Griffith College partners with The B!G Idea

We are proud and excited to partner and support The B!G Idea. The B!G Idea is a multi-award-winning, creative, educational programme for 15-16-year-olds, running nationwide. We are thrilled to be a part of the programme as it ticks all the boxes: it’s creative, fun, innovative and, more than any of that, it helps young people find solutions to B!G issues. There is no other programme like this in Ireland meaning we can play an important role in the development of our next generation.

The B!G Idea programme is the first of its kind, bridging the gap between industry and education. With 400 Mentors on board this year and many of our team who advise and share their expert knowledge, students learn how to use creative thinking to tackle societal issues proposing solutions to issues that are directly affecting them and their communities. The programme runs for 16 weeks from January to May and is for 15-16-year-old students. Through co-created briefs, students use their new-found knowledge to tackle issues such as Mental Health, Equality, Healthcare, Housing Crisis and Climate Change. These topical issues have been identified by The B!G Idea students as being particularly worrying for them and ones which they would like to be able to do something about.

Meet the Griffith College Mentors:

Six of our wonderful Design tutors are volunteering as mentors for The B!G Idea programme, assisting students and teams nationwide to develop their innovative ideas.

Deirdre Doherty is the head of the Design Faculty. She has been working as a lecturer and a programme developer across all of our Design courses, from Fashion to Graphic Design and Interior Design. Deirdre has worked as a Multimedia Designer, designing e-learning programmes for pharmaceutical industries. Deirdre also worked for a large multinational telco on their various multimedia platforms. 

Becks Butler is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Design & Faculty of Journalism, Griffith College Dublin where she works to share her experiences through her role as an educator and is a partner at New Wave. She has a professional career in commercial and contemporary photography as well as a visual arts curatorial practice. She exhibited her solo show Pushing Boundaries at Illuminations in (2017) and has presented work in group shows at Pallas Projects, RIA, The Complex and The Library Project. Within her commercial practice, Becks has worked on design projects for clients such as Guinness, REPEAL Campaign and Style Club and her editorials have been published by The Guardian UK, Quartz NYC, Over, Journal and The Irish Times. 

Eva Kelly is a lecturer in Illustration, Freehand Drawing, and Graphic Design. Eva works as a freelance illustrator and is a member of the Illustrators Guild of Ireland and represented by Lemonade Illustration Agency. Eva studied Visual Communications and has a background in printmaking that informs her work. She has an MA in Visual Arts Education and an MA in Illustration. She works with watercolour and inks, combining expressive mark-making, energy, and playfulness to create unique hand-drawn images.

Oisín MacManus lectures within the Design Faculty of Griffith College Dublin with 1st Year Creative Studies and 3rd Year Interior Design/ Interior Architecture Learners. She has over 16 years of experience in the Construction Industry at home and abroad ranging from small projects with the Irish Heart Foundations mobile unit to Le Meridian Cairo (a 300x bedroom Hotel), and our very own Irish Government Buildings. Prior to that, she worked within the Theatre and Arts sector having been involved in many productions, festivals, and exhibitions including St.Patricks Festival, National Chamber Choir of Ireland, and Collins Barracks to name a few.

Nichola Kinch has been a lead lecturer in the Fashion Design Department of Griffith College for the past 9 years. Having worked as a Fashion Designer and Buyer for many years, she now teaches Fashion Design Studio to degree students and also incorporates Sustainability and Circular Design. Fashion Design Studio is a class in which to explore concepts and look at global trend forecasting, but more importantly to examine the impact of clothing on the environment as well as the community.

Gwen Kenny lectures in Entrepreneurship, Interior Architecture, and Design at Griffith College. She holds an MA in Design & Professional Practice. She is a highly respected member of the Irish design community. Gwen is the Design Director of Divine Design, a multi-award-winning practice, which has earned a reputation for innovation, originality, and pioneering designs.

Our tutors are dedicated to guiding students through their creative processes. This is all brought together in the final Showcase held on the 20th of May where every student project is celebrated. We will find out the winners of each category and the overall B!G Idea winner. We are very excited to be a part of The B!G Idea and help students learn critical 21st Century skills! We can't wait to see students’ B!G Ideas. 

To learn more about The B!G Idea, click here.