Irish humanitarian organisation GOAL is proud to partner with St Patrick’s Festival (SPF) this year and deliver an exciting programme of events at the Festival Quarter in Collins Barracks National Museum of Ireland, Benburb Street, Dublin on the afternoon of Sat 18th March. The theme of this year’s festival is ONE, celebrating diversity, inclusion and oneness through art and culture.
GOAL NextGen, the organisation’s global citizenship education initiative, which will host the free events, empowers a generation of Global Citizens to understand and critically reflect on the interconnected nature of our world and the root causes and consequences of global crises and inequality. By challenging stereotypes and encouraging independent thinking, GOAL NextGen endeavours to inspire young people across Ireland to act in pursuit of a sustainable, resilient and inclusive future for all.
GOAL’s Director of External Relations, Mary Van Lieshout, invites everyone to the GOAL Global Stage and Spiegeltent Beag, to engage with the day’s activitie “With the support of Irish Aid, we are delighted to partner with St. Patrick’s Festival this year celebrating ONEness. At GOAL NextGen we understand the power that arts and culture have in creating global interconnection, transcending geographical borders, and uniting us as ONE global community with a shared responsibility for both people and planet.”
“St Patrick’s Day is a true global celebration of culture; from music and dance to folklore and storytelling, there’s something for all ages to explore what it means to be a global citizen,” continued Mary Van Lieshout.
The GOAL Global Stage will see live music, dance and spoken word performances run from 12-5pm on Sat 18th March in Collins Barracks’ Clarke Square, with local and international groups taking the stage, including:
- St Patrick’s Festival Community Arts Groups including Venezuelan Roots dance group, a lively Lithuanian Folk Dance group Suktinis, Alma Boliviana Ballet, and more.
- Bloco Atha Cliath – a live Urban music collective including performances from: Big Bennjy, King Joe, Flaco Dior, Blaq Appollo, Mimmie and Guests
- Experience Japan Taiko– The Experience Japan Taiko Team is a young and energetic Japanese drumming team
- Atomic presents Lychee b2b Reflekta– Atomic broadcasts the sounds of young Ireland through a monthly series on Dublin Digital Radio (ddr), where young people get an opportunity to host their own show. Two of last year’s hosts – Reflekta and Lychee – are now making a noise on the DJ scene in Dublin: for St Patrick’s Festival they are going to represent Atomic, playing a back-to-back DJ set.
GOAL NextGen and Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company will present an interactive storytelling session for children aged four to twelve years old at the Spiegeltent Beag, also in the Festival Quarter, from 2pm on Sat 18th March. The session will comprise performances of stories which aim to inspire a sense of global connectedness while empowering the young audience to become Changemakers in their own communities. The stories will be interspersed with audience participation, including singing and dancing.
GOAL’s Global Citizenship Manager, Victoria Walshe also encourages young adults with an interest in global issues to meet the GOAL NextGen Team at the Festival, to learn more about their upcoming GOAL NextGen Youth Programme.
“We would love to chat with young people at St Patricks Festival who are passionate about working together for a better world about GOAL’s NextGen Youth programme.”
“The programme empowers young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to speak out for change, inclusivity and solidarity. They will also have the opportunity to connect with GOAL’s growing Global Youth Network of passionate young people around the world who are ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead of us all,” continued Victoria Walshe.
