Developing Community Initiatives

DCU Access actively engages with community groups and regional organisations. This work supports DCU’s wider objective of broadening participation in Higher Education while promoting inclusion and diversity.

Our priority groups are those identified by the National Access Plan (2022-28) and include:

Students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds
Students living in North Dublin in areas with the lowest rates of progression to third-level education
Students facing double disadvantage (disability and socio-economic disadvantage)
Members of the Traveller & Roma communities.
Working class boys
Young people in the care of the State
Youth carers
People who have had criminal convictions

Our Neighbour, Our Friend

DCU Access invites community organisations to collaborate with us to organise an 'Our Neighbour, Our Friend' event in your community.

Recent events at Ballymun Axis and Finglas Youth Resource Centre showcased DCU Access Community Outreach and future collaborations to increase education access for underrepresented groups. Next event: Balbriggan, Autumn 2025.

For more information, contact laurence.vanderhaegen@dcu.ie

Community Education Forum

Our DCU Community Education Forum provides a space to discuss and develop adapted initiatives to address educational inequalities.

It gives a voice and visibility to the communities in the DCU catchment area and serves as a direct line of communication between the university, local community organisations and community leaders.

To learn more about the forum, please contact laurence.vanderhaegen@dcu.ie

Events

If you would like DCU Access to participate in an education fair/ local event/ talk in your community or organisation, contact laurence.vanderhaegen@dcu.ie.