We want to hear from the Irish Public on how science can shape our shared future post COVID-19.
FuJo, in partnership with The ADAPT Centre and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), are calling on the Irish public this Science Week to share your experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and participate in a mass public debate to have your voice heard on what we have learned from this pandemic. This is a unique opportunity for the public to inform how we would like our future to look.
To facilitate the discussion, Science Foundation Ireland has awarded Dr Jane Suiter, Director of FuJo, and ADAPT, the SFI Research Centre for Digital Media Technology funding under the COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding Call to create and host the Choosing Our Future Public Forum, an online participation platform live during Science Week, from Tuesday 10th – Friday 13th November.
The results of the study will enable policy makers to listen to and understand the citizens perspective and to reflect upon often understated or hidden issues that have occurred during this period of crisis with a view to informing the design of future policies to address these challenges.
The Choosing our Future Public Forum will focus on several topics which have had a strong impact on the Irish Public during this period of profound transformation: future of healthcare, our towns and cities, education, and societal change. Whether it is the realities of home working and studying, addressing misinformation, or harnessing technology to make our lives easier and healthier, this is your chance to shape how we emerge from this pandemic together and learn from our shared lived experience.
DCU president Prof. Daire Keogh will welcome participants to the
platform and he along with DCU academics, and Prof. Luke O’Neill, and many of the expert voices we have listened to
as part of our COVID-19 experience will provide their expert opinion on a wide
range of topics, and the science underpinning them. They invite the public to participate
and have their opinions heard. The questions posed range from the development
of vaccines, to transforming our education systems, from building sustainable
living spaces to increasing our outdoor physical activities. The findings of
the platform discussions will be shared with policy makers to support their
efforts to form future policies with the benefit of the voice and experiences
of the citizen.
Dr Jane Suiter Director of the
Institute for Future Media (FuJo) and Associate Professor in the School of
Communications at Dublin City University said: “ In creating The Choosing
our Future forum, we are providing an exciting opportunity to capture the
Public’s voice, to hear their opinions and suggestions that will help shape our post Covid Future. The report on
the study will draw from unique blend of state-of-the-art computer science
techniques to provide a comprehensive picture of the hopes of the Irish Public.
“
Commenting on the
platform Dr Ruth Freeman, Director of Science for Society, Science
Foundation Ireland said: “This Science Week we want to hear
from you, the Irish public, on how science can shape our shared future. Through
the online discussion on the Choose your Future Public Forum, we are
encouraging people across Ireland to join the conversation on how COVID-19 has
impacted how you live your life. As we respond to Covid-19 as a society, the
role science plays in our everyday lives has never been clearer. In sharing
your views on the platform, you have the opportunity to shape our collective
future and the role science plays.”
The Choosing our Future Public Forum will be launched on RTÉ on Tuesday 10th of November, with moderated discussions running until Friday 13th . Register now to have your say at choosingourfuture.ie #choosingourfuture