At Home and Abroad

Bridget Brownlow met Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins for the first time in December, as the recipient of one of his highest honours. She was the only Canadian among 11 people who received his 2021 Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad. Brownlow was the sole winner in the award’s “Peace, Reconciliation & Development” category, in recognition of her work with the Northern Ireland / North of Ireland Peace Education and Conflict Resolution Program. The ceremony took place December 2 at Áras an Uachtaráin, the President’s official residence in Dublin. Other Irish dignitaries present were Micheál Martin, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and Simon Coveney, T.D., Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence. Bridget Brownlow is the Conflict Resolution Advisor for Saint Mary’s University. She holds a Master’s degree (History) and is a certified conflict resolution specialist with over 25 years of extensive experience in organizational conflict management. Part of her expertise is focused on delivering a wide range of appropriate and alternative dispute resolution services, training and education designed for students, faculty, staff and unions at all levels within the university. For the past fifteen years, Bridget has been the Senior Coordinator for an international conflict resolution initiative in Northern Ireland / North of Ireland. This involves working directly with students, faculty and staff in the development and implementation of peace education programs in collaboration with Peaceful Schools International and Saint Mary’s University. Bridget is currently the President of Peaceful Schools International and teaches part-time in the Department of Political Science, The Irish Studies Programme as well as the Faculty of Education at Saint Mary’s University. http://peacefulschoolsinternational.org/ https://twitter.com/PeaceatSchool https://twitter.com/smucrs https://www.facebook.com/peacefulschoolsinternational https://www.instagram.com/psiofficial/