Latest News: A Windy Welcome and a Boat Called Billy Goat...
It’s a blustery Thursday late afternoon when we arrive at the West Pier of Dún Laoghaire Harbour. The wind cuts sharply across the quay, and low, heavy clouds threaten rain at any moment. We glance at each other more than once, wondering whether Ed—the man behind Goat Boat Tours—might call it off. To be fair, we wouldn’t blame him.
Looking back at the Bridging Futures General Assembly event and more specifically, in this account, the inaugural Bridging Futures Lecture. At the heart of the programme was a deeply moving and widely praised lecture by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Phan Thị Kim Phúc. Known internationally as the ‘Napalm Girl’ from the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of the Vietnam War, Kim has since become a powerful advocate for peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
This article by Samuel Ombeni, Refugee Youth Advocate for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Agriculture, published by coalition members, African Youth Integrated For Socio-Economic Development (AYISD), provides vision of a community-led response to the escalating food crisis in Uganda’s Nakivale Refugee Settlement. Following the withdrawal of international food aid, this model presents a viable alternative to long-term dependency. By championing regenerative, high-impact ecological techniques, the model highlights that food security is achievable through the simultaneous restoration of the land and the livelihoods of those who tend it.
This blog post by Erick Torres reflects on the eight-year journey of REISA, a Guatemalan network dedicated to making ecological and agricultural education accessible to those who need it. REISA was born in 2018 from a need to bridge a significant gap in Guatemala’s education system. While industrial monoculture is often promoted as a quick fix, it frequently leads to soil degradation and the loss of traditional Indigenous farming wisdom. REISA sought to provide affordable training in permaculture and regenerative agriculture specifically for rural and Indigenous families who depend on the land for survival.
In the Amazon, the traditional recipes of the Ticuna communities (one of the indigenous ethnic groups), are a precious heritage passed down and continually refined through generations, carrying deep historical, cultural, and ecological wisdom. However, traditional cooking methods have gradually disappeared, especially among the younger generation. To protect this invaluable knowledge, the women of one Ticuna community have spontaneously formed an innovative group called “Sabores y Sabores Ticuna,” dedicated to reviving traditional recipes. They pass down the traditions, incorporate new ideas, sparking the younger generation’s interest in Ticuna culture and the natural environment.