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Special Initiatives | 2019 | President of Ireland
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class="e-breadcrumb">Home</a> <a href="https://president.ie/index.php/en//special-initiatives/2019/2019" class="e-breadcrumb">Special Initiatives</a> </nav> </div> <div class="e-share-btn-wrapper" data-equalizer-watch> <!-- <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style"> <a class="e-button-share addthis_button_more"> <span class="button-icon icon-social-sharing"></span> Share </a> </div> --> </div> </div> </div> <div class="page-content"> <div class="row o-block o-block--detail-page detail-page-content-wrapper"> <div class="c-detail-page-content"> <h2 class="page-heading no-m-t">Introduction</h2> <p>In his 2011 inaugural address, President Higgins said that he would use his Presidency to promote ideas for societal transformation, celebrating the initiatives already undertaken by active citizens throughout the country and encouraging innovation and original thinking – a Presidency of ideas.</p> <p>During his first term, President Higgins launched a number of Special Initiatives, which are detailed elsewhere on this website.</p> <p>For his second term, which began in Novermber 2018, President Higgins offered a vision of “a real republic as being a life lived together, one where there is a commitment to equality, to strong sustainable communities, to the sharing of history and to shaping of the future together; recognising our vulnerabilities, drawing on and enhancing our individual and collective capacities.”</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="o-block o-block--np o-block--grey"> <div class="row small-up-1 medium-up-3 o-block c-card-flex-wrapper" data-equalizer data-equalize-by-row="true"> <div class="column column-block"> <a href="https://president.ie/en/special-initiatives/participation-and-transformation"> <div class="c-card" data-equalizer-watch> <section class="c-card-top"> <img src="/images/made/fb667366461bb66f/PRES_HIGGINS_TRAVELLER_ETH_MX-15_577_385.jpg" class="c-card__image" alt="Participation and Transformation" width="577" height="385" /> </section> <section class="c-card-content"> <section class="c-card-section"> <h3 class="c-card-title">Participation and Transformation</h3> </section> <section class="c-card-text"> <p>Participation and Transformationis not simply about opportunities for the individual, it is also about how we change our spaces and our institutions to ensure they actively encourage inclusion.</p> </section> </section> </div> </a> </div> <div class="column column-block"> <a href="https://president.ie/en/special-initiatives/imagination-and-the-nation"> <div class="c-card" data-equalizer-watch> <section class="c-card-top"> <img src="/images/made/fb667366461bb66f/D22593-0562_577_404.jpg" class="c-card__image" alt="Samhla铆ocht agus An N谩isi煤n / Imagination and The Nation" width="577" height="404" /> </section> <section class="c-card-content"> <section class="c-card-section"> <h3 class="c-card-title">Samhla铆ocht agus An N谩isi煤n / Imagination and The Nation</h3> </section> <section class="c-card-text"> <p>Samhlaíocht agus An Náisiún – Imagination and The Nation is an initiative to highlight the powerful and transformative role of art and creativity in the evolution of Ireland as a republic and an idea.</p> </section> </section> </div> </a> </div> <div class="column column-block"> <a href="https://president.ie/en/special-initiatives/shared-ireland-shared-island"> <div class="c-card" data-equalizer-watch> <section class="c-card-top"> <img src="/images/made/fb667366461bb66f/pic14316_577_385.jpg" class="c-card__image" alt="Shared Ireland, Shared Island" width="577" height="385" /> </section> <section class="c-card-content"> <section class="c-card-section"> <h3 class="c-card-title">Shared Ireland, Shared Island</h3> </section> <section class="c-card-text"> <p>The ‘Shared Ireland, Shared Island’ initiative is aimed at sparking an inclusive discussion on how we can all thrive on the island of Ireland, while living in harmony with respect for our complex history. </p> 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