Key Takeaways from the BRRIDGE Project’s Galway Visit
This May, a delegation from Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici consisting of Professor Kamila Borseková, Professor Martina Bolečeková, Dr. Jozef Michal Mintal, Dr. Róbert Vancel conducted a visit to the University of Galway, marking an important stride in our ongoing collaboration.
Our sincere appreciation goes to Professor Ekaterina Yahyaoui Krivenko, who adeptly orchestrated our visit, ensuring that our meetings were both informative and conducive to our collaborative goals.
Throughout the visit, our delegation had the privilege of engaging in detailed discussions with various researchers. Professor Christine Domegan shared her insights on crucial areas, including sustainability, climate action, systems change, and transitions. Additionally, we gleaned significant knowledge from Professor Kate Kenny on vital subjects of whistleblowing, hate speech, and freedom of speech. Equally enlightening was our dialogue with Professor John McHale on the nexus between inequality, democracy, and sustainable development.
Our Democracy Living Lab, a central component of the BRRIDGE project, benefited greatly from the insights on community engagement shared by Ann Lyons. This essential knowledge will undoubtedly enhance our efforts to foster democratic engagement at the grassroots level.
The visit also presented an opportunity to examine the networking and matchmaking activities at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, contributing to the strengthening of our global connections and furthering cooperative initiatives.
Our discussions during the visit also opened potential avenues for augmenting the research capacities at Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici. We look forward to initiating new project undertakings with Ekaterina Yahyaoui Krivenko, Maëlle Noir, Jurgita Bukauskaite, and other Galway academics.
This visit to the University of Galway has proven invaluable, providing insights and perspectives that will shape the trajectory of our work in the BRRIDGE project. We remain steadfast in our commitment to these goals, and eagerly anticipate applying these learnings to our continued work.
Stay tuned to this space for additional updates on our work and collaborations within the Institute for Democracy. We appreciate your ongoing interest and support as we advance democratic principles through research and engagement.
