LK Shields Solicitors helps NUIG Access Students SOAR

PUBLISHED: 22nd October 2019

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SOAR involves the creation and delivery of a series of communication workshops for NUIG Access Students facilitated by LK Shields’ Artist in Residence, James Riordan.

LK Shields Solicitors are delighted to announce SOAR, our new partnership with the Access Programme at NUI Galway.  This partnership has been made possible through our relationship with Business to Arts and the Creative Ireland Programme’s National Creativity Fund.  It will involve LK Shields working with artist James Riordan to develop a programme of workshops for NUIG Access Students.

These workshops will help NUIG Access students develop presentation skills and leadership skills to assist them prepare for entering the workforce, and to overcome barriers to progressing in their chosen career.

This partnership is part of LK Shields’ ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility strategy which is guided by the principles of access, inclusion and opportunity, and focuses on assisting the following causes: disadvantaged young people, homelessness and the environment.

Dr. Mary Surlis, Academic Director, NUI Galway Access Programme said:  “SOAR offers a very exciting opportunity to our students to engage in a professional programme of personal and professional development setting, and to experience the support and encouragement of a team of dedicated contributors committed professionals, from both the Arts and the Professions. Experientially, this will undoubtedly benefit our students enormously.”

Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive, Business to Arts said: ‘Alongside our Creative Ireland Programme partner, we are looking forward to working with LK Shields, NUI Galway Access and theatre practitioner James Riordan. We look forward to seeing the residency develop, fostering an environment of collaboration, learning and wellbeing through creative practice.’

About LK Shields

Established in 1988 and with offices in Dublin, Galway and London, our firm has over 100 legal professional staff and a total of 150 employees.  We help our clients achieve their strategic commercial objectives and proactively advise them on harnessing new opportunities as they arise.  We are committed to adding value both in terms of business success and also through superior service to our national and international clients.  To find out more visit www.lkshields.ie.

About NUI Galway Access

NUI Galway Access provides an opportunity for students who are generally under-represented at third level to progress to university. The programme helps prepare students for university life and beyond.

About Business to Arts

Business to Arts is a membership-based, charitable organisation (CHY 9871) that brokers, enables and supports creative partnerships between businesses, individuals and the arts. Business to Arts teams business members up with artists and arts organisations to develop solutions in areas such as CSR, sponsorship, commissioning, HR development, internal and external communications and events.

National Creativity Fund

The National Creativity Fund enables the Creative Ireland Programme to activate, enable and support genuinely ground-breaking and innovative initiatives, research projects and community programmes, which have creativity and wellbeing at their centre. Through a series of strategic partnerships with cultural organisations, education and academic institutions and healthcare specialists, the selected projects are ambitious, innovative and inclusive and will help inform and implement the vision of the Creative Ireland Programme right across Government. Over €1.2m will be invested in the 30 initiatives over the duration of the Fund in 2018 and 2019.

About James Riordan

James Riordan is from Galway and trained at LISPA (London) and the APT (Berlin). He worked as a performer and deviser in England for many years including with The English National Opera and as a core member of The Lipsinkers (U.K) He returned to Ireland and founded Brú Theatre as Artistic Director with producer Jill Murray in 2018. Since then Brú have produced three shows, toured nationally and in 2020 will premier two new pieces and begin touring internationally. Brú work bilingually, collaborate widely and have made both site specific and theatre based work.

He is currently on Creative Europe’s Make a Move program and a performance director with Macnas. He works freelance as a performer and director and is a member of Theatre 57 and Garraí na Ghiorria.

Selvage, written by James, will be on stage in the Town Hall, Galway in late November. Brú have recently been commissioned by Galway 2020 and NUIG’s Aistriú program, creating a site specific, bilingual piece next Spring in collaboration with Dr. Máiréad Ní Chróinín.

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