Collaboration for Change supports grassroots activism and will be hosting two Imagine! events on rethinking money (March 26) and Nordic-inspired system design (March 28).
What if young women and girls could lead the conversation on healthy relationships, shaping a healthier and safer society? That’s exactly what the Brave Belfast Cailíní campaign is doing.
Belfast’s Linen Quarter played a crucial role in its economic and social development and this tour will showcase its historic buildings, industrial heritage and vibrant present.
Northern Ireland has the highest rate of low-paid jobs in the UK, but the Living Wage NI initiative is working to change this by raising awareness, supporting employer accreditation and promoting fair pay to reduce in-work poverty and strengthen the economy.
Historian Dr Robyn Atcheson describes how, behind Belfast’s industrial success, women fought for progress, from activism and education to legal rights and fair work conditions.
Ahead of her tour on 30th March, Emma Casey of Wee Walks Belfast discusses Belfast’s suffragettes, their militant fight for voting rights, their confrontations with political leaders and their lasting impact on electoral reform.
Jinx Lennon describes his journey of discovering his artistic muse, realising the raw power of authentic performance and embracing imperfection as the key to creativity.
Denis Stewart reflects on the turbulent state of the world, the necessity of love and disobedience in resisting its injustices, and the role of gatherings like those at Imagine! 2025 in fostering critical, creative, and hopeful engagement with these challenges.
The vote on the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement was a model for the world but it needs to be improved before another momentous referendum, aka ‘Border Poll’. Rules on campaign finance and the use and abuse of social media urgently need updated. The latter is especially true at a time of Russian interference in Western referendums, as most recently evidenced in the Constitutional referendum in Moldova in 2024.
Quintin Oliver discusses Andrew Carnegie – creator of palaces of learning – and the community-owned Carnegie Oldpark Library ahead of his ‘hard hat’ tour on 24th March.
Ahead of the Social Change Initiative’s event at Imagine!, Jeannie McCann writes about meeting an indigenous community who peacefully resisted corporate power and how our taxes can be used as a force for good in the world.
The Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics has launched its full programme of events with Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Christina Black and other guests at an event on 2 March in the Grand Central Hotel, sponsored by Linen Quarter Bid.
Alan Meban recently caught up with Hugh Odling-Smee from FilmHubNI who are supporting a strand of films at this year’s Imagine! Festival that explore cancellation and censorship.
In advance of Sinéad Gleeson’s much anticipated interview, we are delighted to publish her reflections on the Covid lockdown and a playlist which has distracted her during this time.
Neil Hegarty surveys the events of a decade from the vantage point of the year 2031 – and observes a scene in which geopolitics, society, and Ireland itself are changed utterly.
