At 10am, we opened the event with an address from Arne Folleras who is acting ambassador of the Royal Norwegian embassy in Ireland. Mr. Folleras informed us of the Norwegian friluftsliv and how the EEA grants came about. Next, Irish Ultra Marathon Runner Conor O’Keefe, gave a motivational talk on the importance of Leave-No-Trace policies and how people can become more active citizens by caring for our environment.
The first panel discussion - “taking learning outdoors; rethinking education” featured panellists Dr. Orla Kelly from DCU, Aodhnait Carroll from Coláiste Dulaigh and PhD student in DCU, Rachel Raftery. They broached topics such as the importance of training outdoor educators, the role of outdoor learning during and after the pandemic, and gave advice on how to bring learning outdoors in both rural and urban spaces.
Our second panel discussion -“employability and reengagement of young people after COVID 19” was with Councilor Daniel Butler from Limerick City DEPS, John Hassett, Ballyhoura Development, and Joanne Holland, Employability and Careers in LIT. They discussed the challenges facing young people around technology and mental health, and what traits employerslook for in a candidate.
In our last section of the Forum, Joanna Bochniarz, President of CIE informed us of developments of the FOLM project in Spain and Poland. While, Seamus Hoyne, Dean of Flexible and Work Based Learning at LIT and Director of Industry Engagement, highlighted the sustainability of the FOLM project and what was next for the project. Closing at 1pm, the FOLM Irish NEF 2021 event was a great success with extremely relevant topics discussed throughout the webinar.
We continue to recruit for young people who are 18-29 years of age who are not in full time employment, education or training from the FOLM project in Ireland. Please contact us at folm@lit.ie if you’re interested in applying or follow us on social media @folm_ireland.