This week marks an important milestone for GAP Ireland. Twenty-five years ago, on 20 August 2001, GAP Ireland was incorporated as an independent Irish organisation. Since then, we’ve worked alongside communities, schools, businesses and public bodies across Ireland to empower people to take meaningful action for a more sustainable and just future.
To celebrate this anniversary, we’re delighted to publish Making Space for Change: The First 25 Years of GAP Ireland, a new publication that tells the story of our journey, from our roots in an international movement for behaviour change to our work today supporting climate action, nature connection, global citizenship and community resilience.
A story of people, not just programmes
Our history is much more than a list of projects; it’s a story about people coming together to make change happen.
From the early EcoTeam movement of the 1990s, through our beginnings in Ballymun during one of Ireland’s most ambitious regeneration projects, to becoming a national organisation working across the country, one idea has remained constant in all of GAP’s work: lasting environmental change happens when people are supported to learn, participate and act together.
Over the past 25 years, we’ve seen first-hand how environmental action can strengthen communities, improve wellbeing, create opportunities for learning, and inspire hope. Whether through community gardens, outdoor learning, schools programmes, workplace engagement or global citizenship education, our approach has always centred on participation.
Why this history matters
As Ireland responds to the climate and biodiversity crises, there is growing recognition that policies and technology alone won’t deliver the transformation we need. Real change depends on people.
That belief has guided GAP Ireland from the beginning. Long before “behaviour change”, “citizen engagement” and “just transition” became part of everyday conversations, GAP was working with communities to make sustainability practical, accessible and inclusive. Looking back over our history reminds us that environmental progress is strongest when it grows from trust, collaboration and shared purpose.
Looking ahead
While this publication reflects on our past, it is equally about the future. The challenges facing Ireland today are significant, but so too are the opportunities. Our experience over the past quarter century has shown that when people are given the confidence, skills and opportunity to participate, they can create lasting change in their homes, workplaces, schools and communities.
As we celebrate this milestone, we’re grateful to the staff, volunteers, partners, funders, community groups and participants who have shaped GAP Ireland’s journey. Everything we’ve achieved has been made possible through collaboration.
The next chapter is already being written, and we’re excited to continue working with communities across Ireland to create a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future.
Read the publication
We invite you to explore Making Space for Change: The First 25 Years of GAP Ireland, which traces the organisation’s evolution over the past quarter century and reflects on the ideas, partnerships and communities that have shaped who we are today.
