Community Engagement

Of course, Home Economics is about so much more than the curricular and academic research. With that in mind, it was important to us that community engagement would be a key remit of the new Centre. This third pillar enables us, as home economists, to work at community level to enhance individual and family life, as well as to advocate at societal and global levels for policy development focused on improved wellbeing. 

Some examples of this include the following:

• Factors Influencing Infant Feeding Decisions – research conducted by staff from ATU St Angela’s, ATU Sligo and the HSE, published in 2021 took place within Community Health Organisation 1 region (CHO1) in Ireland including three HSE sites; Cavan General Hospital, Letterkenny University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital. The research focused on the factors influencing infant feeding decisions: Prenatal intentions versus postnatal practice of women – investigating the effect of prenatal intentions of expectant mothers on practiced infant feeding methods in the postnatal period; and assessed the factors influencing these choices.
• Community funded research project Fun with Food which involves undertaking food based educational interventions with disadvantaged families suffering from food poverty.
• Recipes for Success which is a collaborative, funded intervention between the Gaelic Athletic Association, St. Angela’s College & the ATHE to design and publish the “Recipes for Success” toolkit and then employ the toolkit during practical food skills and nutrition education workshops with teenage GAA players.
• Home Economists are also involved in the Women’s Environmental Community Activation Network which is working to roll out training in fashion & fabric upcycling and to develop textiles social enterprises across the country and in the annual delivery of the Lily Lolly Craftfest. 
• Two colleagues were involved in the setting of Sligo Family Centre, in 1994, as a result of our involvement in the International Year of the Family, and home economists continue to have an involvement in the leadership of the Centre over 25 years later.

Home Economists from ATU St Angela’s are active on several national and international committees, as both invited and elected members for example:

• Nationally, on the Heathy Ireland Council, Association of teachers of HE Executive, the Safefood Scientific Advisory Committee, and
• Internationally on the Executive Committee of the International Federation for HE, the International Advisory Board for PERL – the Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living – a network About Sustainable Lifestyles involving cooperation with 140 universities, colleges and international organisations in 50 countries globally.