How to be a Good Ancestor

How to be a Good Ancestor is an intergenerational project exploring the values of the UNESCO-endorsed Earth Charter with Anchor Youth Group & WIN(Women’s Integrated Network) in Athy, Co. Kildare from April 2024-October 2024.

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The Earth Charter is a document with 16 principles inspiring a global movement for building a just, sustainable and peaceful world. It is the product of a decade-long, worldwide dialogue on shared values. The Charter offers a sense of interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of all people, the greater community of life, and future generations.

Exploring the value of memory

In How to be a Good Ancestor young people will informally interview older members of the community on values that are/were important to them and gather stories, memories and life experiences, including discussions on climate change with older generations. We hope to represent these memories and life experiences through sound recordings and colour-popping screenprinting visuals.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead, anthropologist

We are exploring youth activism through social justice, a pillar of the Earth Charter. Women & children are most affected by War or Climate change so we use examples from Kildare’s ancestors such as Mary Leadbeater’s sugar boycott, Helen Evans & the Edinburgh 7 or Kathleen Lonsdale. Anchor Youth group and WIN will express their reflections by creating artwork based on these intergenerational conversations, we may ask the groups if is there anything they could give up today that could impact or empower women & children in non-dominant cultures.

Oral history is a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events.

Oral history is the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word.

We are incredibly lucky to live in a Barrow Blueway town, with nature’s biodiverse gifts on our doorstep. Through the Earth Charter and sense of place, we question nature’s rights, such as rivers with all generations.

Women’s Integrated Network Athy is a Voluntary, Not for Profit & Non-Political Women’s Network. Its remit is to Empower all Women for Positive Integration through quality Information provision, Skills / Knowledge Acquisition, Training, Potential Development and Social Networking for the common good.

The object of Anchor Youth Club is to be young people-centred and promote the safety and well-being of young people through programmes which provide opportunities for personal development of young people to further enable them to become mature adults and to become caring and active members of their community.