Launch of Civil Society Cluster at UCC
Niall Crowley (2nd left) with participants and members of the ISS21 Civil Society research cluster.
Niall Crowley (2nd left) with participants and members of the ISS21 Civil Society research cluster.
This is according to Niall Crowley, independent equality consultant and former Chief Executive of the Equality Authority, who delivered the keynote address at a conference in UCC on 23rd February.
In his address, Mr Crowley highlighted the need for academics to conduct new research and make existing research available to the community and voluntary sector to inform the development of strategy. Mr Crowley called for academics to “build cross sectoral perspectives within academia with a view to making an intellectual contribution that transcends academic silos and enables a linked perspective on values of equality, justice, environmental sustainability and participative democracy.” Academics, he said, could also engage in public debate that would build a greater understanding of these values.
Mr Crowley’s address was followed by a discussion in which invited discussants related their own experiences of the impact of the ongoing economic downturn on local communities. The panel included Eve Philips, Co-ordinator, Ballincollig Family Resource Centre; Jim O’Donovan, Director of Services, Community and Enterprise, Cork City Council; Deirdre O’Byrne, independent community consultant; and Siobhan O’Dowd, Community Development Officer, Ballyphehane/Togher Community Development Project, Cork.
This event marked the official launch of the Civil Society Research Cluster, a multi-disciplinary group of academic researchers established under the auspices of UCC’s Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21). The cluster aims to provide a forum to promote research and facilitate exchange of knowledge between academic researchers and representatives from the voluntary and community sector. Current members are drawn from the Departments of Applied Social Studies, Geography, Government, Law and the Centre for Co-operative Studies.