WHO WE ARE
The Fáilte Centre takes its name from “Fáilte,” the Irish word for “welcome.” Fáilte (pronounced FAHL-chuh) emphasises our core approach: we welcome all individuals regardless of age, gender, background, nationality, political orientation or religion.
Our mission at The Fáilte Centre is to provide both individualised learning opportunities as well as mental health & psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in a welcoming and caring environment. We refer to those that come to Fáilte as individuals, rather than beneficiaries or vulnerable people.
This philosophy is reflected in how we treat every person that comes through our door: as individuals who deserve dignified, tailored responses to their specific concerns and needs. Furthermore, the values of empathy, respect and inclusivity are incorporated into the services we provide at Fáilte.
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Founder, Director, and Education Programme Coordinator
Colleen has worked as an educator in the field of non-formal education in refugee camps in Greece for the past three years. Prior to this, she worked as a middle school and high school English and history teacher in the U.S., as well as an Advanced Placement tutor in the subjects of English and history. She was the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award from both her high school in 2015 and the tutoring centre she worked for in 2016. Colleen also has experience in designing educational curriculum at the high school and university levels, as well for the INGO/NGO sector. During her time working in this sector, she designed a learning course as a part of her internship for the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs in New York, U.S., as well as several non-formal education curricula for projects working with refugees in Greece. She holds two Master of Arts degrees in the fields of sociology of religion and international studies from universities in the U.K. and the U.S.
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Founder, Director, and Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Services Programme Coordinator
Claire has worked in the humanitarian field for four years. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2015 with a first class honours degree in social work. She began her career as a medical social worker in a large metropolitan hospital in Dublin, Ireland, where she provided a direct social work service to support patients with addiction, suspected abuse, mental health difficulties, trauma and care planning. Following this, Claire worked for one year in the area of child protection where she provided frontline services to children and families when there were reported concerns for the welfare and safety of a child. Claire is an experienced programme manager and has spent the last four years working in a long-term accommodation centre for refugees and asylum seekers in Greece, focusing on PSS. This field work has provided her with experience in the areas of protection, mediation, coordination as well as assessments including vulnerability and risk. Claire speaks English and Arabic.