Migrant Leadership Academy
The Migrant Leadership Academy brings together migrants and refugees living in Ireland who are committed to social justice, equality and want to bring about positive change in their communities. The Academy teaches the fundamentals of activism and community organising.
Ireland is a very diverse society: 1 in 8 (12%) of us are people of a migrant background. Within our migrant and refugee communities Ireland has a pool of talented and inspiring leaders. They deliver great work contributing to the wellbeing of their local communities and transforming our society to be a better place for us all. However, many of the leaders work in silos, with no connection to wider networks or platforms.
The primarily objective of the Migrant Leadership Academy is to identify talented migrant and refugee leaders in Ireland and to provide them with a space for connection with fellow migrant and refugee leaders.
The space serves as a platform for reflection and skills exchange to enhance their leadership potential. The secondary aim is to support migrant and refugee leaders in designing and implementing their own social justice campaigns and/or migrant integration initiatives. Lastly, the long term objective is to increase diversity in leadership in the social justice sector, by providing access to career enhancing opportunities.
Applications will be open from Tuesday, 3 August to Monday 23 August 2021. Selected candidates will begin the academy the week of 23 September.
Are you a migrant leader?
We’re looking for people of a migrant and refugee background committed to social justice and equality and are passionate about their community. This programme is about building power of communities so ideally you should be already connected to an existing social justice/migrant community group. If you have the drive and determination to change things for the better for your community then we want YOU!
The Academy will run for 9 weeks (23 September-18 November 2021) and will be a blended learning of online weekly sessions (6-8pm), pre-recorded video sessions, online resources and home exercises.
Applications close Monday 23 August 2021. Selected candidates will begin the academy the week of 23 September.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- be non-EEA citizens or recently naturalised Irish citizens originally from a non-EEA country; People currently in the international protection process are welcome to apply;
- be 18 years or older;
- have good written and spoken English language skills;
- be well-connected with your local migrant community;
- have an interest in social justice, equality, diversity and community activism;
- be reliable, with a strong commitment to the aims of the scheme;
- be able to work well under pressure and use their initiative;
- work well in a team;
Training content
If you are interested to learn more about the training content and the time commitment see additional information in the application guidelines here. You can also read about the impact of the Migrant Leadership Academy 2020 here.
What happens after?
Participants will have the opportunity to join our Migrant Leaders Network to connect with alumni of the Migrant Leadership Academy and participants of other leadership trainings and programmes offered by the Immigrant Council.
In addition participant will have the opportunity to join the Transatlantic Migrant Democracy Dialogue (TMDD), a network of Europe and US-based migrant and refugee leaders. The TMDD organises the annual Democracy Summit, a 3-day training and peer-learning forum focusing on democracy, solidarity, anti-racism and leadership. The Migrant Leadership Academy alumni are eligible to apply for the Migrant Leadership Bursary to attend the Democracy Summit.
About the Migrant Leadership Academy
Our Leadership Academy training content has been designed in collaboration with Act Build Change, a community training platform focusing on leadership and community organizing. The academy is funded by EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2019-2022.
