People

Bernadette McAliskey says that people who have mixed feelings about campaigning for peace, including community and youth workers, should practice their ethics now and “stand up for what you believe in”. People must choose between ethics and their career, she said. Speaking directly to Ireland’s community workers, and particularly to some who may be fearful of consequences from condemning Israeli aggression, she said, “If you’re afraid to speak out about injustice (now)… you will fail when the chips are down to defend your own community”.

The Wheel’s new CEO, it was announced on Monday, is Ivan Cooper, formerly the organisation’s director of public policy. He is widely known for his work, but he is also a history and geography buff, a keen cyclist and one of the many Dubs living in County Wicklow.

Community workers – often indirectly funded by the State - are perversely being offered better pay in other areas funded by government. The situation is urgent. It is the most talked about issue of the day and that’s saying something.

Last Friday, ‘Changing Ireland’ sent out two students Ella and Caoimhe, who are on placement with us, to ask one questions: “What do you love about Moyross?” In less than half an hour they returned with five short and cheery interviews, all with women as it happens.

There should be a war tax (eg 1%) imposed on corporations earning profits of over €1m to help finance communities to support refugees. Ireland thankfully opened its doors to take in war refugees from Ukraine and the response from Irish people has been fantastic, but this could run for years. We are a rich country partly because multi-nationals are attracted here by low corporation taxes and the space provided for "tax efficiency". Now we are in an emergency and those who can afford to pay more tax should do so.

"A lot of young people are into ethical approaches to doing business such as upcycling and people-based services. They’re telling me there‘s a real opportunity here for credit unions to reach out to that mindset," says Olive McCarthy.

Karen Meenan says we all need to focus more on brain health. She has interviewed over 100 guests on this and related subjects as an amateur radio host with Near FM.

“When you’re meeting a young person for the first time and they perceive adults as something not to trust, humour can be a great tool.” Cork teenager Cai Desmond-Sadd interviews Derry youth worker Fergal Barr who is campaigning to have humour recognised as a valid tool for engaging young people.