‘How can we make this a city for us all?’

By Ella Lynch

Do you have a passion for Dublin and an interest in being one of the leaders that shape its future? A global non-profit is inviting young people to imagine the capital’s future.

Legacy Dublin 22 is a free programme that convenes a diverse group of young people who want to shape the future of the city – and is one of a number of similar projects happening around the world. 

The three-day programme will be held next week, October 26 to 28^th, at locations including IDA Ireland near the Iveagh Gardens and The Foundry, near Google’s docklands headquarters. It is organised by a global non-profit, Common Purpose, which focusses on developing ‘leadership’ among young people and has Dublin offices in the Liberties. 

Over the three days, a group of 100 people between the ages of 18 and 25 will gather to explore the future of the city and imagine what they would like their legacy to be.

Participants will be asked to imagine Dublin 25 years into the future. 

“In order to have a really rounded conversation on that, it’s very necessary to get a diverse group of people in the room,” said Donna O’Connor, Project Manager of Dublin 22. 

“These are topics that we all discuss socially. How can we support those coming into Ireland from war-torn countries? How can we be better allies for our LGBTQ friends? We tend to talk about these things within our own group, but our own friends tend to be slightly homogeneous. The idea of Legacy is to allow that kind of collaboration with people you would not normally meet,” she added. 

Sponsors of the Dublin 22 programme include IDA Ireland, the Department of Rural and Community Development, Foróige, Google, Lewis Silkin and the National Treasury Management Agency. 

“The key is for this programme to be as inclusive as possible, allowing participants to listen and learn from their peers and work on projects together to imagine a ‘city for all’,” Dara Connolly, CEO of Common Purpose Ireland said. “We are excited to see it taking place in Dublin in 2022, the year of the centenary of the state, a suitable time to look forward as well as back.

“Common Purpose and its partners will bring a really diverse group together: some in employment, some not, some volunteering and some new to Ireland.” 

Common Purpose Ireland

Legacy has already been held in approximately 20 locations around the globe so far, including Boston, Bangladesh, Johannesburg and Belfast.

The introduction will take place on Wednesday evening at IDA, Hatch Street from 4 :30pm to 9pm. There, the participants will be set their challenge and will meet with the first speakers as well as their fellow participants. 

The second and third day will be held at Google Foundry from 9:30am to 6pm. On Friday, participants visit one of eight local enterprises on an immersion visit, all of which are within walking distance of Google. Later they will discuss their experiences with a new group in a ‘cafe conversation’, involving a variety of international and local leaders.  

On Saturday, each person will get guidance on how to bring their ideas to life, meet with potential social investors, and participate in a graduation ceremony. 

Registration for the programme will close next Tuesday, October 25. 

“I think it’s an amazing programme for anyone who is involved, anyone who has an interest in social justice, social policy, politics, journalism – for people who think that their career or interest goes down the well-being route, for anyone who is interested in having agency and having a voice in how the city develops,” O’Connor said. 

Additional information about Legacy Dublin 22 and an application to register can be found at CommonPurpose.org.