CIH Futures: Reflections on the All-Ireland Summit 2025

CIH Futures’ Samantha Forde shares her experience of this year’s All-Ireland Summit in Dublin.

The expectation

I attended the CIH All-Ireland Summit last year in Belfast, so I was aware of the structure of the conference. This year, it was in Dublin. I would be attending as part of CIH Futures Northern Ireland and participating in the CIH Futures session as a speaker on a panel about why support matters.

I was a bit apprehensive, as this was my first time doing something of this nature, but I wanted to give myself that exposure and prove to myself I could do it. I saw this as an opportunity for learning and developing my skills. I was also interested in attending the other sessions and networking with housing professionals from different areas and with a range of expertise across the sector.

The experience

I really enjoyed shaping the breakout session and being part of the panel on the day. The session was well received, and there was a great turnout. I was surprised by how positive the environment was. This was down to the audience attentively listening and actively engaging with the session, which helped me feel supported.

There was lots of reassurance from my peers and from Iain and Julie in the lead-up to the session. I learned a lot from the session, from my peers and from senior professionals. Something that stands out to me is when Bobby, from Futures Ireland, talked about coming together after our experiences and sharing them with each other—whether that’s a course you have completed or an event you have attended.

I found the other sessions very insightful. It was interesting to hear information on a variety of housing topics across the island of Ireland and further afield in Canada—seeing where our issues cross over and how good practice has been used to make progress.

Looking back

There were few young professionals at the conference. This may be down to several factors, but it highlights the importance of having Futures present to help show that the All-Ireland Summit is not only for senior leaders. With our continued efforts, we hope to increase the number of young professionals who attend future conferences.

I would like to encourage other young professionals to get involved in future sessions; it wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be, and you will be supported.

I am grateful to CIH Futures NI for giving me a platform to share my thoughts and views in a professional setting, and I am thankful to everyone who attended our sessions. I feel privileged to have shared the space with the other young professionals and the senior leaders who took the time to contribute their expertise to the session.

I enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to support my peers with their own involvement. As a result of the experience, I can already see that my confidence has grown, along with my personal leadership.

• Read next: All-Ireland Summit 2025: Mutual challenges and shared potential