Recipients announced for DCU President’s Awards for Engagement for 2024
The DCU Tanzania Pre-Primary Education team and a student volunteer on Coimisiún na Meán’s Youth Advisory Committee were just some of the projects and people recognised at this year’s DCU President’s Awards for Engagement, designed to celebrate the engagement of staff and students in the life of the wider community.
The recipients were presented with their awards earlier today at a ceremony on DCU’s Glasnevin Campus attended by Professor Anne Sinnott, Deputy President of DCU, and Daithí de Róiste, Lord Mayor of Dublin.
Speaking at the event, Prof Sinnott praised the winners' achievements and commended all those nominated and shortlisted in the process:
A commitment to active and impactful engagement with the community and the wider world has always been a hallmark of the DCU ethos. These annual awards give us the opportunity to celebrate the ways in which our staff and students make a difference in a range of settings, beyond the University. In doing so, they deliver on our mission ‘to transform lives and societies’.
In the student category, Mark Dunne’s campaigning work in student representation was recognised, with special note made of his advocacy in driving for a more inclusive student environment, particularly for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Mark is also a leading advocate for Science Education, volunteering regularly at open days and talks where he encourages prospective students to explore their interest in teaching science. Outside of his role as Institute of Education Faculty Representative with DCU Students Union, Mark also works with Kells Meals on Wheels.
In the staff category, Dr Sylwia Kazmierczak-Murray and Kathryn O'Mahony from the School of Inclusive and Special Education and Alexis Carey, independent researcher, were recognised for their work in removing barriers to participation through developing national guidance for the inclusion of disabled children and young people in decision-making. Their toolkit will influence the participation of disabled children and young people in research and policy in all sectors and disciplines at a national and, potentially, international level, where previously adult voices were used as proxies.
In the special merit student category, Ishita Gupta was recognised for her work as a youth advisor for Coimisiún na Meán’s Youth Advisory Committee, one of just nine individuals chosen for this position from across Ireland. The Committee is currently working on the Online Safety Code, which sets out specific measures that video-sharing platforms will be obliged to implement to keep their users, especially children, safe online. Ishita also works as a volunteer with SpunOut, Ireland’s youth information and support platform, and has worked as a Youth Advisor with The Irish Heart Foundation.
In the special merit staff category, DCU’s Tanzania Pre-Primary Education team (Fiona Giblin, Dr Catherine Mulryan-Kyne and Professor Bernard Pierce) were awarded for their provision of professional development and related supports for 18 teachers in seven partner primary schools in the country since 2019. The team travelled to Tanzania in 2023 to provide on-site professional development, teaching materials and resources and to examine the ways in which the partnership could be extended with future research collaborations with a Tanzania teacher training college. The outcome of this has been the creation of a volunteering programme for student teachers from the DCU Institute of Education, focusing on early childhood education in Tanzania, which rolls out in later this year.
Speaking at the ceremony, Lord Mayor Daithí de Róiste said:
Since its foundation, DCU has had an extraordinary track record of active engagement with the city of Dublin on so many levels. For that reason, I’m delighted to be part of this ceremony, which recognises and celebrates the positive interaction of DCU staff and students with their wider community.
For more information and a full list of nominees, visit the website here.