The day after the Brown Medal Democracy ceremony, I had the opportunity to sit in on an open house discussion with the winners of the award, David Farrell and Jane Suiter.  In this discussion, I was able to hear a further debriefing of Farrell’s and Suiter’s efforts in democracy and how the RCL Spring Break trip can maximize its time in Ireland.  

Suiter mentioned that she felt like these initiatives resulted in the first time that people cared about what she had to say.  With her commitment to improving and enhancing democracy and taking ensuing actions in society, people in society perceived her as an influential woman.  This perception fulfills the vision that Suiter and Farrell have about citizens being involved and making a difference in society.

Moreover, Farrell went on to discuss how being involved in society can enable you to embrace other viewpoints and adopt a new, more holistic viewpoint for yourself.  Specifically, Farrell talked about a man who was abused as a young boy by gays, but through his societal involvement, he came to believe that gay marriage should be allowed.  Hence, this man did not establish his viewpoint merely off of his own experience, but he developed this viewpoint by being engaged and involved in society. 

Before the 2011 election in Ireland, there was a reform card that scored that parties’ platforms based on their reform efforts.  New politicians felt the urge to reform, and subsequently, they compromised between the parties. Following this, there was a constitutional convention that pertained to six topics.  However, Farrell and Suiter did not approach of this merely involving politicians and felt that the citizens should be involved. With that, Farrell and Suiter established the Irish Citizens’ Assembly.  This initiative built on their vision to be innovative with democracy and get citizens invested in the government. With democratic innovations and pursuit like the Assembly, Farrell and Suiter are striving to prevent a failing government and sustain democracy into the future. 

Furthermore, Suiter’s and Farrell’s effort are very significant in civic life in Ireland.  As this course places a significant focus on civic life, Ireland provides many great examples for my peers and I to learn thoroughly by traveling to Ireland.  In the 10-day study abroad trip, students are going to be working to measure the country’s mood in response to the Assembly. Through these reviews, the students will be able to devise ways in which this type of civic life engagement can be pursued in the United States.  Moreover, Suiter and Farrell recommended that they gain this insight by meeting with and interviewing random citizens, observing an Assembly session at The Grand Hotel, and meeting the professor at a University. They recommended to approach these conversations by subtly asking questions that signify opinion shifts and explore their satisfaction with the program.  In their efforts, the students should seek to pursue deliberative democracy, rather than debate. Through these activities, the students will be able to hear the perspectives of the average citizen and the highly-educated citizens as well, and they will also be able to see these democratic efforts and discussions take place during the session.