Changing Roles at Bridge21
Our Director, John Lawlor, was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of Scouting Ireland and will shortly be taking up his exciting new role. While, sadly, this means that John will be stepping down as Director and his day-to-day commitments to the programme, it is by no means a final farewell. John remains very committed to our vision and mission, and is very keen to stay involved with Bridge21 as it grows and develops in the coming years and plays a key role in education reform in Ireland.
John has been Director of Bridge21 (initially Bridge2College) since its inception in 2007 and it is his vision, passion, dedication and leadership which have brought the programme to its current stage. The Bridge21 approach to learning has more than a little of Scouting’s model – learning by doing, peer learning, teamwork and a sense of growing personal responsibility. In his new role, John will lead the professional structures and will work closely with the volunteer teams of Scouting Ireland, which is the largest and fastest growing youth organisation in the country. In particular, John is keen to explore how Scouting’s links to formal education in Ireland can be strengthened and how young people can learn both in and out of school.
For his boundless energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the development of young people, we – the Bridge21 team, volunteer mentors, students, teachers, schools, parents, partner organisations and all who have been part of the Bridge21 journey over the last 5 years – are most grateful. You will be hard pushed to find a more inspiring leader and impassioned advocate for educational reform in Ireland! It has been a privilege to work with John over the last number of years and we are all looking forward to his continued involvement and support in the changing times ahead.
We are currently seeking to recruit a new Director (for more information see here). In the meantime, Claire Conneely will be Acting Director.
