Thinking Beyond - Lived Experience of Gaza
Gaza Comes to Galway: The Lived Experience of Gaza
J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics is delighted to give a Gaza scholar a platform to tell her family’s story as part of the School’s Thinking Beyond Thought Leadership for the public good event series.
Shirene Yaseen will travel from Doha to deliver a keynote address on the afternoon of Friday, 3 July at University of Galway, sharing her family's experience of survival and displacement.
Shirene’s keynote will be followed by a peace panel discussion where attendees can reflect on what institutional protection means for human dignity and what its absence costs.
Registration is free.
Photo Credit: One Young World
Photo Credit: One Young World
Event Details
Shirene Yaseen was five years old in 2000 when she first witnessed someone being killed. She has lived through more than seven wars since. Her story is not one that began in October 2023. It is the story of a lifetime.
Since the most recent conflict began, Shirene’s family have been displaced nearly 20 times. They continue to live without functioning healthcare, schools, safety, and certainty of where they will sleep. Shirene left Gaza and cannot go back. Her family cannot leave.
The Lived Experience of Gaza is a four-day exhibition opening at the University of Galway on Wednesday 1 July 2026. It features Shirene's personal testimony alongside photographs, videos, letters and children's drawings that together document what daily life looks like when civic infrastructure has collapsed entirely. Shirene's sister gave birth on a staircase in the dark without medical assistance. The destruction of schools has left her nieces and nephews with no access to education. Her family have no home to return to and are forced to move repeatedly, carrying only what they can.
Since the ceasefire, Gaza has largely fallen out of the headlines. But the institutions that people depend on for healthcare, education, safety and justice remain in ruins. This exhibition asks whether the silence since the ceasefire reflects the actual situation, or whether the world has simply stopped paying attention.
Shirene Yaseen at the One Young World Summit 2025 in Munich
Shirene Yaseen at the One Young World Summit 2025 in Munich
Shirene Yaseen, Palestinian entrepreneur, content writer and public speaker
"Gaza has become unliveable, but the world has moved on. I carry a deep helplessness because I left and they cannot. I want people to understand that this is not over.
My family is fighting to survive every day, and they deserve to be seen."
Sophie Sweeney, Lecturer in Accountancy, Finance and Taxation at the University of Galway - J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics and organiser of this event.
“There is a world of difference between following a conflict in the news and hearing directly from someone living it. When I met Shirene at One Young World Summit 2025, I knew this story had to come to Ireland.
We have a long tradition of standing with displaced communities, and this felt like something our university and city should be part of.”
About Shirene Yaseen
Shirene Yaseen is a Palestinian entrepreneur, content writer and public speaker. She was born and raised in Gaza and fled in 2024 to Egypt. She is now based in Doha where she is completing an MBA in Digital Marketing at Lusail University. She is the founder of Arabic Mate, a language learning app for Arabic and its dialects.
At the One Young World Summit 2025 in Munich, Shirene was selected as one of just 25 delegates from hundreds to address the main stage, speaking at the Peace and Security Plenary on how young leaders can drive global cooperation for a safer world.
Introduced by David Beasley, Former Governor of South Carolina and Former Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, her speech drew a standing ovation from delegates. Watch Shirene's address here.
Event Schedule
|
Time |
Session |
|---|---|
|
09:30 - 10:00 |
Registration |
|
10:00 - 10:15 |
Welcome & Introduction by Sophie Sweeney, Lecturer in Accountancy, Finance and Taxation at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics |
|
10:15 - 11:00 |
Keynote Address by Shirene Yaseen, a Palestinian entrepreneur, content writer and public speaker |
|
11:00 - 12:15 |
Peace Dialogue Panel |
|
12:15 - 12:30 |
Closing remarks |
|
12:30 - 13:30 |
Refreshments and networking |
About the Exhibition
The Lived Experience of Gaza runs from Wednesday 1 to Saturday 4 July 2026 in An Dánlann, the University of Galway Art Gallery, Quadrangle, University of Galway.
Opening hours are 9am to 6pm daily.
Admission is free and open to the public. No registration is required for the exhibition.
University of Galway's Sustainability Engagement Fund
The project has been funded through the University of Galway Sustainability Engagement Fund, a collaboration between the Office of the Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and the Sustainability Office.