Emerging Leaders Exchange for Ireland & Northern Ireland

Rachel Woods, Councilor at the Ards and North Down Borough Council in Northern Ireland, participated on the inbound exchange to the U.S. in September 2019 and reconnected with fellow participants during the outbound exchange to Ireland and Northern Ireland in December 2019. During the exchange, Rachel learned about the similar societal issues faced in both Northern Ireland and the U.S., such as poverty, community division, and political tensions, but witnessed how these issues present themselves differently across cities, given factors such as investment differences. Through her lens as an elected politician, Rachel reflected on the ways in which similar challenges and discrepancies may play out in Northern Ireland and should be considered in her work advocating for funding for youth programs, for example. Through visits to educational facilities in the U.S., Rachel developed ideas for how to advocate for change in policy and practice in Northern Ireland, encouraging initiatives like community education, flexible education options and curriculums, and the possibility of building community support through social enterprise and private donors, as she learned about in the U.S.

Since the exchange, Rachel has maintained a wide network of contacts, from those in Ireland and Northern Ireland, with whom she has liaised on a variety of policy matters, to people she met in the U.S., such as government officials in Minneapolis and homestay hosts. Following the murder of George Floyd and the protests that ensued, Rachel and her connections in Minneapolis have shared news, discussed issues of race and division, and are working towards an initiative for cross-community and cross-Atlantic conversations connecting young people in Northern Ireland and the U.S. Rachel has also stayed in touch with connections she met in New York City, which has enabled her leadership role in her work on youth justice matters. By sharing knowledge, she gained from her exchange, Rachel, with her fellow councilors’ support, successfully secured social value and green procurement considerations in her local government. Most recently, Rachel has been in the process of drafting her own legislation for Northern Ireland on paid lead for victims of domestic abuse in the workplace, and she continues to work on a range of youth justice issues, from youth in the care system, to raising the age of criminal responsibility, and banning the physical punishment of children.

The Emerging Leaders Exchange for Northern Ireland & Ireland exchange connected young professionals from the U.S., Northern Ireland, and Ireland, who work with marginalized youth and are aiming to enact social change in their communities.