Galway’s global educator aims to break down border barriers

The Galway-based global leader in free online education has committed to increasing understanding – and thus allaying fears – between North and South, in a special project to run over the next three years.

Alison, the global empowerment platform founded by Mike Feerick in Loughrea, has agreed to fund the hiring of a Regional Development Manager for the West of Ireland, for Cooperation Ireland, the North/South peace charity.

The sponsorship, which is for a three-year period, will facilitate the development of a Support Chapter for the North/South peace charity in the West of Ireland, and also see the development of an All-Ireland Online Schools Programme.

Mr Ferrick described the motivation of Alison’s sponsorship as two-fold.

“I have long believed there is far too little day-to-day engagement between the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic,” he said.

“I am not a rabid nationalist; a united Ireland makes sense in many ways – but it should only be brought about in a peaceful way.  One thing stopping this happening is a simple lack of understanding between people north and south.

“So few people in the south have anything to do with anyone in the north.  We need to get people connected – so that any fear factor of the unknown is dissipated,” he said.

His second motivation is that he believes Alison offers the means of doing something about this through the development of a free online education programme between schools north and south.

Read the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now – or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie

Applications for the post can be made through https://cooperationireland.org/recruitment-galway/