The People Behind the STAR Awards: Social Change

Written by

Brian Desmond

Published on

October 9, 2026

(Part 5 of a 6-part series)

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

The AONTAS STAR Awards Social Change category is a new category sponsored by the Department of Adult & Community Education in Maynooth University. This STAR Award celebrates initiatives that bring about positive social change on the island of Ireland.

This can be any type of adult learning initiative that makes our world a better place. What emerged last year were adult learning projects that offer alternatives to violence, that confront division, racism and intolerance and make our society a fairer and more inclusive society for all.

They all showed learning at its most courageous — sitting with difficult questions of identity and belonging, turning crisis into capability, and ensuring that marginalised voices shape the decisions that affect them. Here’s a look at the shortlist from 2026 in this category, grouped by theme, to give you a sense of the ground this award can cover. The scope is wide though, so if your work is bringing about positive social change, nominate it for this STAR Award.

Dialogue, Identity and Community Healing

This initiative uses creative, participatory methods to help a community process division and rebuild trust and understanding.

Who Are We Now? A Photovoice Exploration of Community, Identity and Contested Belonging (Northside Partnership)

Marking the first anniversary of the protests outside the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock, Northside Partnership used photovoice — a participatory, trauma-informed method combining photography and storytelling — to help residents and workers process what the unrest revealed about identity, inclusion and belonging. Through workshops involving 90 participants, the project produced a co-created exhibition exploring grief, broken trust and reclaiming community, offering a replicable model for dialogue and healing in divided communities.

Transformative Learning in the Justice System

These initiatives bring peer-led, trauma-informed learning into prisons on the island of Ireland, helping people move from crisis and conflict toward capability and contribution.

Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) Ireland

For over 30 years, AVP Ireland has delivered peer-led, experiential workshops in 12 Irish prisons, helping participants — 85% of whom are people in custody — build empathy, nonviolent communication and conflict resolution skills. Graduates can train as co-facilitators themselves, creating a cycle of transformation that reaches around 120 learners and 450 participations each year, with ripple effects on prison culture, families and communities.

AD:EPT Service (Start360)

Delivered across Northern Ireland’s three prisons, Start360’s AD:EPT programme was set up in 2009. It combines harm-reduction education, counselling, SMART Recovery groups and pre-release planning to support adults in custody with substance use needs. Engaging over 1,100 learners in 2025 alone, the multi-agency service helps participants move from crisis to capability, reducing reoffending and reshaping how communities see people affected by addiction and the justice system.

Inclusive Climate Action and Advocacy

This initiative shows how centring excluded voices can reshape policy and public life.

Divergently Together

This cross-border, shared-island project led by artist Alan James Burns, brings neurodivergent adults from Cavan, Fermanagh and Omagh together to shape climate action through creative workshops and collaborative learning. By connecting participants directly with policymakers and local authorities, the project has driven real accessibility changes — including new Easy Read guidance and public sensory spaces — ensuring climate strategies reflect neurodivergent lived experience.

Start Your Nomination Today

I hope this gives you a sense of the Social Change category. If you are unsure if your project will fit in this category reach out to me at bdesmond@aontas.com.

The closing date for receipt of nominations for STAR Awards 2027 is 30th October 2026 at 5pm.

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