Leadership for Peaceful Change – Women’s Critical Role in Peace Building
The event ‘Leadership for Peaceful Change – Women’s Critical Role in Peace Building’ will take place on Friday 16 October 2026 in Thornhill College from 10:30 to 12:30, will refreshments afterwards.
This event is apart of the Good Relations Week programme, and will be attended by local schools from the Foyle Learning Network.
The speakers for this event are Marie Brown, Monica McWilliams, Brid Rodgers, Deputy Mayor Cllr Catherine McDaid, Georgina Kee-McCarter, from Bready & District Ulster-Scots Development Association, Aine Bryce and Cara McGonigle will represent Thornhill’s Global Sisters. Leona O’Neill will facilitate the conversation.
Biographies
Bríd Rodgers was born in Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal, Ireland.
Bríd was politically active in politics, from civil rights to being elected Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Upper Bann.
She was the Chair of the SDLP team during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations. She was appointed to the first Northern Ireland Executive in November 1999 as Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, the first woman ever appointed as a full-ranking Agriculture Minister anywhere in Ireland.
Monica McWilliams was a founding member of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition and a delegate to the multi-party peace talks leading to the Good Friday Agreement. She served as an MLA from 1998-2003 and was Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission until 2011.
She is an Emeritus Professor at Ulster University in the Transitional Justice Institute and a Commissioner on the Independent Reporting Commission for the disbandment of paramilitary organisations.
She publishes on domestic violence and the impact of conflict on women’s lives. Her memoir “Stand Up, Speak Out ” was published by Blackstaff Press in 2021′
Deputy Mayor of Derry and Strabane Catherine McDaid
Catherine McDaid was appointed as the Deputy Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council for the 2026-27 period.
She has a background in mental health work and is passionate about improving local mental health services and reducing the stigma around severe and enduring mental illnesses. McDaid’s role includes championing causes close to her heart, such as tackling violence against women and girls, and using her voice to advocate for the people of Derry and Strabane. She aims to be a voice for all those who feel unheard and to reach out to ethnic minority and migrant communities facing challenges. She is a passionate anti racism activist and has been a strong voice calling for peace in Palestine and an end to the genocide. McDaid’s leadership is expected to bring a strong female presence to the council, sending a powerful message to young women and girls in the district.
Georgina Kee-McCarter is a dance teacher, choreographer and cultural development practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in the promotion and development of Highland dance and Ulster-Scots culture.
A First-Class Honours Dance graduate, Georgina is a UKA Examiner and member of the worldwide RSOBHD Adjudicators’ Panel. She leads Sollus Highland Dancers and works with dancers from beginner through to international championship level, while also supporting the development of the next generation of teachers and cultural practitioners.
Alongside her dance work, Georgina is Business Development Officer with Bready & District Ulster-Scots Development Association, where she develops and delivers educational, cultural and community programmes. Her work has taken Ulster-Scots culture into schools, community settings, festivals and major productions across Northern Ireland and further afield.
Georgina is particularly passionate about finding creative and accessible ways to engage children and young people with Ulster-Scots culture, combining education, dance, music, storytelling and performance to ensure the culture is not only preserved, but actively experienced and developed by the next generation.
Marie Brown MBE, CEO at Foyle Women’s Aid and Foyle Family Justice Centre.
The Family Justice Centre model, pioneered in the United States, is a multiagency, multidisciplinary co-located service centre, which provides assistance to victims and survivors of interpersonal violence, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder or dependent adult abuse and human trafficking.
Global Sisters is a student group, established in Thornhill College Derry that’s creating a platform for female students to raise their voices.
The students have spoken at rallies and raised awareness among fellow students in regards to violence against women.
Aine Bryce and Cara McGonigle will represent Global Sisters.