FOMACS Retrospective - The Story So Far

Director’s Forward

Welcome to FOMACS’ online case study publication.

We believe that creative storytelling has the power to communicate humane and authentic stories about migration and social justice. For FOMACS, the creative arts and media are crucial elements in inspiring audiences to take action for positive social change, opening spaces for collaborative production and imagining new ways of exhibiting diverse stories about people and communities on the move.

We invite you to look, listen and read about a unique way of working developed over several years by FOMACS, its collaborators and expanding networks.

Áine O’Brien, Director – FOMACS

Case Study

This online case study, FOMACS Retrospective – The Story So Far, commissioned by our seed funder Atlantic Philanthropies, is based on a comprehensive evaluation conducted by South African-based researcher, Helene Perold, when she visited FOMACS in 2009.

What you see, hear and read in this case study are snapshots of projects demonstrating how FOMACS builds cross-sector collaborations with national and transnational partners, using the creative arts and digital media as a catalyst for social change, advocacy and educational transformation.

How to Use

Using a combination of photographs, video and text, we chart the development of FOMACS across the first four years of its existence. The publication is divided into four main sections drawn from the original case study:

Living Archive

Learning Communities

Politics of Storytelling

Lessons on a Journey

Each section is designed to give you a sample of media content from different projects. Look and listen to video testimonials embedded throughout the publication, marked with a play button, name and still image of contributor. You can access the original case study publication by downloading the PDF here.

FOMACS – 2007

A 3-part animation series Abbi’s Circle and The Richness of Change, 10 short documentary vignettes produced in collaboration with the Immigrant Council of Ireland, kick-started FOMACS into its inaugural year.

A collaboration with the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Migrants Rights Centre Ireland and the Refugee Information Service, Abbi’s Circle uses the voices of children to give a fresh perspective on the issue of immigrant family reunification.

Broadcast on RTÉ as ‘one-minute wonders’ in April 2008, The Richness of Change spotlights the diversity of origin and profession amongst Ireland’s immigrant population.