Civic Engagement

While learning and teaching is the core mission of ATU Donegal, one of our core strategies is our engagement with the wider community and our unwavering commitment to the North West Gateway Learning Region.

This means fostering partnerships with industry and the community that will help students fulfil?their future career ambitions once they leave ATU Donegal and enhance their employment opportunities in the region.

ATU Donegal works with other Educational Partners, Government, Civic Society, and Industry to emphasise the strategic significance of Education and Knowledge Exchange.? This leads, as it does,?towards Smart Regional Specialisation Strategies and developing a Connected Region built on strong partnerships between the key actors and a shared understanding of the challenges the region faces and how to overcome them.?

Among ATU Donegal’s Key Regional Partners are:

• Donegal ETB
• Donegal County Council
• Donegal GAA
• ?darás na Gaeltachta?
• Donegal LEO
• Enterprise Ireland
• IDA
• BIM
• Teagasc?
• IBEC
• Regional employers
• NW Regional Skills Forum
• Catalyst Inc
• Tech North West Skillnet
• Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce
• Community and voluntary groups
• Post-primary schools
• Primary schools
• Letterkenny University Hospital?
• Ernact
• Donegal Citizens Information Service.

Department Engagement

Specific departments within ATU Donegal, also engage with the community. Examples include:

The Street Law Programme

The Department of Law and Humanities run a successful Street Law programme which provides legal education to the community. This is the first Street Law programme at undergraduate level in Ireland although the Law Society of Ireland run a very successful Street Law programme with their trainees on their courses for the professional training of solicitors.?

Street Law is a form of legal education involving law students teaching practical law to benefit the community as well as developing their own legal skills. It is a form of public legal education or pro bono law and is often used to bring legal information into schools, prisons, homeless shelters and other community settings to meet unmet legal need. ATU Donegal?currently delivers our Street Law programme across a range of local schools and community organisations.

For further information on ATU Donegal's Street Law programme click here.