space within the social development/social justice landscape in Ireland. Bronwyn currently works as the Strength-in-Diversity Project Coordinator at the Dublin City Community Co-Op, a project that focuses on social cohesion and inclusion in the North East Inner City of Dublin. Focus areas include: creating pathways to employment, skills-based training initiatives, as well as access to social services and information, while also focusing on issues affecting migrants, such as discrimination and racism. Bronwyn also forms part of various anti-racism spaces, namely being a member of the Canal Communities Against Racism (CCAR), is one of ten Racial Justice Trainers in Ireland, and completed anti-racism training with the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) and STAND, a programme specifically training individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds, to facilitate Anti-Racism training and education, in various places and spaces in Ireland. She is also a member of the iReport Peer Review Panel (INAR), where collaboratively the panel looks at how to better improve Ireland's national, confidential, easy-to-use Racist Incident Reporting System for people who experience or witness racism in Ireland". Values that underpin Bronwyn's work are: Passion, Purpose, Freedom, Choice, Belonging, Justice, Fairness (Equity), Community and Connection

Vicky Donnelly

Vicky is the outreach and education worker with Financial Justice Ireland where her work involves exploring and questioning dominant narratives about growth and 'development', and imagining more just, sustainable alternatives. She designs and delivers Global Justice workshops with schools, universities, youth and community groups and service-providers around Ireland, and has a particular interest in anti-racism perspectives, and creative and participatory methodologies. 

Mdahyelya Bassi

Mdahyelya Bassi is a Dublin based anti-racism facilitator and educator of Nigerian origin. He provides workshops across Ireland and is committed to create positive change that extends beyond the classroom. With practices that are ground in transformative and compassionate justice, Mdahyelya is dedicated to dismantle systemic injustices and foster inclusive communities. He actively engages with civil society partners to build and nurture relationships that amplify the impact of his work by empowering marginalised voices. Mdahyelya believes in the importance of creating and holding spaces for radical transformation and healing to ensure that those harmed by oppressive systems can find strength in their journey toward equality and inclusion.