Gisèle Scanlon Bio

In a changing national and global landscape, I believe we need a collective vision for society, economy and the environment. If elected I will draw on my wide experience in Trinity during my 20,000 plus hours worked as an elected representative and President of the Graduate Students’ Union plus my former career at national and international level to serve as a clear, courageous and effective voice with you in Seanad Éireann. 

Equality has been a driving principle for me since my early days growing up in Kerry and I share my parents' abiding faith in the possibilities of education, small business and community collaboration. I am currently studying public policy design and economics remotely at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and have built housing policy for the mayor’s office in Burlington, Vermont, to complement Bernie Sander's housing reform policy. The policy also tackles the issue of accessibility, sustainability and citizen discrimination and the high cost of living. And I will be bringing this learning to improve policy in these areas to combat the destruction to our generation and our communities and to our Irish mental health.

I believe that everyone can contribute to the Seanad and integrated improvements should include both business thinkers and experts in the Arts alike. Having left a career as a writer and broadcaster to return to academic studies, I am a three-time Trinity College Dublin masters student and graduated from Trinity in 2017 with an M.Phil in writing from the Oscar Wilde Centre in Irish Writing and a second M.Phil in English Literature from the School of English in 2018. I am completing a Masters in Art History and Architecture from the School of Histories and Humanities and I believe that my former career has helped me to contextualise the power and value of our culture and I will work tirelessly to bring in new policies that protect and support the rights and pay of writers, poets, musicians, theatres, researchers and auxiliary technicians within the Arts landscape. 

I stand for a culture and society where everyone can participate fully. From helping those with hidden disabilities in our community through the Trinity College Disability Service to delivering support around exams and wheelchair access, I always take real and direct action to support inclusion by listening to stakeholders directly impacted by exclusion. 

I work daily with young people who lose employment or shelter and I understand at grassroots level the impediments faced and the investment needed in education, community development, social care and health supports. I will continue to promote representation in all areas of national life, including arts, sport, STEM and our educational institutions and I am committed to community engagement to help bring Seanad reform. 

Having worked closely with young and old students, academic and professional staff, with young people in unemployment for the past five years, I recognise the importance of adequate resourcing for youth work, social care and the community supports so essential to the full participation of people of all ages.

I want to see long term thinking in our policy-making. This means recognising care as the key which must be reflected in our economic policies. We need to invest in affordable, accessible childcare, plan for those who will have a physical and hidden disability at some point in their lives and ensure that the priceless contribution made by family carers is properly valued and supported.

I worked tirelessly to support safety and security in Trinity during COVID-19 and have been a strong advocate for measures to challenge violence against others, including management of a safe Library and study space programme for the Trinity College community offering  students reliable wi-fi, safe space and a community to support mental health throughout the pandemic. I am proud to have been involved in this project and believe a similar initiative could be developed around the country to bring community engagement and community mental health support to all ages. I will continue to advocate for safer space and resources to tackle violence at a national level, and I will also promote policy for safety in the workplace, at home, online and in the wider community. 

At Trinity, I have also secured contracts for PhD workers, advocated for institutional autonomy by challenging the HEA Bill and continue to call for a reformed pay policy for research in STEAM, Humanities and the Arts. Pressing the government to properly resource mental health supports, cancer care and the National Dementia Strategy will be a priority, Medical, nursing and social care graduates and teachers need to be valued, cared for and encouraged to stay in Ireland. I’ll be fighting to improve working conditions, so we can value them in our system.

We are in the midst of three environmental emergencies: climate change, biodiversity collapse and pollution. I will address all three head on and promote a Just Transition to a cleaner, greener Ireland. I have a strong track record on environmental issues and climate justice for over a decade, campaigning for an exit from fossil fuels and continuing to work hard to protect pollinators and biodiversity. I activated the swift bird callers over two years during the pandemic to save a red listed swift bird species trying to nest in the Museum building in Trinity and I helped lobby for secure safe bicycle corridors in Trinity and the wider city to facilitate cyclists during COVID-19. I lead students and staff in the campaign to #HelpSaveCollegePark, launching the petition to save College Park from being built on in Trinity in 2021 – which was ultimately successful.

In my work I have recognised and supported the diverse identities and experiences of our graduates and advocated for the rights of minorities, the marginalised communities who suffer persecution worldwide. I will promote equality of representation in all areas of national life including sport, STEM, our educational institutions and the arts. I will also continue to speak up and show solidarity on international human rights. 

I have campaigned vigorously inside and outside Trinity on innovation, community, accessibility, research and equality as my I-CARE political philosophy which highlights the need for investment in sustainability, disability and equality supports.

I will continue to lobby for more investment in innovation, inclusion and safety, more affordable housing and better public services; more participation and inclusion; more resources for research and the arts and protection of our language and culture; more environmental/international human rights. Now I want to bring everything I know about helping our graduates and bring results with care and Seanad reform into the heart of Seanad Éireann thinking.

Please Vote Gisèle Scanlon No.1 so that I may continue my work for you. For an outline of what I’ve been working on please see the I-CARE calendar and I-CARE Results on www.giselecares.com and I’m available on giselescanlon@gmail.com or call (086)4120444. Thank You!