STAND Changemakers Academy is back
Applications are now open for the STAND Changemakers Academy 2026, our award-winning, immersive three-month programme for students and recent graduates exploring this year's theme: Peace and Reconciliation.
Running 24 August to October 2026, the programme includes:
- 1 week residential (Knockree, Co. Wicklow – 24 – 28 August), exploring global examples of conflict and peacebuilding, looking at how societies rebuild trust after violence and division. Through workshops and discussions, the programme also examines how polarisation develops today and how we respond to it.
- 5 x Global Issues Input sessions (1 evening a week online - September 2026)
- A cross-border residential weekend in Derry (St. Columb’s Park House – 2-4 October) focused on peacebuilding, storytelling, and dialogue, delivered in partnership with Theatre of Witness Network.
“The question “how can we live together?” sits at the heart of the 2026 programme, and it feels more urgent than ever. At a time when conflict dominates headlines, from the ongoing war in Ukraine, Sudan, or Myanmar, to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza or the Democratic Republic of Congo, to increasing political polarisation across Europe and North America, opportunities for meaningful dialogue can feel increasingly difficult. Young people today are navigating a world in which division can feel like the default. The Changemakers Academy responds directly to this moment. Drawing on extraordinary examples of reconciliation from post-conflict societies — including Rwanda, Northern Ireland, and South Africa — the programme explores how peace is never simply an outcome, but something fragile, hard-won, and actively practised. Participants are invited to examine both the macro scale of political and societal reconciliation and the micro scale of their own lives: the conversations they choose to have, the communities they build, and the habits of dialogue and openness that make living together possible.” commented Clare Sheppard, STAND Innovation & Leadership Manager
The Changemakers Academy was awarded a GENE Award in November 2025, recognising it as one of five outstanding global education initiatives across Europe.
Applications close mid-August 2026.
Find out more and apply: https://stand.ie/what-we-do/stand-changemakers-academy
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STILL TIME TO JOIN: Ideas Collective Bootcamp
STAND's Ideas Collective is our free social innovation bootcamp and incubator supporting students and recent graduates to develop early-stage ideas that address social justice and sustainability challenges.
This year we're expanding beyond Dublin for the first time, running bootcamps in Cork, Galway, and Dublin. The Cork bootcamp kicks off on 25 May, but there's still time to sign up for Galway and Dublin!
- Cork: 25–29 May | MTU Cork
- Galway: 8–12 June | University of Galway
- Dublin: 15–19 June | The Digital Hub
Over five days, participants will:
- Develop their idea through design thinking workshops
- Connect with a community of changemakers
- Pitch at a live showcase for a chance to win €1,500 seed funding
- Top projects join a 9-month incubator, with the winning pitch receiving €5,000 at the final showcase
The programme is completely FREE, with limited accommodation support available for those who need to travel. We particularly encourage applications from underrepresented backgrounds, including ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, Travellers and Roma, people experiencing poverty or social exclusion, and more
Info booklet: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/13f9bcd6fc.html
Apply here: https://stand.ie/what-we-do/ideas-collective
Questions? Contact Clare at clare@stand.ie