Migrant Leadership Academy - 2023

The Migrant Leadership Academy brings together migrants and refugees living in Ireland who are committed to social justice, equality and want to bring about positive change in their communities. The Academy teaches the fundamentals of activism and community organising.
Ireland is a very diverse society: 1 in 8 (12%) of us are people of a migrant background. Within our migrant and refugee communities Ireland has a pool of talented and inspiring leaders. They deliver great work contributing to the wellbeing of their local communities and transforming our society to be a better place for us all. However, many of the leaders work in silos, with no connection to wider networks or platforms.
The main objective of the Migrant Leadership Academy is to identify talented migrant and refugee leaders in Ireland and to provide them with a space for connection with fellow migrant and refugee leaders.
The space serves as a platform for reflection and skills exchange to enhance their leadership potential. The secondary aim is to support migrant and refugee leaders in designing and implementing their own social justice campaigns and/or migrant integration initiatives. Lastly, the long term objective is to increase diversity in leadership in the social justice sector, by providing access to career enhancing opportunities.






Are you a migrant leader?
We’re looking for people of a migrant and refugee background committed to social justice and equality and are passionate about their community. This programme is about building the power of communities so ideally you should be already connected to an existing social justice/migrant community group. If you have the drive and determination to change things for the better for your community then we want YOU!
Eligibility
Applicants must:
· Be non-EEA citizens or recently naturalised Irish citizens originally from a non-EEA country; People currently in the international protection process are welcome to apply;
- Be 18 years or older;
- Have good written and spoken English language skills;
- Be well-connected with your local migrant community;
- Have an interest in social justice, equality, diversity and community activism;
- Be reliable, with a strong commitment to the aims of the scheme;
- Be able to work well under pressure and use their initiative;
- Work well in a team.
Training commitment
This training will take place in person at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, Fingal, Co Dublin over 3 days (28-30 April 2023). The training sessions will take place:
· Friday, 28 April 5 pm - 8 pm
· Saturday, 29 April 9 am - 5 pm
· Sunday, 30 April 9 am - 2 pm
Accommodation and meals will be provided, and costs with public transport will be covered by the programme.
After the in-person training, 3 online sessions are scheduled to take place on the following days:
· Thursday, 11 May – 6 pm - 8 pm
· Thursday, 18 May – 6 pm - 8 pm
· Thursday, 25 May – 6 pm - 8 pm
The application deadline is closed.
What happens after?
Participants will have the opportunity to join our Migrant Leaders Network to connect with alumni of the Migrant Leadership Academy and participants of other leadership trainings and programmes offered by the Immigrant Council. In addition, the participant will have the opportunity to join the Transatlantic Migrant Democracy Dialogue (TMDD), a network of Europe and US-based migrant and refugee leaders.
Stories from our Migrant Leadership graduates
Read more about last year's graduates
More information about the Migrant Leadership Academy
ur Leadership Academy training content has been designed in collaboration with Act Build Change, a community training platform focusing on leadership and community organizing. The academy is funded by EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2019-2022.
Download our 2020 evaluation report