Professor Carmel O'Sullivan

According to the most recent Census, Irish Travellers make up 32,949 (1%) of the population with children under the age of 15 making up 36% of Irish Travellers. When it comes to education, only 13% of Traveller children complete their second-level education, with only 1% progressing to third-level education (AITHS, 2010). Research in the UK found Traveller groups to have the highest prevalence (54%) of special educational needs (SEN) of all ethnic minority groups in the UK. Overall, the Irish Travelling Community encounters many forms of social exclusions across a wide range of activities such as access to employment, health services, accommodation, and education thus restricting meaningful participation in occupations as well as occupational choices. This research is examining the potential role of a social model of occupational therapy applied in Irish primary school classrooms. The study is part is part of a larger project called Tobar, and is being conducted in collaboration with the Marino Institute of Education and colleagues in OT in Trinity.

In the last two decades, a growing evidence base around the benefits of arts in health demonstrates an increasing interest from health and arts professionals, researchers, and policymakers into how engagement with the arts can influence population health. Unfortunately, the sword of disadvantage is double edged, engagement in creative and cultural endeavours is in many instances socially and gender patterned whilst those of lower socio-economic positions are also generally at higher risk of poor health. In Ireland, a marked social gradient exists which reveals rates of disease and risk factors for ill health persistently higher amongst lower income groups and similarly shows people from poorer socio-economic backgrounds are less able to access the arts and other types of cultural activities. There is a gap in research in the area of arts in health amongst the Irish population, particularly children and young people in situations of risk. This research lies at the intersection between arts, humanities and health, advocates a cross disciplinary approach and responds to the research gap in Ireland through exploring the impact of a creative arts programme on health and wellbeing amongst children and young people from seldom heard communities. The research aims to identify appropriate content for creative interventions/projects/programmes for young people and children in seldom heard communities and how these could be used to facilitate the expansion and development of this practice in health and youth organisations around the country. The research will also provide a set of policy recommendations with particular emphasis on the development of indicators for the recently published Understanding Life in Ireland A Wellbeing Framework (2022).

Career LEAP (https://careerleap.ie) is an evidence-based work-readiness programme, designed specifically to support young people who face additional and significant barriers to entering the workforce and/or further education. Working with young people in northeast inner city, over 80% are in full time employment or full time education after completing the programme up to 5 years later. Career LEAP works in tandem with local employment initiatives and referrals, including Swan Youth Service Street work team, East Wall Youth, Bradog Youth Service, Focus Ireland (PETE program), NYP1, The Hay Project, Intreo, ICRG, Roslyn Park College, Irish Refugee Council, LYCS CTC, NEIC Programme Office, Crinan Youth Project, Focus Ireland, family members and friends, and former graduates of the programme. Funded and certified mentor training is provided to local business partners on how to support young people who are not in employment, education or training to take up entry level employment opportunities in their companies in the north and south docklands area.

In the face of global crises such as climate change, the unforeseen consequences of digital transformation and geopolitical instability, CIVIC STAGE addresses the need for inclusive and effective citizenship education. Traditional methods often fail to connect with the realities of young people, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds. The project aims to empower young people to engage in democracy by combining formal and non-formal learning with participatory theatre methods. This innovative, co-creative approach resonates with young people's concerns and challenges. Participatory theatre transforms passive observers into active participants, engaging them in storytelling and enabling them to influence the narrative. It fosters democratic participation and raises awareness of European values by involving communities in dialogue on societal issues. The project's objectives include developing and assessing participatory theatre methods to enhance citizenship education, piloting these methods in diverse settings, and evaluating their impact on young people's civic engagement. The design involves a mixed-methods research approach that also includes artistic data collection and analysis. Co-creating and involving stakeholders at all stages ensures that the project benefits not only young people but also educators, policymakers, and society at large. The project aims to significantly impact young people's civic engagement and democratic participation by involving them in co-creating educational modules and piloting these methods in various settings. Key results will include the training of at least 160 facilitators in 11 countries, the piloting of participatory theatre blended with gamified digital practices in at least 160 groups comprising around 3,200 young people, 8 training modules, policy recommendations and step-by-step toolboxes for educators. These will be disseminated globally to ensure the sustainability and scalability of the project's outcomes.

This research was commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to inform the ongoing development of Ireland"s curriculum for primary and special schools. The research involved a desk-based narrative enquiry to examine and interrogate the evidence for learning through arts education as art, as subject and as pedagogy. The review also included literature in relation to integration within this combination of subjects as well as other subjects. The research questions which guided the study were: 1. Through the lens of the vision and principles of the Draft Primary Curriculum Framework (2023), what is the philosophical basis and educational basis for the curriculum area/subjects of Arts Education? 2. What evidence is provided by the literature on children"s learning and development for the integrated curriculum area of Arts Education in stages 1 and 2 " junior infants to second class, and the subjects of Visual Art, Music, Drama (and other aspects, e.g., Dance, Film and Digital Media) in stages 3 and 4 " third to sixth class? 3. In response to curriculum overload, what are the desired curriculum processes and essential curriculum content (knowledge, skills, values and dispositions) for children"s learning and development in Arts Education and Visual Art, Music, Drama within the broad primary curriculum? 4. What aspects of the curriculum area (the knowledge, skills, values and dispositions) support integration in stages 1 and 2, and what aspects of the subjects support integration in stages 3 and 4?