Abstract

In May 2011, a number of people got together to reactivate BIEN Ireland, which is one of BIEN’s oldest national affiliates. This paper gives a brief narrative of the activities of the group over its first 15 months. Because many of the members had not previously been involved in BIEN, our aim was to develop an approach to our objectives and strategy that involved the development of shared understandings and mutual learning. Recognising the limits on participation set by people’s other commitments, we aimed to spread the workload in ways that were sustainable and inclusive. This paper is intended to give us a chance to reflect on what we have achieved and failed to achieve, to share our experience with others, and to learn from the experience of others.