50:50 NI Meets Linsey Gibson
Have you always been interested in politics? Yes, I studied politics at A-level so I was always interested. I also remember visiting Stormont and Westminster when I was a school. At Stormont, I got to meet Monica McWilliams which was great! I also had the opportunity to get a picture…
50:50 NI Meets Sipho Sibanda
Have you always been interested in politics? Yes, but not in the sense of becoming an elected official but just that I was interested in how our daily lives are shaped by politics. I was born in Zimbabwe and I came to Northern Ireland as a political refugee where I…
50:50 NI Meets Kathleen McGurk
Today our board member Emma Rainey meets Kathleen McGurk. Kathleen is a Sinn Fein candidate in East Derry. Kathleen is currently a Councillor on Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council. With a background in the construction industry Kathleen is passionate about rural sustainability. Have you always been interested in politics?…
50:50 NI Meets Rachael Ferguson
Today 50:50 NI meets Rachael Ferguson. Rachael is an Alliance candidate in Foyle, she is currently an elected councillor and has a background in retail and childcare. Have you always been interested in politics? When I was eighteen I went away to university to Liverpool and I stayed there for…
50:50 NI Meets Sorcha Eastwood
As we get closer to polling day 50:50 NI is meeting more of the women running for election. Today 50:50 NI meets Sorcha Eastwood. Sorcha is an Alliance Party candidate in Lagan Valley, she has worked for the Alliance party for several years and has an impressive background in business…
50:50 NI Meets Bethany Ferris
This week our CEO meets another woman who is running the 2022 Assembly election. Bethany Ferris is a UUP candidate for North Antrim. Bethany has been involved in the UUP since she was a student. She is passionate about special needs education and has worked as an advocate for innocent…
50:50 NI Meets Déirdre Vaughan
50:50 NI is meeting another candidate this week as part of our #AEWomen22 campaign. Déirdre Vaughan is a SDLP candidate for North Down. she has a background in PR and political communications, and is passionate about mental health policy. Have you always been interested in politics? I am originally from…
50:50 NI Meets Naomi McBurney
This week 50:50 NI meets Naomi McBurney who is a UUP candidate for North Down. Naomi has been an activist in her community for many years running campaigns such as “Bring it back to Primary” and campaigning on the issues associated with school uniforms. Her experience in politics goes well…
50:50 NI Meets Claire Hackett
Claire Hackett is the first of many fantastic women in our new 50:50 NI Meets the Candidates series. Claire is a women’s health activist who has worked on many important issues such as supporting people who are breastfeeding, supporting new mothers and generally trying to smash the patriarchy that exists…
50:50 NI Meets Liz Kimmins
We are back with another ’50:50 NI Meets…’ interview. This week we met Liz Kimmins. Liz is the Sinn Féin MLA for Newry and Armagh. Have you always been interested in politics? Yes, I supposed from a young age I always had a keen interest. I didn’t really get active…
50:50 NI Meets Claire Hanna
This week 50:50 NI meets Claire Hanna has been the Member of Parliament for Belfast South since 2019 and was previously a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland from 2015 to 2019. Have you always been interested in politics? I always have been on some level. My parents…
50:50 NI Meets Michelle Guy
This week 50:50 NI met Michelle Guy. Michelle is an Alliance councillor for Castlereagh South. Michelle has previously worked in marketing and in policy as a civil servant. Have you always been interested in Politics? I guess the honest answer is yes. It’s very hard to grow up in Northern…
50:50 NI Meets Cathy Mason
This week 50:50 NI meets Cathy Mason, the Chair of The Newry, Mourne and Down Council. Cathy is the representative for Slieve Croob and has been a councillor since 2019. Have you always been interested in politics? Yes, and no I suppose. I probably got into politics in my teenage…
50:50 NI Meets Connie Egan
After a short break 50:50 NI meets is back! This week our CEO talks to Connie Egan. Connie is the Alliance Councillor for Bangor West and the Alliance deputy group leader on Ards & North Down Borough Council. Connie is also a researcher in education policy. Have you always been…
Mental Health in Northern Ireland
As a young person who has grown up in a post-conflict state, I am thankful for the hard-won peace that the Good Friday Agreement has brought to my generation. The Good Friday Agreement has allowed me to live in a society free of the violence witnessed by my parents. Although…
50:50 NI Meets Louise McKinstry
This week 50:50 NI meets Louise McKinstry who is a councillor on the Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon council. Louise is also a Maths teacher. Have you always been interested in politics? Yes, when I was at school I did public speaking and I had a fab English teacher. She really…
50:50 NI Meets Laura Devlin
This week 50:50 NI meets with another inspirational women who is chair of her council. Laura Devlin is Chair of the Newry, Mourne and Down council and has been a councillor since 2013. Laura is also the SDLP spokesperson for tourism. Have you always been interested in politics? My family…
50:50 NI Meets Diana Armstrong
This week 50:50 NI Meets Diana Armstrong. Diana is currently the chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. Prior to her career as an elected representative, Diana worked in the European Union Institutions. Have you always been interested in politics Yes, I grew up surrounded by politics. My father was…
50:50 NI Meets Kathryn McNickle
This week 50:50 NI meets Kathryn McNickle. Kathryn is a Green Party Councillor for Holywood and Clandeboye. She has an BA in Politics and Modern History from the University of Manchester and an LLM in Human Rights Law from QUB. Have you always been interested in politics? I was used…
50:50 NI Meets Cara Hunter
This week 50:50 NI meets Cara Hunter. As a former councillor and deputy mayor, in 2020 Cara became MLA for East Derry at the age of just 25. Cara is passionate about mental health and access to mental health services. She is currently the SDLP spokesperson for health. Have you…
50:50 NI Meets Nichola Mallon
This week 50:50 NI Meets Nichola Mallon. Nichola has had a very impressive political journey so far; Nichola is currently deputy leader of the SDLP and has been MLA for Belfast North since 2016. Nichola was also Lord Mayor of Belfast from 2014 to 2015. Have you always been interested…
50:50 NI Meets Caoimhe Archibald
This week 50:50 NI meets Caoimhe Archibald. Caoimhe has been MLA for East Derry/Londonderry since 2016. Caoimhe is the Sinn Fein spokesperson for the economy and Chair of the Northern Ireland assembly Economy Committee. Additionally, Caoimhe has a PhD from QUB in molecular mycology. Have you always been interested in…
50:50 NI meets Kate Nicholl
This week 50:50 NI meets Kate Nicholl. Kate is an Alliance Councillor for Balmoral, South Belfast. Have you always been interested in politics? Yes, I think I have always been interested in politics, but maybe didn’t identify it as that. My grandparents were anti-apartheid activists: My grandmother was a member…
50:50 NI meets Paula Bradley
This week 50:50 NI meets Paula Bradley. Paula is a Democratic Unionist Party politician in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast North since 2011. So, my first question is, have you always been political? I grew up in a household that…
50:50 NI Meets Rachel Woods
We are back with the 50:50 NI Interview series. This week 50:50 NI meets Rachel Woods. Rachel is the Green Party MLA for North Down and served on Ards and North Down Borough Council before becoming a Member of the Legislative Assembly. Have you always been interested in politics? No,…
50:50 NI Meets Sinéad McLaughlin
This week 50:50 NI meets Sinead McLaughlin. Sinead MLA is an SDLP politician who has served as Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Foyle constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly since January 2020. She is the SDLP’s spokesperson for the economy and energy, the deputy chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s economy committee and is a former chief executive of…
50:50 NI Meets Emma Sheerin
This is the second instalment of the series and this week 50:50 NI meets Emma Sheerin. Emma is a Sinn Féin MLA for Mid Ulster, and the party’s assembly spokesperson on Equality and Human Rights. A PPE Graduate of QUB, she’s been a Sinn Féin activist since her teenage years, and…
50:50 NI Meets Patricia O’Lynn
This week we kick off the ’50:50 NI Meets’ series with Patricia O’Lynn. Patricia is an Alliance Councillor on the Mid and East Antrim borough council. When she is not representing the people of Ballymena Town Patricia works as a programme manager at the Charity Right To Succeed. Having achieved…
Gender Quotas : A Very Short Introduction
Gender quotas have proven to be an extremely effective tool at increasing the number of women being elected into parliaments across the world. As of 2019, more than half of the top nations for women’s representation in politics have some form of voluntary, legislative or constitutional quota. But what are…
Women and the Environment: Why More Women are Needed in the Fight Against Climate Change
Due to the fact that women make up the majority of the world’s poor, up to 70% according to the UN, they are significantly more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than men. The extent to which women are disproportionately affected by climate change is truly shocking; 80% of…
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