The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice has launched a new online
educational initiative aimed at encouraging young people to examine and
challenge injustice in Irish society.
www.whycare.ie was launched at the Jesuit Crescent College in Limerick on Thursday.
The web-based resource for educators and young people is designed to
engage school students in some of the critical social issues facing
Ireland today, according to Eoin Carroll, Advocacy Officer in the Jesuit
Centre for Faith and Justice and the brains behind the venture.
He said that the decision to develop the website was a response to the current social reality in Ireland.
Carroll told ciNews Why Care? is intended to promote “an understanding that social justice means a fair society, where peoples’ needs are met, human dignity is respected, access to employment is provided and human rights accorded.”
He added, “Responsibility for this lies with each and every one of us and in particular our elected representatives and churches.”
He said that the decision to develop the website was a response to the current social reality in Ireland.
Carroll told ciNews Why Care? is intended to promote “an understanding that social justice means a fair society, where peoples’ needs are met, human dignity is respected, access to employment is provided and human rights accorded.”
He added, “Responsibility for this lies with each and every one of us and in particular our elected representatives and churches.”
The initiative is seeking to encourage informed debate among young
people by promoting a greater understanding of issues such as human
rights, poverty, inequality, homelessness and crime.
“Whycare.ie assists students in exploring what are the barriers to people accessing basic supports like housing? What problems can inequality create in our society? And why we should care,” Carroll explained.
“Whycare.ie assists students in exploring what are the barriers to people accessing basic supports like housing? What problems can inequality create in our society? And why we should care,” Carroll explained.
He told ciNews, Why Care?
aims to “propel concepts of social justice from the abstract into the
practical and encourage students to speak out and take action against
injustices in their communities.”
Explaining why he believes the venture has something unique to offer,
he said, “I think what separates this from other units targeting
schools is its relevance and topicality. It also tries to define
complex concepts and help children, who might do what we would call
social justice actions or social justice works, to understand what is
meant by social justice and what it means when we talk about fairness in
society and the distribution of resources.”
The thirty-year-old underlined that the Why Care? content referred to Irish society. “Other units look at poverty in developing countries but this unit is targeting fairness in Ireland – that is quite unique in terms of what else is out there.”
Outlining some of the content on the new website, Eoin Carroll said the “first section takes the student through the various concepts of inequality and human dignity.”
The thirty-year-old underlined that the Why Care? content referred to Irish society. “Other units look at poverty in developing countries but this unit is targeting fairness in Ireland – that is quite unique in terms of what else is out there.”
Outlining some of the content on the new website, Eoin Carroll said the “first section takes the student through the various concepts of inequality and human dignity.”
The follow-on sections try to get the student to look
at issues to do with housing and homelessness and issues to do with
crime and prison through the lens of social justice.
The final section looks at the idea of working for justice. “We are trying to make the connection that you don’t need to be a superhero to do social justice; every profession can have a social justice element to it.”
Referring to his own background, he explained that though mechanical engineering had been on his horizon after school, he did a degree in social science in TCD. After college, he obtained a graduate placement with Focus Ireland and later did a Masters at the London School of Economics in social policy. When he returned to Ireland, he tied in his professional experience and academic qualifications with his very strong commitment to the Jesuit ethos through his job at the JCFJ.
“It is a centre which looks at social issues from a Christian perspective and has that added value to the social analysis that we conduct,” he explained.
Carroll said the site would highlight the role of social justice at an individual level and the role of social justice in addressing inequality at a structural level, particularly by looking at the state’s responsibility for the provision of social services, access to housing and income.
Acknowledging that young people “can be a little bit shy when talking about religion,” Eoin Carroll reiterated at the launch in Crescent College the importance of social justice in Christianity and Catholic social teaching’s option for the poor.
The final section looks at the idea of working for justice. “We are trying to make the connection that you don’t need to be a superhero to do social justice; every profession can have a social justice element to it.”
Referring to his own background, he explained that though mechanical engineering had been on his horizon after school, he did a degree in social science in TCD. After college, he obtained a graduate placement with Focus Ireland and later did a Masters at the London School of Economics in social policy. When he returned to Ireland, he tied in his professional experience and academic qualifications with his very strong commitment to the Jesuit ethos through his job at the JCFJ.
“It is a centre which looks at social issues from a Christian perspective and has that added value to the social analysis that we conduct,” he explained.
Carroll said the site would highlight the role of social justice at an individual level and the role of social justice in addressing inequality at a structural level, particularly by looking at the state’s responsibility for the provision of social services, access to housing and income.
Acknowledging that young people “can be a little bit shy when talking about religion,” Eoin Carroll reiterated at the launch in Crescent College the importance of social justice in Christianity and Catholic social teaching’s option for the poor.
“If we
have a society that is socially just and somebody falls on hard times
then we have the provisions for access to healthcare and education and
that is good for all.”
In addition to relevant and up to date information on social justice issues, the website also provides a variety of audio and video clips, articles, class activity plans and links to relevant organisations in order to encourage informed debate among young people and to underline the importance of acting for social justice.
In a statement issued ahead of the launch, Labour Party leader, Deputy Eamonn Gilmore, TD, who was due to launch the new educational initiative but had to pull out, said, “In this time of economic and political turbulence, it is more important than ever that young people are given the opportunity to understand the reality of concepts like poverty and inequality, as they exist in their own communities.”
In addition to relevant and up to date information on social justice issues, the website also provides a variety of audio and video clips, articles, class activity plans and links to relevant organisations in order to encourage informed debate among young people and to underline the importance of acting for social justice.
In a statement issued ahead of the launch, Labour Party leader, Deputy Eamonn Gilmore, TD, who was due to launch the new educational initiative but had to pull out, said, “In this time of economic and political turbulence, it is more important than ever that young people are given the opportunity to understand the reality of concepts like poverty and inequality, as they exist in their own communities.”
He added, “Too often young people are dismissed as being
apathetic about the problems that surround them in society, without
being given the tools they need to participate in positive change.”
Acknowledging that “undoubtedly” young people are “disillusioned about the future of our country”, Mr Gilmore said that by allowing them to engage in social issues in a way that is relevant to them, they may come to question the kind of society they wanted to live in, and “become active in pursuing change.”
In the coming weeks, information for teachers on using the website will be sent to second level schools and relevant further education colleges across the country.
According to the JCFJ, the website, including suggested class activities, can be usefully applied to the teaching of various subject areas including CSPE, Religious Education, Social Studies, Youth Studies, Community Care and within a Transition Year programme.
Acknowledging that “undoubtedly” young people are “disillusioned about the future of our country”, Mr Gilmore said that by allowing them to engage in social issues in a way that is relevant to them, they may come to question the kind of society they wanted to live in, and “become active in pursuing change.”
In the coming weeks, information for teachers on using the website will be sent to second level schools and relevant further education colleges across the country.
According to the JCFJ, the website, including suggested class activities, can be usefully applied to the teaching of various subject areas including CSPE, Religious Education, Social Studies, Youth Studies, Community Care and within a Transition Year programme.
The resources could also be used by
debating teams or youth groups.
The website can be accessed at www.whycare.ie and has an educator’s area that contains lessons for each section of the site.
The website can be accessed at www.whycare.ie and has an educator’s area that contains lessons for each section of the site.
SIC: CIN/IE