News

On the 29 November 2015, students from the Centre for Global Women’s Studies MA programme travelled from Galway to Ballina, Co. Mayo to participate in a workshop hosted by the new Mary Robinson Centre. The workshop, entitled “Spotlight on Human Rights & the Refugee Crisis in Europe” examined the legal, humanitarian and community response dimensions of an unfolding crisis. The event was planned to coincide with The Mary Robinson Centre’s annual human rights lecture, which was given by Graça Machel directly after the workshop. Machel is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian, is the widow of former South African president Nelson Mandela.

The workshop was the first event in an exciting, developing academic programme with The Mary Robinson Centre designed to engage postgraduate students in particular as a target group in building bridges between local communities, the University and influencers of global policy, and between younger and older advocates for social justice, gender equality and human rights. The Centre for Global Women’s Studies liaised with The Mary Robinson Centre workshop organiser to provide substantive guidance on the topic, speakers and the overall approach. The event was a great success and our students did an exemplary job animating and leading discussion on this important theme. They were invited to meet with Mary Robinson and Graça Machel before the Human Rights Lecture, which was covered in national media and our students appeared in national television coverage of the event on news broadcasts the evening of Nov 29.