Social Justice Matters is a podcast from Social Justice Ireland. We are an independent justice advocacy think tank that advances the lives of people and communities through providing independent social analysis and effective policy development to create a sustainable future for every member of society and for societies as a whole.
Episodes
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
MECPATHS is the only non-profit organisation in Ireland which focuses specifically on the issue of Child Trafficking. It works to raise awareness on this hidden issue and educates frontline and emerging professionals to prevent Child Trafficking and enhance existing protective measures.
Education Manager, Ann Mara and Network & Communications Manager, J.P. O’Sullivan chat with Susanne Rogers about the issue of child trafficking in Ireland, how we currently understand it, how the language needs to shift and what supports must be put in place.
The podcast referenced by J.P., "The Witness: In His Own Words" carries the following warning, "there are references throughout this podcast to violence, sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts. If you are negatively affected and need help or advice, please contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s Freephone National 24-Hour Helpline on 1800 77 8888 in Ireland, or call the Samaritans on Freephone 116 123 in Ireland and the UK."
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
164. SJI Interviews Ep.103: AI with Dr. Patricia Scanlon, Ireland’s AI Ambassador
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Dr. Patricia Scanlon is the founder and Executive Chair of SoapBox Labs, now the world's leading provider of Voice AI for children. In 2022, the Irish Government appointed Dr. Scanlon Ireland’s first AI Ambassador. Dr. Scanlon holds a PhD and has 25 years experience working in Artificial Intelligence and speech recognition technology, including at Bell Labs and IBM. She has been granted 7 patents and is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). An acclaimed TEDx speaker, in 2018 Dr. Scanlon was named one of the world’s top 50 women in tech by Forbes and a top “Visionary in Voice” by Voicebot in 2020. She is also a contributor to Forbes, TechCrunch and TheNextWeb.
She chats with Susanne Rogers about the role of AI Ambassador, advances in artificial intelligence, ethics and AI,the opportunities as well as challenges posed by AI and what regulation can bring to the space.
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
We all know that Ireland's population is living longer, which is really good news! However, we need to plan for the needs of our future older people today, particularly in the area of housing. A new report commissioned by ALONE and Threshold, 'Double Deficit: Older and Ageing Persons in the Private Rental Sector', highlights the experience of older people who are renting privately, the impact that this has on their housing security, mental health, and overall quality of life, and makes a series of key recommendations on how Government and stakeholders might learn from these experiences.
Colette Bennett, Economic and Social Analyst with Social Justice Ireland, chats with Gráinne Loughran of ALONE and Ann-Marie O'Reilly of Threshold about this report, their work in the sector generally, and why key reforms are needed now to advance the quality of life of future older generations.
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
Dr Peter Doran is a founding member of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance hub on the island of Ireland and has worked with the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust on a wellbeing outcomes framework for the Northern Ireland Programme for Government. He is a senior lecturer at the School of Law at the Queen's University Belfast and a senior writer with the International Institute for Sustainable Development's reporting services at UN negotiations on environment and development. He has authored numerous articles on ecology and politics, and authored A Political Economy of Attention, Mindfulness and Consumerism - Reclaiming The Mindful Commons (Routledge 2017). A practising zen buddhist, Dr Doran draws heavily from zen and decolonial literature (the pluriverse) in his work on the wellbeing economy.
Peter spoke at the Social Justice Ireland Annual Social Policy Conference in 2022 on the theme 'Towards Wellbeing For All'. You can also watch his presentation, view his slides and read more here.
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
In this week's episode, Colette Bennett, Economic and Social Analyst, chats with Paul Goldrick Kelly, Economist at the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) about his latest blog on carbon locks. What they are, where they are, and what needs to be done to progress towards a real just transition.
If you're not familiar with their work, check out NERI's website - www.neriinstitute.net - and subscribe to their regular blog.
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
160. SJI Interviews Ep100: The 15 minute city in Ireland with Niamh Moore-Cherry
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Niamh Moore-Cherry is Professor in the School of Geography, Deputy College Principal in the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, and Honorary Professor at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London. Her research is focused on understanding governance and the impact of territorial politics on urban and regional outcomes. She founded and leads the Cities, Governance and Sustainability (www.citiesgovernancesustainability.eu) research group in UCD which brings together academic, policy and community engaged work. In summer 2022, she was appointed as an independent member of the advisory National Economic and Social Council (NESC) by An Taoiseach.
She chats with Susanne Rogers about what the 15 minute city is and is not, the challenges and possibilities for the concept in the Irish context.
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
159. *Special Edition* - Budget Choices 2024
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Due to a technical glitch when we launched our Budget Choices 2024 policy briefing on Monday, 3rd July 2023, our launch did not record. But don't worry! We've recorded a podcast covering all of the relevant details from the launch, including your great questions. We hope you enjoy it.
Budget Choices 2024 is available to download here: Budget Choices 2024 | Social Justice Ireland
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Issy Petrie is Research and Policy Officer with the Society of St.Vincent de Paul (SVP) and Nicola Fox is National Development Officer with Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS). They chat with Susanne Rogers about energy poverty in Ireland, who is affected, what supports are available and policy asks into the future.
Find out more about SVP HERE.
Find out more about MABS HERE.
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
In this week's episode, Colette Bennett chats with Dr. Amanda Roberts and Avril Easton of the Irish Hospice Foundation on their research looking at the financial impact of bereavement. An estimated 300,000 people every year are impacted by bereavement and many of those will struggle, not just with the emotional fall-out, but the financial impact too.
If you want to start planning for your future, the Irish Hospice Foundation have a brilliant tool to help: Think_Ahead_Editable.pdf (hospicefoundation.ie)
If you or someone you know has been bereaved, the Irish Hospice Foundation have a range of supports: Irish Hospice Foundation - To Die and Grieve Well Wherever the Place
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
156. SJI Interviews Ep.97: Keith Adams on the Irish Prison System
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
In this episode, Colette Bennett welcomes back Keith Adams, Penal Policy Advocate in Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and Doctoral candidate at Leuven Institute of Criminology. It will come as no surprise that we're talking all things prisons - the latest scandals, the unpublished reports, and what really needs to be done if the criminal justice system is to work effectively.
If you want to learn more about Keith's work, check out www.jcfj.ie to read his many articles and publications, and check out the work of his colleagues across a range of areas too.