Summer 2010

Issue 33 The National Magazine of the Local and Community Development Programme €2.25 www.changingireland.ie / www.changingireland.blogspot.com Community Activists Pulling Down Anti-Traveller Sites Job Creation Pages 5, 6, 26 & 27

Volunteering Pages 10-11, 17

Minister in the Spotlight Pages 12-13

This publication and most projects featured are part of the LOCAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Editorial

* * * * * ‘Changing Ireland’ will shortly be setting up as an independent company, a!er nine years of support and management by the volunteers Anti-racism & and sta" of the Community Development Network Moyross Ltd. We are staying in Moyross, staying editorially independent and critical debate sticking with our aims (more of which you can read on our website).

ongratulations to the community Cworkers and others who complained to Facebook en masse and Published By: had two racist hate sites shut down ‘Changing Ireland’ is the national magazine of the recently. It is an irony because community Local and Community Development Programme workers in Ireland began to network and is managed and published by the Community online in a big way just last year with Development Network, Moyross, Limited, through the arrival of recession. Only for the funding from the Department of Community, threat of cutbacks, they might not have got together and those hate sites Equality and Gaeltacht A"airs. might still be in existence. Every cloud as they say has a silver lining. Postal address: ‘Changing Ireland’, c/o Community Enterprise Centre, Moyross, Limerick. * * * * * In this issue, we feature an opinion piece which suggests that the O!ce base: Unit 3, Sars$eld Gardens Business Community and Voluntary Sector should “reconsider building its Centre, Sars$eld Gardens, Moyross, Limerick. imaginary castles in the sky, and (reconsider) creating ever greater visions of more rights and entitlements for its members and clients.” Tel Editor: 061-458011. Gearoid Fitzgibbon, a community worker and ‘Changing Ireland’ reporter and editorial team member, argues that the broad social Tel Administrator: 061-458090. movement advocated by ‘Is Féidir Linn’ is desperately needed, but has Fax: 061-325300. “no prospect for success if the group cannot o"er the ordinary voter E-mail: [email protected] and and business groups concrete proposals, instead of the cap-in-hand [email protected] and threats of high taxation?” Website: www.changingireland.ie If the Community and Voluntary Sector wishes to speak to the public about change, it needs to put forward a vision that people see Also check us out on Youtube, Facebook and common sense in, a vision that talks of responsibilities as well as rights Blogger. and a vision that adds up in economic terms.

* * * * * Production: Readers might wonder who are we to be pointing out #aws Editor: Allen Meagher elsewhere, given that the Programme we are now part of and involved Administrator (part-time): Tim Hourigan in the promotion of has been widely criticised. But if something’s true, it shouldn’t matter who says it and better to Reporter (work placement): Ross Ryan have it out than not. Editorial team: Viv Sadd, Sean McLaughlin, Regarding the Local and Community Development Programme Gearoid Fitzgibbon (LDCP), there are serious concerns, but there are also less-publicised Juan Carlos Azzopardi and Allen Meagher. advantages. You can’t put close to 3000 workers together under the Reporting: Articles are primarily written by one roof without added bene$t. In this issue, Minister Pat Carey outlines some of the positives. Community Development workers and volunteers Since June 30th, most Community Development Projects and who have an interest in reporting. Local Development Companies (LDCs) have agreed, albeit under Design and print by: %e Print Factory, Five Alley, pressure, on integration plans. %e campaign to allow CDPs continue Birr, Co. O"aly. W: www.printfactory.ie to operate independently did not win approval at national level from the Minister. However, he le! the door ajar for alternative proposals, Thanks To . . . once they meet the Department’s criteria. While CDPs deal with the changes inherent in a takeover, ‘Changing Ireland’ thanks everyone involved in the the LDCs are busy rolling out the €425m Rural Development production of Issue 33. Programme, while internally dealing with a demand by the Department to reduce salaries by 10%. Disclaimer * * * * * %e views expressed in this newsletter are those of As previously stated in this magazine, we fervently hope that the voices of disadvantaged communities will be heard even more in the the author concerned. %ey do not, by any means, future through the LCDP. %ere are concerns the opposite could necessarily re#ect the views of the Editor, the editorial happen. team, the management committee of the Community Meanwhile general Programme concerns and criticisms have been Development Network, Moyross, Ltd., or the aired in ‘Changing Ireland’ along with the Programme’s positives and promised bene$ts for communities and we look forward to Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht continuing to provide space for both sides of the debate. A"airs. Meanwhile people, want to see what the work on the ground is achieving and supporting and in this issue we report on excellent examples of community work from Kilkenny and north Dublin, south Limerick and elsewhere that receive support under the LCDP.

Poverty is the worst form of violence - Mahatma Gandhi 2. contents “We are glad the project has been been has project the glad are “We Community Development Programme. Development Community pleased are and future the for secured of task larger the on take it see to Programme. bigger new the promoting ank you! ank % The mother of revolution and crime is poverty – Aristotle – poverty is crime and revolution of mother The Wanted: News reporters News Wanted: NEW PROGRAMME NEW have an eye for Civil Society and/or Community Community and/or Society Civil for eye an have Development stories. Ideally, you should work as a as work should you Ideally, stories. Development welcome. Also, check us out on facebook, youtube, youtube, facebook, on out us check Also, welcome. and national – that emailed in stories. Letters always always Letters stories. in emailed that – national and

blogger and on our website: www.changingireland.ie. www.changingireland.ie. website: our on and blogger

We’re on the lookout for aspiring news reporters who who reporters news aspiring for lookout the on We’re BY THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY THE BY volunteer or paid worker in a CDP or local development development local or CDP a in worker paid or volunteer ank you to the many community organisations – local local – organisations community many the to you ank % company. Contact the editor. If we print it, we’ll pay for it. it. for pay we’ll it, print we If editor. the Contact company.

PROGRAMME INTEGRATION 7 INTEGRATION PROGRAMME CDPs Limerick and Cork for news Good assets over hand or close to need don’t CDPs “gutted” campaigners National reps Forum meets Minister 12-13 CAREY MINISTER INTERVIEW: Development’ Community in ‘argy-bargy’ need ‘You Minister urges Programme, the behind Get 20-21 COUNTRY THE AROUND FROM VOICES ground the on Dissent 22-23 POBAL AND CES OF ROLES meeting national at Pobal for Questions silence to right their and Services ective ! E for Centre The NEWS, DEBATE & UPDATES & DEBATE NEWS,

PRODUCED IN MOYROSS MOYROSS IN PRODUCED DEVELOPMENT NETWORK DEVELOPMENT

A new board should be put in place shortly and the process of of process the and shortly place in put be should board new A www.moyross.ie, up setting in work local our on report a For . It is a credit to all those involved,” said Deirdre O’Driscoll, O’Driscoll, Deirdre said involved,” those all to credit a is It Moyross. CDN the of chairperson begun. has company t $ not-for-pro a as project the up setting ! blog our visit 27th, July on Carey Minister by launched was which airs to produce produce to airs " A Gaeltacht and Equality Community, and of Local the of magazine national the as Ireland’ ‘Changing 3 OPINION 18 FURTHER NEWS FURTHER VOLUNTEERING VOLUNTEERING SECTOR NEWS 14-15 NEWS SECTOR ON THE GROUND 8-9 GROUND THE ON new Department, new Head 5 Head new Department, new Our good news correspondent news good Our ANTI-RACISM 4 & 16-17 & 4 ANTI-RACISM Developing social enterprises 27 enterprises social Developing HORACE McDERMOTT 19 McDERMOTT HORACE Dept has grown not disappeared! 6 disappeared! not grown has Dept NEWS Minister Ó Cuív wants your IDEAS! 28 IDEAS! your wants Cuív Ó Minister ‘Is Féidir Linn’ initiative under scrutiny under initiative Linn’ Féidir ‘Is JOB-CREATION 5, 6, 26 & 27 & 26 6, 5, JOB-CREATION 337m for regeneration in Limerick 19 Limerick in regeneration for 337m € Youth work with cameras goes national goes cameras with work Youth FEATURES FRCs rising to assist the newly unemployed 6 unemployed newly the assist to rising FRCs Interview with a community activist in prison 25 prison in activist community a with Interview aly to East Wall East to aly O! Sherkin, to Southill from News

ON THE GROUND IN KILKENNY 10-11 KILKENNY IN GROUND THE ON Travellers in Ethiopia to support development work development support to Ethiopia in Travellers Speedpak in Coolock – social enterprise in action 26 action in enterprise social – Coolock in Speedpak Community activists shut down Facebook hate sites hate Facebook down shut activists Community Donncha O’Callaghan launches Age Link in Mahon 17 Mahon in Link Age launches O’Callaghan Donncha EU YEAR FOR COMBATING POVERTY 28 POVERTY COMBATING FOR YEAR EU erence? erence? ! di a make poverty about talking of year a Will

INTERNATIONAL / ADULT EDUCATION 24 EDUCATION ADULT / INTERNATIONAL Volunteer-run Happe House confounds estate’s critics 10-11 critics estate’s confounds House Happe Volunteer-run

as an independent company by year’s end. year’s by company independent an as oyross, Limerick-based ‘Changing Ireland’, is to establish itself itself establish to is Ireland’, ‘Changing Limerick-based oyross,

Dublin’s Northside Partnership gets 98 people back to work 5 work to back people 98 gets Partnership Northside Dublin’s ‘Changing Ireland’ to become independent company ‘Changing Ireland’ to become independent Facebook members could end with convictionsNew Ministers, Ministers, convictionsNew with end could members Facebook RAPID, Doolough, Niall Crowley, Penal Reform, Drugs cuts, CWC, cuts, Drugs Reform, Penal Crowley, Niall Doolough, RAPID, e new company’s main contract will be with the Department Department the with be will contract main company’s new e % Directly employing two people and involving up to 40 in the the in 40 to up involving and people two employing Directly

e community media media community e % M production process (not including the printers), it has operated operated has it printers), the including (not process they and production CDP, local the Moyross, CDN of management the under independently. up project the set to now steps taking are independence and has has and independence Community the on reported Programme’s Development years. nine for issues community on and achievements project exercises editorial editorial exercises project news

facebook without fear of repercussions and in the INTRODUCTION absence of state policing, it was le! to community activists and groups representing those targeted to Ministers, TDs, civil servants and community workers on the ground can make life uncomfortable for them. rejoice over an unexpected win to emerge from current conflict between the One Traveller working under the pseudonym Government and Civil Society over community funding issues. ‘Brian Cowen’ has named and shamed dozens of members of the ‘Babies for Bait’ site, publishing Local community campaigners joined forces online and helped to take on information (gleaned from their own facebook one of the biggest web companies, Facebook, forcing it to remove two big racist pages) about where they say they work or go to college and sometimes naming their parents or websites. siblings. However, other smaller anti-Traveller sites remain in existence. %ose behind the ‘Babies for Bait’ site were naïve The people behind one of the sites made no effort at first to hide their identities. or indeed bold enough to set the site up without fear of a reaction and only a!er one of them was confronted by ‘Changing Ireland’ did they seek to hide or disguise their identities. Two work in the tourism industry in Kerry, Community activists shut one says he works in a large telecommunications company while the fourth appears to have emigrated down facebook hate sites to Australia. * * * * * - Racist membership was reaching 10,000 %e Irish Traveller Movement described the sites as “particularly vile” and “grossly o"ensive.” Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station in Dublin is understood to be investigating two formal complaints about the bigger site made by Ron Archibald of Pavee Point, a national Travellers’ organisation and by community worker Emma Maguire. Ben said Facebook need to face up to the racism in a real way and that they have responsibilities while Pavee Point’s director Martin Collins said the sites were “disgusting” and he was glad the issue was being highlighted. %e site creator behind the ‘Babies for Bait’ site – a man we’ll call ‘Mike’ – wrote with regret to friends within hours of his site being removed. In his message, he also lamented the removal the same day of two other anti-Traveller sites, including one called ‘I hate gypsies’. Another site is now growing in popularity and community activists may soon lobby Facebook to Four of those (ringed) responsible for Babies for Bait. shut down a site called ‘I fucking hate knackers’. %ree of ‘Mike’s buddies joined this site within hours of their own site being pulled, with one By Allen Meagher way the people involved in these sites talk. Slovakian friend explaining he did so because ommunity activists went online en-masse in Meanwhile, the photo section of the ‘Babies for Travellers were “f…ing animals”. His details and those May to force Facebook to remove two racist Bait’ site proposed burning Travellers out of caravans. of the 300-plus other members have been recorded. sites targeting the Traveller community that Members of both sites ranged from secondary Two of ‘Mike’s ‘admin’ pals also joined ‘Abolish Chad a combined membership of very close to 10,000 school pupils to UCD business and law students to a the Knackers!’ which is in fact a George Orwell- members. businessman, a hotel and a bar in Kerry. devoted page, though that seems to have been lost %e most popular site proposed shooting Coincidentally, shortly a!er two sites were on them. Orwell wrote about the o"ensive term Travellers on Monday a!ernoons while another one removed, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern made a innocently in referring to people who boil horse- was set up by four drinking buddies from Killarney, speech at a Press Council event when he said people carcasses to make glue. Co. Kerry and suggested that Traveller babies should responsible for defamatory and o"ensive online ‘Mike’ did not join any new sites publicly, maybe be used as shark-bait. material can and will be sued. $nally sensing that big brother was watching. On May 19th, ‘Babies for Bait’ was shut down %e Garda Racial and Intercultural O'ce Meanwhile, the hotel that had linked to his site at by Facebook four hours a!er the company (GRIO) repeated that message to ‘Changing Ireland’ issued a statement to ‘Changing Ireland’ reporter “removed” the ‘Hunting’ site, the homepage of in July. ROSS RYAN in which it claimed their connection which had featured a man with an enormous gun. %erefore, those behind ‘Promote the Use of to the ‘Babies for Bait’ site was “not known to us”. %e ‘Babies for Bait’ page was in existence for ten Knacker Babies for Bait’ which had 664 members A spokeswoman said, “We view such pages as months. and ‘Setting Aside Monday A!ernoons to Hunt anti-social in the extreme and are shocked that it In February, one of the four “admin” people Knackers’ with over 8,000 members may yet be is possible that a link can be created without our named on the site wrote about Travellers on his prosecuted. knowledge or consent.” friend’s publicly open Facebook page, asking: If so, it would be the $rst time members of the %e hotel deleted its facebook page linking to the “Where is an AK47 when you need it?” public in Ireland are prosecuted for racist online site that same day. %e friend replied: “I need special with never- activity, according to Sergeant Dave McInerney of For full coverage, see pages 16-17. ending bullets.” the GRIO. %is was one of the most serious examples of the Until now, people in Ireland joined hate-sites on

Love conquers all things except poverty and toothaches – Mae West 4. news Northside Partnership – getting people back to work Dublin’s Northside Partnership is really getting people back to work - 98 new businesses started up in Coolock since January course called ‘Planning for Business’ run by “All the people who come here have a very clear Dublin’s Northside Partnership has changed idea of what they’re doing,” said Orla. “Most of people’s lives in Coolock. them have applied for the Back to Work Enterprise ARTE, with their interest in start-your-own- Allowance which means they’re now opting to business programmes, should call over because remove themselves from social welfare and register as between January and mid-June, 243 people self-employed. completed the course and “Places are free to 98 of those people set up participants because Kevin “knows businesses. they’re funded by %at $gure beats the target agencies, but they $gure for all of 2008 three to are highly valued by definitely” four times over. participants and there’s “Two years ago, our target a long waiting list for his was to get around 200 people course.” he’ll make a on the course and to get 30 Orla saw herself as part to 40 people setting up businesses,” said enterprise of a team, building on the work of her colleagues: job of it manager Cepta Dowling. and she said that the Northside Partnership had ourse participant Kevin Hendrick from %e Mission of the Northside Partnership is to be a huge appetite for the crucial preparatory work: CCoolock in Dublin, intended to set up the driving force in meeting the challenge of social “%ey see their remit as very much working with a sports therapy company a!er completing inclusion in its catchment area and it is also engaged people on the ground. %ere’s tight evaluation and the short course in June. A printer for 10 in other initiatives to support unemployed people. they’re constantly checking the feedback.” years, Kevin was laid o" in 2007 and decided However, the business start-up support is winning Full attendances are the norm. to change career and move into sports it such attention that there is a waiting list “I start facilitating the course with a new therapy. to join the course. group next Monday. %at’s 22 people He gives the start-your-own-business Cepta said they’ve seen all coming along to a course in July, course “ten out of ten”, saying that other types of workers come to something you’d never have heard courses didn’t teach him much, but this one them with small business of before.” really worked for him. ideas – from massage Orla believes the course is “I feel that every class teaches me so much. therapists, $tness “probably the best of its kind I’ve loads of ideas, but I didn’t know what instructors, music in the country.” She credits to do with them, but we’ve gone through teachers and healers to the teamwork involved business planning,” he said, adding that he construction workers in preparing candidates “knows de$nitely” he will be in full-time and electricians. before they go on the employment a!erwards. “We’re on the course. Online reports: View our interviews with ground with the “I think the model here Kevin, Cepta and Orla on: www.youtube. clients. Most people is probably the best in its com %ey can also be accessed via: www. come to us through class. %e overall model here changingireland.ie Social Welfare referrals, works. By the time they come but the other big referral is to me, they’re fully engaged. word of mouth,” she said. Also, the course is certi$ed.” %e Partnership employs Northside Partnership will two enterprise o'cers to meet have helped almost 200 people leave Unemployed prospective course participants and unemployment behind them and set up in they check to see is the person ready and if not they business by December of this year. In total around nurture them until they are. 500 people will have completed the course. networking 22 people at a time do the course and they are %e Northside Partnership is part of the national he Northside Partnership puts a strong steered towards a hopefully brighter future by Orla Local and Community Development Programme emphasis on getting unemployed O’Carroll who has facilitated the course over 50 which is managed by Pobal on behalf of the T people to network. times now. Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht “When people lose a job, they can “We try and get them to tweak and twist their A"airs. ideas to get a competitive edge,” she said, noting that More info: Contact the Northside Partnership become very isolated but they learn people were generally motivated by the simple wish and ask to speak to one of the company’s two through networking that most of the to replace lost incomes, having become unemployed. enterprise o'cers. Tel. 01-8485630. http://www. barriers and challenges they face are the “%ey’re not setting up big businesses, they’re northsidepartnership.ie same as what other people face,” said micro-businesses,” said Orla, “and the outcomes here Online reports: View our interviews with Kevin, Orla O’Carroll, course facilitator. are extremely high.”. Cepta and Orla on: www.youtube.com %ey can %e Partnership has mastered the knack of picking also be accessed via: www.changingireland.ie the people who will most bene$t from the course.

5 There was never a war on poverty; maybe there was a skirmish - Andrew Cuomo news Family Resource Centres / New Department FRCs rising to assist the newly unemployed

Dept. has grown not disappeared!

RCs last year launched a range of additional have seen now is that – if people come to an FRC to get he Minister of Community, services and supports to meet the demands of newly information on job opportunities or unemployment Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, unemployed people. supports – they are more likely to engage then with other T F%e work was marked on July 7th with the launch by activities and return to the Centre for future events.” Pat Carey, has expressed great hopes in his newly reconfigured Minister Pat Carey of a report detailing the response to Pakie also noted “a growing level of voluntary activity.” Department. the jobs crisis by the 107 FRCs nationally. It found that FRCs are largely dependant on volunteerism. Four months into the job, he noted over 150,000 people accessed information from FRCs last Last year, 2,744 people volunteered in FRCs, that the media had written-off the year and almost 14,000 availed of training courses directly making a contribution equivalent to that of 343 full- Department earlier this year and related to gaining employment. time sta" members or €10.98 million (calculated in couldn’t have got it more wrong as it “We also provide emotional and personal support,” said accordance with the average industrial wage). A further has doubled in size. Packie Kelly, Chairperson of the Family Resource Centre 985 volunteers served as members of the boards of “The new Department will be a National Forum – which launched the report alongside management of FRCs. serious, policy-driven department. the Family Support Agency. There’s a huge amount of expertise Over 13,000 people were provided with direct, one-to- here. I think this Department will be one support – what FRCs call ‘cup-of-tea’ support – in SUPPORT FOR quite a significant crucible for ideas,” 2009. he said. FRCs also provided in-house counselling to over 5,000 GRANDPARENTS Minister Carey was reluctant to people nationally. Speaking at the launch, Pat Bennett, Chief Executive make predictions, but appeared “While FRCs have always provided developmental O'cer of the Family Support Agency said the report confident that the Department will supports, counselling and information services, many had “shows that FRCs impact positively on the lives of survive the next election even if to expand and tailor their o"erings last year to respond hundreds of thousands of people, and respond in a #exible there’s a change of political parties. directly to the needs of the unemployed. manner to the needs of their local communities.” “We have to draw up a strategy “Many FRCs o"ered very practical support to the According to Mr. Bennett, a future priority for FRCs statement within 6 months of my unemployed: free internet and administration services; will be to support grandparents who $nd themselves being appointed a Minister…. In assistance with CV writing, and packs with all the relevant playing a key role in bringing up their grandchildren, fact, I think it’ll take the best part information needed by job-seekers. something that is particularly becoming more common in of two years (to fully develop). It is “Some Centres noted a particularly high number of disadvantaged communities. highly likely I’ll be gone out of the young male users, accessing Back to Education support, Department before it is bedded personal development courses, and information and down to a refined extent,” he told resources to assist them in seeking work.” FRCs part of new Dept. ‘Changing Ireland’. %e $rst FRCs were set up in 1994. %ey are funded The Department’s website has by the Department of Community, Equality and been updated and now includes up- POSITIVE TRENDS Gaeltacht A"airs through the Family Support Agency, to-date information on its reach and However, Pakie said there were also a number of positive the government agency that administers the FRC responsibilities. developments last year. programme. All FRCs involve people from marginalised More info: www.pobail.ie “Providing photocopying and computer services has groups and areas of disadvantage at all levels, including on a knock-on e"ect of attracting people to FRCs that we their voluntary management committees. have traditionally found di'cult to reach. What we W: http://www.familyresource.ie/

In Ireland 1 in 8 people live in a one-parent family (Census 2006) 6. Local and Community Development Programme Good news for Minister Meets Forum Reps CDPs serving Cork, inister Pat Carey met with reps if we are to retain over 2000 volunteers who Mfrom the National Community work tirelessly in their own community, that Limerick, Women and Development Forum (NCDF) on July 29th the NCDF as the national representative as this magazine went to press. group for all CDPs (meets with the Minister Travellers - they’re %e Forum had and his o'cials).” written $ve times to On June 11th the Forum winning approval for the Minister seeking submitted its alternative a meeting and TDs proposal for CDPs nationally and Senators had and it was examined by alternative models also pressed the Department o'cials and by the s well as the Cork and Limerick models, Women’s Minister over the Minister. CDPs and Traveller CDPs are also understood matter. On June 28th, the Minister to be at advanced stages in working out with the DepartmentA how a di"erent model could work for their %e Minister indicated he was not entirely wrote to the Forum satis$ed with the NCDF’s CDPs and their communities’ particular needs. in May explaining proposal. In most parts of the country, CDPs are being absorbed why he wouldn’t He later spoke in the into Local Development Companies (aka Partnerships) meet them at Oireachtas spelling out his and many if not most of them are likely to close down as the time – his reasons for not endorsing it companies. understanding (while nevertheless indicated %e Limerick model proposes “that instead of was that they were some local models may indeed ‘integrating’ Partnerships and CDP’s in Limerick campaigning to be approved) and he formally city, CDPs are amalgamated into one “City CDP” retain the status quo wrote to the Forum informing thus retaining local voluntary involvement with real and by meeting them he could “engender them of his views. responsibility and a continued say in decisions a"ecting false hope on your side that I could be In recent months, the Forum has met their community.” persuaded to change the policy position with the Irish Local Development Network Limerick CDPs are aiming to “ensure that the LCDP outlined… since the new Programme was (representing local development companies) is delivered as e"ectively and e'ciently as possible with launched.” and the Community Workers Co-operative, the maximum participation and buy in from volunteers Forum chairperson Larry McCarthy said among others. engaged over the years on CDP management committees.” prior to the meeting that it was “imperative, %e Department have been very clear that they want savings made in the areas of sta", HR, audit, administration and legal bills. Meanwhile, Minister Pat Carey told ‘Changing Ireland’ he believed that alternative models can be agreed which “will address the concerns and the needs” of the Traveller CDPs and Women’s CDPs. CDPs do NOT need to close An alternative model proposed by Donegal CDP’s was lodagh McDonnell, Principal activities in any given area.” not accepted by the Department and it was recommended O'cer with the Department’s “As has been stated many times by to them to look at the Limerick model. Community and Local Ministers and the Department, any %e full details on the Limerick model, including the CDevelopment Division, wrote to project worthwhile community development management structure as submitted to the Department, is chairpersons, following the campaign called activity or service delivered under the CDP now available for download from: www.changingireland. ‘Community Development – Don’t Cut the can be delivered under the new LCDP and ie/LimerickCDPsAlternativeModel.doc Grassroots’. by the same sta" who currently do this work, She said: “It is important to note that, subject to Budgetary provision. despite what is stated by many CDPs and For more on the ‘Don’t Cut %e CDP national by others, full integration does not mean Grassroots’ campaign, see pages 20-21. closure of a CDP or the cessation of CDP campaigners “gutted” spokesperson for the National Community Development Forum (NCDF) said they were “gutted” Athat their proposal was largely rejected by Minister Pat Carey. %e Forum’s proposal was for a Service Level Agreement (SLA) which would have seen funding continued for CDPs CDPs do NOT need to hand over nationwide. %e Forum said this was the favoured route for almost assets every CDP around the country and some Partnerships and s highlighted in an earlier edition of ‘Changing Ireland’, there is no obligation on projects projects had written to them about it. to hand over assets. %ere has been confusion about this. Within hours of learning the proposal was not a runner On June 1st Clodagh McDonnell, Principal O'cer, wrote to CDP chairpersons who nationally, NCDF member Cathleen O’Neill appeared on hadA contacted the Department with concerns over this issue and others. Clodagh wrote: television on TV3 expressing her disappointment. “In a full integration situation, all assets and net liabilities would usually transfer by agreement. Some phone calls to ‘Changing Ireland’ from CDPs However, the Department has made it clear that other arrangements are possible if CDPs or in di"erent parts of the country indicated that morale LDCs want this e.g. the ownership of buildings need not transfer to the LDC. Pobal will be able had declined a!er the Minister said “No” to the national to advise on this aspect.” proposal. Up to 2,600 people had joined in the ‘Don’t’ Cut %e Grassroots’ campaign to save CDPs during May and June. (See pages 20-21).

7. one-parent family helpline = 1890 66 22 12 Local and Community Development Programme The work on the ground goes on INTRODUCTION - WORK ON THE GROUND The Local and Community Development Programme is due to take off by the end of this year. The work on the ground in communities continues in President on the meantime. Sherkin island to award degrees President McAleese was the guest of honour on Sherkin Island, Co. Cork, at the conferring of full honours degrees for the Dublin Institute of Technology’s BA in Visual Art Graduation in April. %e course brings professional artists to the area and creates opportunities for students, other artists, communities and arts groups. At the unique graduation ceremony President McAleese remarked that it was “the culmination of over 10 years of careful planning and pilot projects and that it marks something quite remarkable and wonderful – the successful delivery of a fully accredited degree programme on an island.” She congratulated all those whose determination “turned an ambitious idea into a successful reality.” %e seven $nal-year students from the BA John Hehir, Denise McNamara and Zoe Hehir who attended the drugs information day and organiser in Visual Art Programme were awarded with Caroline Keane. their degrees by Dr Frank McMahon, director of academic a"airs, DIT. %e event was attended by various local 100 attend drugs info day in Southill community and governmental representatives as well as family, friends and members of the North Star, Cuan Mhuire, Victory Outreach from - Limerick, June 23rd, 2010 wider community. Cork and others on ways to overcome addiction. In June, Southill CDP in Limerick brought together 12 %e project is funded under the LCDP. sta" from 10 agencies involved in anti-drugs work for a Caroline Keane is a community-based Drugs public information day on drugs. Education Worker and she says alcohol and nicotine A lot of parents brought along their children to are the most widely used drugs in Southill. see what drugs look like so they would recognise the She was pleased at the end of the day: "We had 100 LCDP and Age dangers when confronted by the real thing. local people along today and 30 of them signed up for 'Changing Ireland' met a mother of an eight-year- training." %e training includes joining a Community old concerned about the way schoolchildren are being Addiction Studies course starting in September. & Opportunity targeted. She was determined to educate her young See connected story: TD appeals for “reversal” of child before it was too late. cuts to addiction services in country areas, on page collaboration Others sought advice on the day from Slainte, Alje", 14-15. Nascadh CDP makes the link for Google Nascadh CDP was among the community groups in Dublin recently who linked up older people with Google employees to see how to Age & Opportunity is planning to roll out a make the most of the internet. programme called ‘Aging With Con$dence’ Google staff hosted classes for over 200 in nine counties in collaboration with Local people aged 50 and upwards week at its Development Companies and local VECs. European Headquarters in Dublin. Ann Healy of the Southside Partnership The “students” received one-to-one tuition talked about her experience of delivering and in how to use the internet, send email and get taking part in the Ageing with Con$dence to grips with social networking websites like course held in Shankill recently. She said it was Skype, Facebook and Twitter. “a life-changing experience” where people shared Google Ireland’s Social Action Group stories they’d never talked to anyone about. develops community outreach programmes %e programme is expected to expand into for its employees to increase the search Munster later this year. company’s involvement in the local W: www.ageandopportunity.ie community.

1 in 6 families in Ireland are one-parent families (Census 2006). 8. news Taoiseach opens Politics with cake Partnership Offaly offices of in Waterford applauds Hebron’s new community Ballybeg CDP in Waterford city, working to deal “extraordinary” with a tight budget this year, held a cake sale on June 7th and tied it in with a public meeting immediately volunteers “powerhouse” a!erwards. All residents were called to the meeting which was Happe House Taoiseach Brian Cowen has hailed the “to highlight the importance of keeping the Parish volunteers in Hebron development of the O"aly Local Development Centre in local ownership.” Park, Kilkenny city, Company as “a powerhouse for local endeavour”. From the day when details of the Local and create challenges for %e Taoiseach said that by maximising synergies Community Development Programme were $rst agencies coming in between programmes and sharing facilities, announced last November, Ballybeg CDP’s voluntary from outside. %ey refused for instance to consider resources and expertise, “O"aly LDC has the management committee publicly declared that they asking a dignitary to open the Centre’s extension last potential to do even more, as a powerhouse for would not let their assets transfer to any group or May. local endeavour”. agency that did not belong to the community. “We didn’t believe in bringing in a suit as I call %e O"aly LDC was formed following the them,” said volunteer Teresa Heary. “We got the amalgamation of O"aly LEADER Company, oldest lady and the youngest baby here to do it, we OAK Partnership, Tullamore Wider Options Ltd. kept it in the community.” and West O"aly Integrated Partnership. John Murphy, social inclusion manager with the %e Taoiseach o'cially opened new o'ces Kilkenny Leader Partnership, said the volunteers in in Tullamore, Co. O"aly, for the O"aly Local Happe House have a real grá for their community: Development Company in June. “Gladys and Teresa are extraordinary people O"aly LDC is responsible for delivering both doing inspirational work. You sometimes get that in the Rural Development Programme and the Local communities around the country. We wouldn’t be and Community Development Programme in the half as e"ective in the area without them. county. “%ey provide a key platform for us to to reach some of the most marginalised parts of town. We’d view the infrastructure they’ve built up as absolutely Walks scheme central for the area.” “We’re proud to work with them and to be launched in north Kilkenny: €70,000 challenged by them sometimes, which is a good thing. %ey make our programmes work and we put a Cork for rural film substantial amount into the area, supporting activities Minister for Tourism, on a near-daily basis.” Culture and Sport, groups Find out more about how volunteers are Mary Hana$n improving the quality of life in Hebron and visited the o'ces of %e Kilkenny Leader Partnership has agreed to surrounding areas in our report from Kilkenny on Integrated Rural Development Duhallow o'ces in fund the Young Irish Film-Makers (YIFM) for three pages 10-11. Newmarket, Co. Cork, on June 10th to launch a years, starting this autumn. walks scheme. Martin Ra!er, rural development manager, said %e Walks Scheme is a national scheme and open the bulk of the €70,000 grant will go on camera Women design to all landholders on national waymarked ways, equipment and the remainder to support outreach looped walking routes and heritage routes along work to rural areas in the county. fridge magnet for with other trails that have been approved by the %e YIFM can boast of very high levels of National Trails O'ce. IRD Duhallow has been participation, but the project was aware it wasn’t drug addicts approved to deliver the scheme on the Duhallow reaching everyone. Way and Blackwater Way sections of the Munster %e Partnership-sponsored camera equipment St. Mary’s Women’s Group from King’s Island in Way. will be for use by rural groups who receive training, Limerick has come up with an unusual way of helping Separately, IRD Duhallow is seeking individuals with the YIFM responsible for its maintenance. drug users who want to get clean but don’t know where who have a background in boxing and are interested For our full report on the YIFM and their new to go. in volunteering to develop a Youth Boxing Initiative national outreach programme, see our report from %e women, who took part in a drug awareness JO
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XXXEVIBMMPXJOGP Kilkenny on pages 10-11. course recently, have created a fridge magnet containing a list of contacts providing help and information. Noel Phelan, Drugs Education and Prevention Worker with St Mary’s CDP worked with the women on the course. He said: “When someone decides they want to get o" drugs there is a small window of opportunity and they need to know where to go immediately because tomorrow they will have changed CALL US WITH YOUR STORY! their mind”. %is is the beginning in a series showing how local work around the country continues, while policy %e fridge magnet is simple. It consists of a sheet of makers, politicians and community activists seek at the same time to in#uence the shape and structure contact numbers printed on magnetic-backed paper. of the Local and Community Development Programme. For more information, contact Noel at St Mary’s Call us with your story that shows the work you’re project/company is engaged in locally, especially CDP, King’s Island, Limerick. if there’s something new and inspiring in it! Work we cocer seeks to adhere to core principles of &

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9. 1 in 5 children in Ireland live in a one-parent family (Census 2006). LCDP: Community Development in Kilkenny

- Allen Meagher reports from the Youth work with cameras goes national Kilkenny offices of the Young Irish Film Makers

ike Kelly made award-winning $lms for the BBC in London and worked with street-children in Sydney before returning to his native Kilkenny 19 yearsM ago to launch a new project. “And 19 years later, this project – the Young Irish Film Makers - is still unique,” says Mike. RTE could have done it but they weren’t interested and now it’s going national – through an outreach programme that trains people to make professional low budget $lms with young people in their area. For people sitting on budgets for RAPID areas, for rural development, or for youth work, it’s worth checking out.

FILM-MAKING IN 3 DAYS Having completed one of these 3-day courses myself, in May, I think the YIFM have got it right. %ey used to squeeze the training into a couple of days or stretch it over a couple of weeks, but 3 days works best. It’s amazing to go from having no notion about On location . . . Volunteer-run Happe House confounds estate’s critics By Allen Meagher week. on, it’s called Garrincreen Park.” Happe House Community Centre in the heart of “%e only areas that are disadvantaged are Stigmatisation is a common problem facing Hebron Park housing estate in Kilkenny city is the those that are taken advantage of. %at’s the way disadvantaged areas. kind of place I wouldn’t turn up to again without a I feel. I get really bothered about being called But why the huge dedication? packet of biscuits. “disadvantaged”, said Gladys. “People do ask why do we volunteer – I say you’re “Did you not bring any with you,” asked Teresa, mental not to take pride in your area,” said Gladys. almost as if we’d agreed in advance that this was to be my passport to getting an hour of their voluntary RECOGNISE VOLUNTEERS SHOULD BE time. RECOGNISED It wasn’t as if volunteers Teresa Heary and Gladys Neither of the women has ever received an Bowles had rung me up for coverage. A literacy award. tutor in Kilkenny had tipped me o", saying it was “I’d be absolutely morti$ed if I got an award, but the most wonderful project that he’d come across do I think volunteers should be recognised,” said in years. Gladys. Sta" from the Kilkenny LEADER Partnership %ey might win something this year however – which has begun working with the all-volunteer- they’ve entered the Tidy Towns Awards. run Happe House in recent years agree. “Why not!” said Gladys. It’s based in a part of Kilkenny that most people In May of last year, Happe House was extended in the city regard with suspicion and negativism. Gladys Bowles and Teresa Heary. and it now caters for everything from courses in drug awareness and road safety to model car LABELLED THE WORST ESTATE IN “We are labelled the worst estate in Kilkenny,” building. %ere is also a playschool, a pennybank, KILKENNY said Teresa, “but I’ll show you something I’m very youth clubs, a men’s group, a computer room and Maybe no surprise then that the tune Gladys was proud of – the park.” the list goes on. playing rather loudly through the Centre’s sound She showed me around a beautiful and well-kept Neither Gladys nor Teresa miss a trick when it system when I visited was the soundtrack from the children’s park, pointing out it wasn’t fenced in, comes to funding. %e model car building project ‘Gladiator’ $lm. can’t by locked and yet there’s rarely trouble. won National Lottery funding. %e centre is named a!er one of the founding “But when there is, the media/politicians talk %e project went up in #ames before it started members, the late Bill Happe and today volunteers about Hebron Park. Yet, when the dignitaries are however, much to tutor Peter O’Brien’s shock and keep the place open from 8am to 10pm, six days a doing something, or there’s something nice going to the dismay of Cllr Joe Malone who backed the

190,000 families in Ireland today are one-parent families. 10 LCDP: Community Development in Kilkenny Youth work with cameras goes national how to make a $lm on a Monday morning to “IT’S YOUTHWORK WITH CAMERAS” Council and the National Youth Council of producing one by Wednesday. - MIKE Ireland, while FAS funding employs a seventh %e trainers throw in tips for how best to $nd a Linda Hanbidge started o" like Brad or Lukas, worker. suitable story, allocate crew positions and keep on going to the YIFM as a teenager. Now she works COMPUTER-LITERACY schedule, and the main aim is on training youth there, as a national outreach worker. In the world of $lm, YIFM’s impact emulates leaders to repeat the exercise with young people. “We ran our $rst outside course through the the Cats’ success with hurleys, as demonstrated %at’s the whole point. It isn’t about taking on local Community Development Project LARC by the fact that $lm-courses in Dublin are Hollywood, the emphasis is on the youth work here in Kilkenny and since then we’ve run courses over#owing with Kilkenny people. A number of involved, the con$dence-building, the team- in schools and with Family Resource Centres successful $lm companies also trace their roots building. In short, the kids. in the South-East and for free with groups back to YIFM. %e real measure however is how “We started out with 15 teenagers in 1990,” throughout County Kilkenny thanks to Kilkenny young people develop from the experience. said Mike. “Now we make short feature $lms with LEADER Partnership. “%ey develop con$dence, computer skills, hundreds of young people each year.” “Not everyone in Kilkenny wants to play learn team-work, have a laugh and learn about I was talking to Mike in the YIFM o'ces in hurling, you know,” says Linda. abilities they didn’t know they have,” said Linda. Kilkenny and as he spoke, teenagers in school For the young people, it’s about making a More recently, the YIFM ran two outreach uniforms started pouring in from every doorway. $lm, but the primary purpose for us always is courses in Limerick city. School was over. developing them and helping them discover their %e cost was €55 per participant, good value Brad Ellis (13) told me, “I $rst heard about this potential,” continued Mike. “It’s youth work with for three days training, and the price will remain from a friend; now I’m an actor in ‘%e Usurpers’ cameras and computers.” low while the pilot stage of the outreach work $lm, there are 30 in the cast.” Important work takes place when the children continues. Brad and his pal Lukas Hartmann spelt out get involved in on-screen editing. NOTE: ‘Zombie Love’ featuring a star the name of their website for me: HYPERLINK “%ere’s a whole new literacy has arrived and if performance from Ross Ryan, a journalist “http://www.bracknashaddax.co.cc” www. you can’t work with computers, you can’t engage currently on placement with ‘Changing Ireland’ bracknashaddax.co.cc. %ey say it’s devoted to socially or look for a job anymore.” is on youtube. Another $lm produced by people “zen-$lm-making”. He applauds Youthreach’s work nationally attending a course in St. Munchin’s Family %e project deals with the 10-20-year-old age on this issue with groups in disadvantaged areas Resource Centre in Limerick should be online group and classes are held every day. through it’s ‘Digital Literacy Programme’. shortly. It features some embarrassing acting from %e project’s main funders – supporting the this reporter. employment of six sta" - comes from the Arts W: www.yifm.com T: 056-776-4677.

project. PARTNERSHIP SUPPORT Teresa recalled: “We were downtown with the %e workload on the volunteers has increased cars and the boys turned them all on together, there and they are $nally moving towards taking on part- was a surge of power and all the (electric) chips in time paid workers to help out. the cars melted. %e power surge came from pylons Since the spring, part-time Community on the roof of the nearby Bank of Ireland and the Employment worker now cleans the Centre and cars had to be sent to England for repairs.” soon, Happe House hopes to employ two paid sta" But Happe House still has a good relationship if HSE funding comes through for the childcare with banks. workers in the crèche. “We got €3,000 from AIB in the Better Ireland %is is where Happe House’s volunteer managers Awards,” said Gladys. She’s glad by the way that $nd the Kilkenny Leader Partnership particularly AIB copped onto giving a grant to each of the three helpful, supporting them with funding applications $nalists, rather than the corporate-style winner- and the like. %e Partnership also runs a lot of takes-all competition the bank used to run. Community Development Projects, usually activities through Happe House as well as having an meeting with sta", it takes a while to take onboard outreach worker for the wider area based there. YOUNG MEN ON COURSE that everyone involved in this Kilkenny-based Teresa was winding me up about the biscuits, “At the moment, we’re doing a community project is voluntary. but she and her volunteer partner in crime have a garden project with New Park Close FRC,” said %eir work is well regarded. %e local gi! for making people want to contribute to the Gladys. “It’s for young men that were on the dole Partnership company recognises that the volunteers project they’ve been running for 14 and 21 years who wanted to come o" the dole but couldn’t $nd in Hebron Park are “inspirational” and have a “grá” respectively. work… %ey’ve activities $ve days a week now for what they do (see accompanying box). How’s a thousand words lads! and as it’s coming to an end, they’re asking for an “I hate people in their areas knocking where they By the way, it’s time to replace the Maxwell extension.” come from. How do your children have hopes of House with Fairtrade co"ee. Gladys said they were told to expect people to getting jobs if people knock the area? I love where I To $nd out more about the model car building drop o" the course as time went on. live,” said Gladys. youth project, which is a novel way to counteract %at might happen in some FAS courses, but not Both women believe that in recent times a tendency in a community towards anti-social in Happe House. community spirit is returning. Partly because of behaviour, call Happe House on 056-7731004. “We still have the 19 we started with. Nobody the recession, people are more interested in what’s %ere’s also an excellent report online at: believed we’d keep them occupied. It’s one happening in their communities. http://www.kilkennyalive.com/story achievement we’re quite happy with,” smiled Teresa. “People are coming in now to us who never /happe-days-are-here-again A!er nearly ten years visiting very worthwhile (bothered) when we $rst opened,” said Teresa.

10 11 One-parent families are more likely to be poor than most other families. The New Programme - Positives aplenty You need ‘argy-bargy’ in Community Development – Minister Carey

By Allen Meagher Traveller community.” f there wasn’t argy-bargy in “%e same thing” applied to Community Development, Women’s CDPs, he added. you could “throw your hat at Asked will Gaeltacht CDPs it”, according to Minister for be going in under Udaras na Community,I Equality and Gaeltacht Gaeltachta, he replied, “A small A"airs, Pat Carey. number, maybe.” He recalled a period in the 1970s when there were regular rows He outright dismissed the notion between himself, Tony Gregory, that Community Development Fergus McCabe and Mick Ra!ery in Ireland will disappear with over which group should be the ending of the Community managing a particular playground: Development Programme. “I believe that good, honest “Community Development is upfront debate on the merits of our as valid in Foxrock as in Finglas, in ideas is worthwhile.” Mallow as in Moyross. If we make Asked about the way in which a mistake, it is to think it only many people shied away from being has to do with disadvantage and critical over policy issues, a!er close marginalisation. It is that, too.” to two decades of Fianna Fail in Government, he replied: “People say In relation to the closure of the you put money into things to buy Dublin Inner City Partnership people o". I don’t think so. Some and the impact that has on client of the initiatives we’re now arguing groups, Minister Carey said: “We’re about are ones that Fianna Fail put going to ensure that services to all in, for example the Partnerships, inner-city groups is maintained and RAPID, Clar. Why would we be we’re working on a model that will kicking around something that we ensure the delivery of comprehensive thought was a good idea?” services to the people and I’m quite determined to do that.” A lot of the recent controversy has been over CDPs being taken over by Asked if he was looking for Local Development Companies. a reduction in the number of Interestingly, the Minister said he community-focussed bodies funded could see instances where “CDPs do by the Department or a reduction in a reverse-takeover.” the number of community bodies in “I wouldn’t exclude that general, he replied: possibility, if there is a very weak “I’d like to see the cake divided local development group and a fairly among fewer organisations so we strong CDP. To me it makes sense. can have a greater impact, rather %e stronger one would support the than having everything sliced thinly weaker one.” which has happened in recent years to CDPs. Minister Carey spoke about his “%is time last year, I had a “strong belief ” in the process of “People say I haven’t listened very meeting with three CDPs in my Community Development” and said area. %e voluntary committee said, he stood for “an egalitarian society much. Well, I have, and by the way ‘We’re worried that we’re trading and in giving others a chance of they recklessly and what implications having their go.” you don’t have to be in a CDP to has that for me, for my family home?’ Some of them used their “People say I haven’t listened very have a valid view of Community own personal resources to make much. Well, I have, and by the way “ up for the shortcomings of the you don’t have to be in a CDP to Development.” funding from the State. Rather have a valid view of Community than seeing a Programme on a life- Development.” support machine, I’d like to put (the %e day before our interview, he projects) on a sustainable footing He does this regularly. concerns of Women’s CDPs and sat down “with service users in a with an agency, with another body In the context of the Local Traveller CDPs: “I’ve met with treatment centre to get their insights in their community that can give and Community Development the main Traveller organisations into the National Drugs Strategy added value to them all.” Programme, Minister Carey said and my view is that a model will and to ask what, if they were in my he and his o'cials are aware of and be developed which will address shoes, would they do.” Asked are Family Resource working to deal with particular the concerns and the needs” of the You are 4 times more likely to live in poverty if you live in a one-parent family 12. The New Programme - Positives aplenty

Centres next in line for absorption “It’s an approach that worked very into the Local and Community well and I’m satis$ed from dealing Get behind the Programme!’ Development Programme, he with it.” replied: He believed in the three-year urges Minister “Look, let’s take one step at funding cycle for the scheme. a time. %ere will always be a he Minister for cessation of the essential services variety of models out there and %e Minister didn’t say whether Community, Equality they provide to communities we’ll never I hope be trying to or not he thought the cuts last and Gaeltacht A"airs, nationwide. shoehorn everybody into the same year were “disproprortionate” TPat Carey, issued a statement on “I acknowledge the incredible single model. Some of our nearest but he dismissed fears that cuts in June 30th acknowledging “the work carried out by CDPs neighbours did that and killed o" an December might be above average. incredible work” being done and LDCs but communities awful lot of good stu".” “%is Department was three by Community Development change and our approach to new He spoke very highly of an months ago due to be abolished, the Projects (CDPs) and Local challenges must change.” FRC in Connemara he had visited media said. It’s now doubled in size Development Companies (LDCs) A couple of days before, Minister recently. so I wouldn’t pay a huge amount of and said everything he was doing Carey told ‘Changing Ireland’ in attention to that.” was about maintaining services. an interview that we need “clarity” It was “too early” for him to Regarding the next budget, he %e Minister said CDPs and about where we’re going: give an opinion yet on the idea of said: “I’ll be concentrating resources LDCs have “nothing to fear” “"ere are a small number of looking at all the islands together on the most marginalised and the from the new LCDP model of groups out there who are hoping in terms of funding, as suggested by most disadvantaged.” One of those integration. to string the process along and Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, mechanisms, he said for example, “It is all about ensuring that hope we’ll go away, that there the Irish Islands Federation. was RAPID. frontline services are maintained might be an election and the Finally, regarding visits he makes and that the important services whole thing will stall. He acknowledged there were still to communities, he remarked: “I currently being provided continue “My view is it would be better “signi$cant gaps in the provision of make my own mind up when I go to play a vital role in strengthening for all the citizens of this country, services in the drugs area.” places, I can pick it up. I spent most our most disadvantaged and who are recipients of the services, of my time on the (community) side marginalised communities.” and be in everybody’s interest if %e Minister hopes to continue of the table. So don’t try to cod me!” He urged CDPs and LDCs to people said let’s knuckle down with the schemed for funding “look to the future” and insisted and work out how we’re going to National Organisations in the that the Programme redesign was develop this process for the next Community and Voluntary Sector: in line with best international number of years. practice and had nothing to do with the closing of CDPs or the Minister Carey says ‘yes’ to some CDP proposals

inister Pat Carey has each proposal would be judged on its mixed views on alternative own merits, area-by-area. structures proposed by Two alternative proposals involving CDPsM within the framework of the roughly a dozen projects each in Local and Community Development both Limerick city and Cork city Programme. and county have more-or-less been He had a positive view on accepted. the usefulness of Service Level However, communities in Galway, Agreements (SLA) where adopted Youghal, Tipperary and Donegal at local or regional level, but not (among others) have had SLA nationally. proposals rejected. He said, “We’re open to options Nationally, the Minister that work, but there’s got to be a rejected the idea of allowing reduction in the number of bodies, CDPs countrywide to enter into agencies and groupings and so on.” SLAs, as proposed by the National A lot of people had pinned hopes Community Development Forum. on the new Minister taking fully on “If you’re talking about one board proposals coming from the size $ts all, what might apply in ground up and initial comments by A-Community might not apply in the Minister at events in Cork and B-Community,” he said. Kerry recently sounded promising. And he le! the door slightly ajar Many voluntary boards of for alternative proposals telling Community Development Projects ‘Changing Ireland’ he might allow for and some Partnership companies “injury time” proposals. were hoping he would give the ‘ok’ Our blog report – updated the for SLAs between CDPs and other day a!er the interview – includes the agencies. Minister’s full reply on the matter. And he did, to a degree. He said

13. www.westontrack.com Community Sector News RAPID – now covering 51 areas %e number of areas covered by the RAPID Programme now stands at 51. %is year, residents of $ve towns newly admitted to the Programme will get a total of €1.25m for new playgrounds or other social infrastructural projects. %e funding of €250,000 per town is being spent in: Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Ballina, Co. 2010 ARTANE (FRC) Junior Minister Sean Mayo and, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. Haughey outside the new FRC occupying a %e funding means local RAPID committees – former shop premises in Artane. called Area Implementation Teams - can kick-start projects in their areas. %e local teams include at least three local residents to ensure the money is properly targeted. Artane: Shop turned into Family %e funding is going to stand-alone projects such as improving disabled access to community facilities, educational and environmental improvements and Resource Centre playgrounds. %ere are a lot of vacant business premises in Ireland these days, but in Artane they’ve made use of one. An important element of the Government On May 21st, the old “Fruit & Grocery Shop” on Grace$eld Road was o'cially reopened as a new Family decision of May 2009 to expand the Programme Resource Centre. to the $ve new towns was a reiteration by all Chairperson Sean Paul Mahon said the transformation of the shop into a Family Resource Centre was made Government departments and agencies of their possible by two local projects working in partnership and combining their resources. commitment to the RAPID Programme. %e two projects are Artane Coolock Resource & Development Centre and Artane Drugs Awareness Project. %e Government says it is “determined” to More than 120 people attended the opening in May and heard 15-year old Ryan Graydon explain how he continue with the RAPID Programme which had taken to golf, among numerous other activities run by the A!er School Group organised by Artane Drugs concentrates on seven strategic themes: Family Awareness Project. Ryan attributed his ‘staying out of trouble’ to his involvement in the Centre. Support, Community Safety and Anti-social O'cially launching the Centre, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Sean Haughey, said despite the recession, the Behaviour, Health, Physical Environment, Youth Government was committed to providing valuable support to families at a local level. Support, Education, Employment and Training. Artane Coolock Resource & Development Centre is funded by the Family Support Agency through the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht A"airs. Artane Drugs Awareness Project is funded by the Dublin North East Drugs Task Force. CWC newsletter online Niall Crowley’s book: ‘Empty Promises’ ‘Empty Promises’ by Niall Crowley gives the inside media , vested interests including the publicans’ story of “how the Equality lobby, and interests within the Authority was brought to public sector which he believes saw heel.” the Authority as a threat. It was published on %e experiences of people who May 13th and launched by challenged discrimination and Labour Party Leader, Eamon others who sought to promote Gilmore. equality within their organisations Ireland for a brief while was are also recounted here. %e latest edition of Community Work News, to the forefront in Europe in %e author concludes by setting the newsletter of the Community Workers’ Co- advancing equality issues and out a programme of renewal for a operative, is now available online from the Co-op’s the author was the $rst chief more equal Ireland. website (www.cwc.ie). executive of the Authority. %e 150 page paperback is for It includes coverage of current developments in the He resigned in protest a!er sale for €14.99 in bookshops or community sector, the Advocacy Initiative, Is Féidir funding from Government direct (p+p free inside Ireland) Linn, and the Poor Can’t Pay Campaign. was halved. Six board from the publishers A. & A. %ere are also contributions from the European members also resigned. Farmar in Dublin. Network Against Racism, the Equality & Rights %e book tells how the E: [email protected] T: 01-496- Alliance and Voices that Matter and an opinion piece Equality Authority came 3625. by Aidan Lloyd. under attack—from hostile

Finland has the second highest suicide rate in the world 14 Community Sector News

partnership with Trócaire and the Irish Seed Savers Association. 500 walk in hope Maria McHale, coordinator of the Louisburgh Community Development Project, said although from Doolough the CDP was not involved with organising the walk as in years past, the project helped with logistics, By Rose Foley such as providing li!s for walkers. %e CDP’s focus Honouring the Irish who died of hunger more than on speci$c work plan goals has taken a lot of time 150 years ago while also raising awareness for the and energy, which did not leave an opportunity to more than 1 billion people in the world today who further assist with the walk, Maria said. “But I did don’t have enough food, up to 500 people walked think it went really well,” she added. the 10 miles from Doolough to Louisburgh in Co Justin Kilcullen, director of Trócaire, told the Mayo on May 22nd as part of the 22nd annual crowd in a speech before the walk that %e Great Famine Walk. Singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey in Doolough Hunger, more commonly known as the Famine, %e walk was held to commemorate the local this year. Damien wrote and sang a song about occurred because nobody was politically responsible people who died on the Death March at Doolough the Choctaw Indians, whose ancestors su!ered a for those living in poverty. in March 1849 during the Irish Famine, as well as fate similar to the Irish Famine victims and whose He said the same thing is happening today, with to highlight the world hunger problem. Unlike the descendants have participated in past Famine Walks. more than 1 billion people facing hunger daily. bitter conditions of 1849, this year’s walk was held Photo: Rose Foley. “Who is responsible? Has anybody lost their in full sunshine against the dramatic background of job because of this?” he asked. “Has anybody been the lake surrounded by mountains in the Doolough something better. People are still walking the roads brought to court and charged with negligence? Has valley. today in sub-Saharan Africa. We walk in solidarity anybody been voted out of o'ce? We will not solve “%is walk is not just about the past. It’s a walk with them,” said Joe Murray, coordinator of Afri, the issue of world hunger unless we address political of remembering and solidarity, a walk in the hope of the human rights group that organised the walk in accountability.”

Frank Feighan New report on Appeal over cuts FG’s new penal reform - to rural addiction Community changes needed services for prisoners facing Funding to drugs projects has been spokesperson cut nationwide this year, despite protests. In Limerick, John Cregan, Frank Feighan release Fianna Fail TD, hit out at newly Fine Gael TD announced cuts to drugs services in %e Irish Penal Reform Trust and Spokesperson his county. launched a report in May for Community, Funding for services in Kilmallock titled ‘It’s like stepping on a Equality and Newcastle West ended in June. landmine - Reintegration of & Gaeltachtt A!airs, Deputy Cregan blamed the Mid- Prisoners in Ireland’. July, 2010. Western Regional Drugs Task Force %e report assesses for the loss of the two counsellors reintegration services and Roscommon-based TD, Frank Feighan involved and said there would now be supports for prisoners was appointed Fine Gael spokesperson for nowhere local for people struggling before and a!er their release, Community, Equality & Gaeltacht A"airs, on with addiction in these parts of identi$es a number of key systemic failures, and July 1st. Limerick to seek help. makes 14 clear recommendations for necessary He replaces Mayo’s Michael Ring who has He appealed for the cuts to be improvements. become the party’s spokesperson on Social “reversed”. For instance, positive initiatives such as Protection. Ironically, Deputy Cregan’s Integrated Sentence Management only cover %e 48-year-old from Boyle was $rst elected intervention comes just one day after only a small number of prisoners. to the Dáil in May, 2007. drugs workers in Limerick city held %e title - “It’s like stepping on a landmine...” He will be assisted by Donegal TD Dinny a successful drugs information (ref: - is one former o"ender’s description of the McGinley who is #uent in Irish. report on pages 8-9) showing there experience of leaving prison. %e other opposition party spokespersons were places for families and addicts to %e report was launched in MACRO by the way are: go in the city. Labour: Jack Wall TD and Senator Community Centre in Dublin and included a Michael McCarthy (both spokespersons on speech by a former prisoner currently involved in Community a"airs), Joe Costello TD (on a scheme run by Business in the Community. Human Rights) and Brian O’Shea TD (on the %e report is available on: www.iprt.ie Irish language). More info on Business in the Community: Sinn Fein: Seán Crowe TD (spokesperson www.bitc.ie on Community, Social and Family A"airs) Note: Check our online blog for details of and NI Assembly member Martina Anderson a family day held in the Bedford Row Project (spokesperson on equality and human rights). in Limerick recently. Bedford Row supports families of prisoners.

15 www.endpoverty.eu Anti-Racism Work Pays Off Facebook members could end up with convictions for joining hate sites INTRODUCTION A ‘Changing Ireland’ investigation has identified some of the people behind anti-Traveller sites on Facebook, they are open to prosecution and even people who join these sites – and indeed the Facebook company itself – could be prosecuted:

Allen Meagher reports He said racist sites “stigmatise a whole community.” here could yet be serious repercussions for Sgt. McInerney is nine years with the GRIO and he people who sign up to racist sites on Facebook, has seen the e"ects of racism on victims. He said it can according to the head of the Garda Racial and cause “extreme psychological problems.” TIntercultural O'ce, Sergeant Dave McInerney. Publishing racist material falls under Section 2 Over 300 people are currently members of an and 3 of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred anti-Traveller Facebook page called “I fucking hate Act 1989, under which there have been a handful of knackers”. convictions. None of the convictions to date have been Two bigger racist sites were recently removed by for publishing. Facebook, but this one remains and the details of each However, as Sgt. McInerney pointed out, “%e Facebook member who joined it has been logged. Public Order Act can also be used to prosecute people %e sites were pulled a!er complaints by for racial abuse or threatening behaviour.” community workers in the Republic and supporters of He encouraged people with complaints to come the Northern Ireland Council For Ethnic Minorities. forward. While nobody has been before the courts in the All complaints are forwarded to the Garda Internet Republic to date for publishing racist material online, Investigation Unit where they have the best of neither those who set up such sites nor those who click technology and can quickly track people down.” and join are immune from prosecution. When the internet investigation unit complete their Sgt. McInerney believes it is only a matter of time work, they hand over their $ndings to the local Garda and described it as “a very very serious form of crime.” station which $rst received the complaint and the He said that all it takes is one person or one group next step is for the Director of Public Prosecutions to to make a complaint about these “very harmful” sites decide whether or not to proceed. and the Gardai would launch a full investigation. %e Sergeant con$rmed that Facebook could “Somebody must take a stand and we’d encourage be among those prosecuted if a complaint is made people to make complaints when they witness racism,” which names them for publishing racist material. he said. “%e lack of reporting is a serious issue and “Absolutely,” he said. when nobody complains, it starts to explode. It Although Sgt. McInerney stressed that the $rst port normalises certain perceptions when people start to of call for people should really be their local Garda think they can get away with it.” station, members of the public are welcome to phone Gardai have 400 “People don’t realise the harm it causes. Such sites the GRIO for advice. can lead directly to racial abuse against minorities in “People have a civic duty to confront racism when ethnic liaison they see it,” he said. the streets.” officers nationwide A survey by the African Refugee Network The Garda Racial and Intercultural Office found that one third of all refugees have has a staff of three Surviving racism undergone abuse; verbal or physical. By Claire O’Kee!e and provides support So Duyi gets a rock thrown at him because he’s and training to 400 slab of concrete was thrown at a Chinese Chinese, while he is on his way to work, while he ethnic liason officers man named Duyi in April. He su"ered contributes to our ailing economy and pays his taxes. nationwide. acute head injuries. It happened at around He is brought to hospital where he receives an MRI It recently had 7amA at Rathgar in Dublin when he was cycling to scan and neck x-rays and stitches. (He was sent a its brief extended work, like many other thousands of people in the substantial bill for these services three weeks later). and now has city. Yet the heavy rock was thrown at Duyi and no %e next day, upon his release from hospital, responsibility for one else on that balmy Tuesday morning. Duyi goes straight back to work in the small cafe all strands of diversity, including age, Jason Doyle (29) was the young man who found near Ranelagh, where his face shows the strain of gender, sexual orientation and disability. semi-conscious Duyi at the side of the road, half consistent headaches. But headaches are not what Its main achievements to date have under a parked car. He said the man was in complete Duyi’s wife is worried about. She worries when been: shock. she $nd’s her usually vibrant and friendly husband establishing the network of Garda “%e guy was covered in blood and vomit and jumping at the slightest sound or avoiding eye ethnic liason officers. he couldn’t talk very well”, says Jason. “I called an contact with other shoppers in Tesco or other Consulting with ethnic communities ambulance straight away. He looked terrible.” passengers on the bus. and their leaders including from the %e now closed National Consultative Duyi’s wife has nowhere to turn. %e English Traveller community. Committee on Racism and Interculturalism language is still foreign to them both. She cannot In 2007 and ’08, the GRIO’s work was (NCCRI) published a report in 2008 which showed convince her husband to talk to someone about the recognised at the World Refugee Day that between 2006-‘08, racist attacks dramatically trauma of his experience… but even if she could, who Awards. increased. can help Duyi?

Saint Patrick was an immigrant 16 Age Link

‘Keyboard

Donncha O’Callaghan with development worker Lynda Wake"eld and Mahon CDP co-ordinator Viv Warriors’ led Sadd at the launch of Age Link by Mahon CDP by Waterford Donncha O’Callaghan launches worker mma Maguire, a primary health care age-link service worker with Waterford Travellers’ ahon CDP in Cork had Irish programme, which included Garda vetting CDP praised the “keyboard warriors” rugby star Donncha O’Callaghan and reference checks and they are able to Ewho took action to remove two racist sites on launch the project’s new Voluntary identify people who may need further help. Facebook in May. VisitationM Service called ‘Age Link’ in June. %ey relay that information to the CDP ‘s “Most people I know in Community Donncha’s own grandmother Joan Roche is Age Link co-ordinator, Lynda Wake$eld, Development are very highly motivated and we a recipient of the service which is the $rst of who liaises with the public health nurses, do a lot of work to promote equality,” she said. its kind outside one in Dublin. It’s volunteer- the home help service and organisations like Emma approached Pavee Point and alerted driven and is designed to combat loneliness. Meals on Wheels. them to the fact that there was a lobby group called ‘Hands O" Community Development’ Joan is one of 11 older people in the area %e scheme was funded through the on Facebook with over 900 members. visited by an Age Link volunteer once a week. Dormant Accounts Fund and is supported She emailed members of the group and She described Donncha on the day of the by Mahon CDP which was set up in 1992 received 50 replies in one day from people, a lot launch as “her golden boy.” to tackle disadvantage, discrimination and of them her own friends, who were “disgusted” %e 20 volunteers with the Age Link exclusion. by the anti-Traveller sites. Service are drawn from the local area and they Project co-ordinator Viv Sadd said the %e emails kept coming for the rest of the spend about an hour in the older person’s visitation initiative works because the service week. home chatting about activities and events is “very personal and very localised” and he “It was good to see that people cared. %e locally that could bene$t the older person. hopes it will be replicated in other parts of the sites were in breach of the law and needed to be Sean Daly is one of the clients and he spoke country. shut down,” she said. at the launch, saying that volunteer Anne %e event was covered by the national press “Nothing shocks me any more and I Downey cheers him up when she calls once and TV3. wasn’t at $rst upset by the racist statements, a week: “I look forward to her visits, we have For more information, contact Viv or just astonished at the stupidity of those who a chat and a cup of tea and she is more like a Lynda [email protected] at Mahon published it, if they thought they were not sister to me now. I’d be lost without her”. CDP and they will provide full details of how breaking any law.” All the volunteers completed a the scheme works. For good measure, a community group in comprehensive HSE-supported training Waterford put in a complaint to the Gardai, E: [email protected] complete with screenshots for evidence.

17 Support agencies for Family Resource Centres are cut from 7 to 2 Alternative social and economic models ‘Is Féidir Linn’: A new departure or a wish list for Santa

how many of those attending were employees of OPINION government-funded organisations/programmes? How many were there on work? How many By Gearóid Fitzgibbon claimed expenses from the government for hen I $rst came talking about how Ireland needed a radical new across the term direction? ‘Is Féidir Linn’, %e Community and Voluntary Sector should it rang very reconsider building its imaginary castles in the positivelyW in my ear, echoing the sky, and creating ever greater visions of more slogan “yes we can” used by Barak rights and entitlements for its members and Obama’s election campaign. clients. %e broad social movement advocated Its call for a stronger civil by Is Féidir Linn is desperately needed, but has society, better communication, no prospect for success if the group cannot cooperation and collective action o"er the ordinary voter, and business groups is worthy. One year later, however, concrete proposals, instead of the never-ending its long list of ideas on rights, cap-in-hand, and threats of high taxation? Are taxation, public service, equal status old binary ideological divides what prevent us etc is still out there, with little or $nding common cause with business interests? no emphasis on how we’re going to Perhaps the wooliness of Community develop the economy in order to pay Platform’s ‘Is Féidir Linn/Shaping Our the bills. Most recently Community Future’ is what happens to state-funded Platform have produced a list of radicals? In the words of Laurence Cox: changes for a more progressive “%e power of the NGO industry has also taxation system, which would raise created professionally trained or self taught more revenue, and help avoid more organisers, who in e"ect have no other trade. cuts. As with any bureaucracy, they seek to justify %e ‘Is Féidir Linn’ document, their continued practice, irrespective of its and the ‘Shaping our Future’ actual impact upon poor communities.” conference report seem to be yet See HYPERLINK “http://www. another enunciation of the “lopsided interfacejournal.net” www.interfacejournal. social contract”, which outlines what net – a journal for and about social everyone’s rights are or should be, movements. but without anyone required to give Yes, this country is crying out for anything back: responsibility is not change: new leadership, new values and mentioned at all, volunteering and an alternative model of development. Do active citizenship are to be looked at. we really believe that one state-funded %e economy is mostly absent, with the segment of society, talking among overall document sounding like a wish- themselves, is going to o"er that change? list for a Community and Voluntary EDITOR’S NOTE: Santa. We invite the people behind the While purporting to be advocating ‘Is Féidir Linn’ initiative to submit a alternative a radical change of direction for Irish response to Gearoid’s opinion, to argue their case, movement being formed. society, the conference (at least going by to give their side of the story and to update us on %e June 2009 conference attendance reads like a the published report) seems to embody much that is how the initiative is developing. wrong with Irish civil society, which prevents a viable who’s who of Irish community and voluntary life, but

the Community Development Programme in a manner that compromises the funded organisations’ independence.” Speaking up for the Sector %e authors noted: “It is ironic that damage is being done to the community ‘Is Féidir Linn’ members have become quite vocal this year in speaking up for the sector at a time of growing consensus that the necessary impetus for change must importance of having a strong Community Sector in Ireland. come from civil society.” %ree members Mary Murphy, Niall Crowley and Aidan Lloyd, writing in the Is Féidir Linn aims to bring together a thousand people from all parts of civil Irish Times on June 14th, said the Community Sector’s contribution had been society and from all corners of Ireland on Saturday, October 30th, to discuss plans diminished by: “%reats to the funding of organisations that advanced a critical for a more equal, inclusive and sustainable Ireland. advocacy, funding contracts that limited the sphere of activity of the funded For more information, visit: www.claimingourfuture.ie organisation to the provision of local services, and the recent recon$guration of T: 01-8870726. E: [email protected]

EU Poverty and Social Exclusion Awareness Week from May 24th to 30th 18 Regeneration / HORACE McDermott €337m for Regeneration in Limerick ust as communities were losing Of the €337m, €116m will Jhope, the Government in June be spent on sustainable housing, pledged €337 million for the €40m will be spent on community Limerick Regeneration scheme. and social development, €10 will Taoiseach Brian Cowen be spent on land purchases, with announced that 26 regeneration over €32m to be spent on civic projects worth €337m will take buildings in Moyross. place over the next four-and-a-half Regeneration areas include years, with building work starting Moyross, Southill, Ballinacurra this summer. Weston and St. Mary’s Park. Local community leaders %e original masterplan came welcomed the news. with a €3 billion price-tag and it Mr Cowen said the money has been drastically scaled down invested was justi$ed in view of %e Taoiseach said: “I consider the “blighted lives and reduced the regeneration initiative in potential” which has resulted from Limerick to be of the utmost the failure of the authorities to importance, both for the Sunny days ahead for Limerick? Chanese Hayes and Julie Cawley of Sars$eld Gardens, plan properly for the Limerick area communities and families living in Moyross. Photo by: Adain Forrest. in the past. the city.”

orace McDermot has been suspended as an agony uncle. Don’t worry – through his union, he won the minimum statutory Hredundancy payment and we’ll be issuing him with a McDermott cheque for 50cents any day now. Horace But why $re Horace? Yes, he dealt with the most outlandish queries and – our good news gave even more outlandish advice, but the reality of the world we now live in means that every day the correspondent newspapers publish such ridiculous headlines that Horace has lost his way. He couldn’t compete with the level of ridiculousness in the real world today. However, the good news is that we’ve seen there’s CDPs to be retained an appetite for good news. From this issue onwards, Recession is over Horace has been re-hired to report on good news and doubled in as leisure industry from the world of Community Development that you might have just missed. His reports are 100% accurate, number booms reliable and true.* %ere was a typo in last year’s McCarthy Report. You’ve probably heard the recession is over, but In the meantime, Horace wishes us to pass on his In the line which read, in relation to CDPs and the the latest report by the IMF (Information-Making thanks to the thousands of desperate community like, “%ere is little evidence of positive outcomes,” it Falsehoods) shows that there was never a recession workers who wrote in every month for advice from should have read “loads of ” instead of “little”. at all. Horace. In future, he suggests people contact their %erefore, the Government, accepting McCarthy’s “During the so-called recession, hundreds of local TD or the ISPCA. typist made a boo-boo, has decided to double by the thousands of people were given their lives back, * %is statement is an absolute lie! end of this year the number of CDPs nationwide. given extended holidays and extra downtime. %e number of Partnership companies is also to be Others referred to this as unemployment, but it’s doubled. %ey will still be encouraged to merge, and actually a massive explosion in the leisure industry where they do, sta" salaries will be doubled. with 450,000 people now enjoying more leisure Prediction: Ireland %e expansion is being funded a!er the Department time. of Finance sent a crack commando unit into Anglo- “We know this is welcomed by many people Irish Bank to rescue €22billion it gave them last year opting for long-term unemployment, $nding the perfectly poised for (the commandos found it in the sta" canteen in a lifestyle more attractive than long-term slave-labour.” biscuit tin). %e INOU said it intended to rename itself as Smart Economy the Irish National Organisation of Happy People Alec is to replace Jack as the most popular boys’ Sun will shine every (INOHP). name in Ireland as parents try to give their children an edge in the smart economy. day from now on He also said it meant that the Met O'ce will Further evidence that we are embracing the now close during the summer months, now that our Due to global warming and Government intervention smart economy is the expansion of ‘Head Shops’. weather has been brought under control. (with EU support) clouds will now only appear at It’s also evident in the success of Irish comedians Minister Mary Harney is now being praised for her night time, meaning people won’t have anything to which proves that academic achievement is not as move earlier this year to ban sunbeds – she showed complain about during the summertime from now on. important as being a smart arse when it comes to incredible foresight. A Government spokesman said this justi$ed the making money. With the money saved on electricity for sunbeds, Dail taking a long summer break – it was just too darn the Government announced extra funding for ice- hot in there. cream and suntan lotion manufacturers.

1199 MABS = the Money Advice and Budgeting Service Community Voices: On CDPs and the LCDP

n May and June, the ‘Don’t Cut the - Darren Lacey on May 28 Grassroots’ campaign reached many politicians LIFFORD, CO. DONEGAL and resulted in lobbying and querying of the Shut down the CDPs and this country may as I work with the HSE and have a close working Minister’s policy in relation to funding for well open the Work Houses. relationship with the Resource Centre in Li"ord. CDPsI in disadvantaged areas. - Una McCrory on May 31 %e work and dedication showen by those who %e petition – signed online and in hard work there is $rst class and i feel that the loss of copies by around 2,600 people – noted that the Bonsai tree, strong root! this programme would be a huge loss to the local Community Development Programme has been - Git O Reilly. on Jun 1 community. discontinued. It stated that, “local people will lose - Marie Conwell on May 28 the control and management of local projects... %is Let Local people maintain their voice in their will mean that the ability to critique and challenge community. LIMERICK CITY statutory organisations and Government for their - Deirdre Kirk on Jun 1 Don’t take power from local communities failure to address embedded poverty, social exclusion and thousands of volunteers by making funding and inequality will be sti#ed.” In order to have participatory democracy as stated conditional (on the volunteers agreeing to) abolish It urged people to sign up if they believed “that in the White Paper Independance and autonomy is their companies… the retention of this element of civil society is essential! Consultation. - St. Munchin’s CDP on Jun 23 important” and to call on the Minister to continue - Jackie Kane on May 28 to fund CDPs. %e text introducing people to the petition CDPs are essential in sustaining the vibrancy and incorrectly claimed that under the new Programme, responsiveness of local communities. CDPs were obliged to transfer their assets to Local - M Murphy on May 31 Development Companies. %e Department made clear months ago that assets do not have to transfer. How dare they! We should start now to get very Nonetheless, current policy will, according to the angry. National Community Development Forum, see the - Geraldine Williams on Jun 5 end of independent Community Development at local level. Comments: in favour of local According to a spokesperson, “%e ‘Don’t Cut the Grassroots’ was undertaken to show the strength voluntary management We should be investing tmore in this area, and the of feeling that is out there amongst communities people who have all the grass-roots understandings about their loss of opportunity to in#uence the and knowledge, not closing them. work designed to meet their needs and the ability to critique the government on their failure to address - "omond Coogan on May 28 persistent social issues such as racism, poverty and %e local voluntary Management Committee social exclusion.” are in touch with the locals of the community and Here, we give a #avour of the comments people know what the community want and need. made on the petition. More info: www.ipetitions.com - Louise Canavan on May 29 Comments: ONE-LINERS Within my CDP 80% of volunteers have already stated that they will withdraw from voluntary work Keep community work owned by its bene$ciaries. if that work is to be dictated by our local partnership - Emma Maguire on Jun 10 round instead of the bottom up approach which deals with local needs. Respect the needs of the people and their - Mary Byrne on Jun 1 communities. - Nura Hagi on Jun 15 Community development only works if the community has a direct involvement in its Keep up the good work CDP’s and stand $rm!! management and organisation. - Ann Lacey on Jun 15 - Elaine Doyle on Jun 11 Participation is a key human rights principle, as well as making practical sense. Comments: came - Miriam Titterton on May 28 BRAY, CO. WICKLOW I have seen the work that has been done in the Don’t destroy years of valuable community work from Bray to Brussels Little Bray area over the past 20 years and without and infastructure! BRUSSELS these services in the Fassaroe estate I dread to think - Niamh Wogan on May 27 what might return to the area. A great bunch of From our o'ce in Brussels, we really support the people who always have their community at heart. participation of people from the most marginalised - Tony Mac Manus on May 27 I have bene$tted hugely from involvement in communities. my local Community Development organisation. - Lies Beunens, Samenlevingsopbouw Hands o"!!!! Vlaanderen on May 28 KILBARRACK, DUBLIN - Tomás Ó Comhghain on May 26 I am a single mother now and four of my children attend the a!er school project. i am very worried %e shit is really starting to hit the fan now lads, WATERFORD CITY that if the CDP goes my kids will lose their place. Ballybane (in Waterford city) needs its the cuts have only just begun. %e CDP is the best thing that happened to independent community developemnt project. It’s - Suzanne Daly on May 26 Kilbarrack our only voice. - Jean Marsh on May 27 Run this country properly and look a!er the - Kathleen Doherty on May 27 people who make things happen and give people belief!!

MABS is now dealing with 31,000 people in debt 20 Community Voices: On CDPs and the LCDP

GALWAY CITY Autonomy of grass roots organisations is an %is Government action is a contravention of Its a crying shame that a!er all these years integral and fundamental part of democracy - the right to development (UN Declaration 4th working with the Galway Traveller Movement take away autonomy and you take away peoples December 1986), a right acknowledged as an community development project and Travellers voices!!!!! inalienable human right… %is type of action leaves working with Travellers that the government is - Elaine D’Alton on Jun 3, 2010 this government open to allegations of violations talking about shutting us down, We never had much of the right to development and should be raised opportunities or access to education & employment %e only way to devlop a more inclusive society by NGOs with the UN’s Human Rights Council until we got involved in community development. to is hear the voices of the marginalised directly in at the 12th Periodic Review Session in 2011 when Community development is the way foreward for society. Not indirectly. Not through representatives Ireland’s human rights record will be reviewed. Travellers without it we will have nothing and all who are well-intentioned but who do not know - Siobhan Airey on May 26, 2010 thats been done and achieved will be for nothing. I personally that experience. Don’t sldeline or silence am a community employment Supervisor with the the voices of the marginalised. GTM and I am here 13 years I have had to work Comments: from academics - Collette O’Regan on May 28 Community Development Projects are essential hard to get to where I am. to democracy and citizen rights in Ireland. - Julia Sweeney on May 28, 2010 %is is simply wrong (economically and socially). - Ronit Lentin on May 28 Any politician of vision could not countenance such a move. %ese cuts… re#ect an attack on the principles of - Denis Meehan on Jun 6 community control and participation, and should be reversed immediately. %e voice of the people cannot be ignored. Roots - Rosie Meade on May 28 can only be fed from the bottom up!! FEED THE ROOTS!!! Community development programmes and - Ciara Coy on Jun 8 projects at at the heart of local democracy. %ey give a voice to people who have no voice; they It does not make economic sense. For every are dynamic, highly cost e"ective organisations €8 per person that is received in funding saves doing necessary work. %ere is no case for scaling the Government €7 by people not accessing them down or closing them down. %ey must be Government services. protected and sustained not only because of their - Marion Jameson on May 31 unique contribution to their own communities but in order to protect democracy itself. %e government continues to undermine - Professor Kathleen Lynch on May 26, 2010 and neutralise community development and communities and attack our ability to organise for Community Development Projects play a vital ourselves. role in supporting and enabling people to overcome - Brenda Harvey on Jun 10 the destructive e"ects of poverty, marginalisation and social injustice. In this time of slash-backs in Comments: from people who government expenditure on mainstream social protection, more funding and resources, rather than work alongside CDPs I have worked within the Community less, should be made available to these projects to Development Programme, mostly in a training and continue their important work . round support role for 8 years. I have also worked within - Dr Aileen O’Gorman, Lecturer In Community a local partnership company for some 3 years. Development, UCD on Jun 6, 2010 I am extremely concerned… My experience has been that while the vast majority of Communtiy Comments: on Community Development Projects have delivered extraordinary Development value for money, Partnership Companies are top %is move to close independent community heavy with their administrative costs dwar$ng any development projects and to ultimately stamp on funding they dispense. the participation of local people in decision-making - Colleen Boyle on May 30 which a"ects them contradicts the spin of ‘active citizenship’. Local development and community I know from years of experience of working development are not the same. Local development INCHICORE, DUBLIN with CDPs that they provide a very valuable local will not deliver lasting change in the lives of I am a resident of St. Michaels Estate whose infrasturcture for communities to have a voice and marginalised communities. Good community been let down by this government 4 times for develop e"ective local responses to many issues. development will. Allow communities determine regeneration....the local cdp has been at the heart of If dismantled now it will take considerably more their own needs and responses to those needs the regeneration....the idea that this project could be resources to reestablish them in years to come when through community development approaches and dismantled and forced to go under the partnership is inevitably they or a structure like them will be methods. beyond any wise thinking. identi$ed as necessary to community development - Oonagh Mc Ardle on May 26, 2010 - Caroline McNulty on May 31 across the country. - Pat Tobin on Jun 13, 2010 A core element of the community development Comments: on losing approach is to empower marginalised communities grassroots participation and Comments: on social justice to in#uence decisions that impact on their lives. and equality Shutting down CDP’s will further alienate those voice communities... I hope that the Minister sees sense Just as the breakdown of regulation led to Support an Irish Society where there is equality of access, opportunity and outcomes for all. Challenge before it’s too late! disastrous consequences in the $nancial sector, the - Anne Costello on May 27 sti#ing of independent voices would be disastrous injustice and ensure that our institutions are held for the state sector. Whether they realise it or not. accountable for good practice. - Dave Donnellan on Jun 13, 2010 - Margaret O’Riada on May 31

21 From Jan-March, MABS dealt with 6,000 new clients LCDP related news Plenty questions for POBAL at national meeting - Day of workshops as projects prepare for transfers

Tim Hourigan reports * - General Requirements for transfers ver 250 representatives of Community - Due Diligence PERSONAL Development Projects and Local - Protection of Employees Development Companies turned up for the - Good Practice for Transfers/Mergers REFLECTION ‘OutlineO of Transfer Events’ workshops in Dublin, on here was a mixture of June 10th. PROTECTION OF EMPLOYEES IN enthusiasm, and caution %e organisers acknowledged that there was a lot TRANSFERS Tover the course of the four of strong feeling in the room about the upcoming One of the workshops, presented by Gillian workshops, and while the question changes to the programme, and certainly there were O’Callaghan a solicitor with IBEC, dealt with and answer sections were active, at very active question and answer sessions a!er each legal issues relating to transfer of employees and the times people felt that the questions workshop. protections that exist in law for employees being they most wanted to ask were not Pobal arranged four rotating workshops each transferred. able to be addressed (e.g. legal addressing a di"erent aspect of the expected transfers/ A transfer, by itself, cannot be used as an implications of certain funding mergers: opportunity to dismiss sta", and the the terms and arrangements). This was seen as a drawback. Many speakers acknowledged the depth of concern they had for the future, under conditions of imposed change, and that the workshops only seemed to acknowledge one model. THE CENTRE FOR EFFECTIVE SERVICES Pobal say that, to their knowledge at the time, they were aware of submissions for alternative models, but that these had not been decided on yet. – and their right to silence There was also dissatisfaction that DCEGA had made payment for the By Juan Carlos Azzopardi * John Curran. %e CES was then required to devise a next period conditional on submitting DPs and others, including this magazine, have framework for one amalgamated programme. CES a transfer/merger plan, which felt like criticised the Centre for E"ective Services claim and this is veri$ed by the Department that they more pressure to comply. Jerry Murphy of Pobal indicated (CES) for their silence amid the controversy had no role in recommending the merger of both Cthat has ensued since the Minister of Community, programmes – this was entirely a political decision that if alternative models are approved groups will be free to Rural and Gaeltacht A"airs (at the time), John made by the Minister. use these plans to model their new Curran announced the new Local and Community organisation. Development Programme (LCDP) with the merger REJECTION V ACCEPTANCE There were some discussions of the Community Development Programme and Once the Minister made this decision the CES about bearing in mind the the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme. could focus on the redesign of a single,integrated implications of delaying payments %e criticism has included some questioning over the programme. %is they did, proposing a new name, one and how it can lead to concerns continued funding of CES. over-arching objective and four programme goals. among projects over things like It has been hard for CDPs to understand why CES, CES discussed these with the Department who reckless trading. as the organisation responsible for reviewing the old indicated their approval and then CES presented them Pobal said they would wish to avoid that, and hoped that no project programmes and designing the new single programme, at a second validation workshop to a representative would be left in this position. have had nothing to say on the LCDP or defended collection of people from projects funded under both A lot of people said that while their work since the “validation” workshops they held the LDSIP and the CDP where they were broadly they appreciated Pobal’s time and in October. However, the Department of Community, rejected. %e Minister however, accepted in its effort, they were still in need of more Equality and Gaeltacht A"airs has recently shed light entirety, the CES recommendation and instructed his clarifications and assurances in the on the reluctance of CES to engage in the debate that o'cials and POBAL to put the structures in place to future. has been ongoing since the presentation of the new set up the new LCDP and administer and support the One group left in protest. The Programme at Croke Park on November 2009. changes required. Clondalkin Travellers Development %e Department o'cials clari$ed that the remit of Once the CES recommendation for the new Group wrote to projects nationwide CES was for a speci$c purpose, namely to carry out a Programme design was accepted that aspect of their afterwards to explain why. They had not been allowed to ask questions review of the design of LDSIP and CDP and devise remit was completed and there is no expectation that were important to the CTDG’s programme frameworks based on international best on the part of the Department for them to act as board. practice. ** advocates/publicists for the new LCDP. %e new - Tim Hourigan While the redesign work was linked to structural progamme has not met with universal approval and re-alignment/merger the $nal decision to merge the previous and current Ministers, their o'cials and both programmes was taken by the then Minister, now POBAL have had to deal with the anger and

Average debt of people going to MABS = €15,500 22 LCDP related news

conditions of sta" cannot be reduced as a result of Keep all books and records up to date. of management. a transfer, %ere were questions about this, including %e advice was also to be alert for how well Pensions are not usually transferred to the new whether part of a title could be transferred (e.g. if a people integrate, whether old pecking orders or company and one should check with the pension project was only part-owner of a building - the reply cultures continue in the new body. It is common company to see what the new arrangements are. was ‘Yes’.) for some people to leave whenever there is a major %e speaker was unable to answer some speci$c %e speaker made a #eeting reference to an merger and it is important to manage it well. If questions as she had only received her brief recently advisory paper he had prepared called ‘%e Urge to someone is leaving, $nd out why, and be active and wasn’t able to comment on things such as Merge – Making the Case for the four week merger in discovering how people feel within the new funding, the status of CE workers being paid of CDPs and LDCs.’ structure. through an outside agency, and people working on %is document is available on request from Pobal. the rural support scheme. Redundancy payments TRANSFER RE(UIREMENTS & were also outside the scope of the workshop, as it did GOOD PRACTICE FOR TRANSFERS/ SUPPORTS not include anything relating to funding. MERGERS Jerry Murphy and Jimmy Lynch of Pobal spoke Margaret Barry from Corporate Community about transfer requirements and supports. DUE DILIGENCE PROCESS spoke about managing change and cultures in the %ey emphasised that the transfers should be Andreas McConnell of Philip Lee Solicitors case of transfers or mergers. She advised people to agreed betweent the CDP and LCDP, and that dealt with the process of due diligence, which is the be aware of opportunities, and challenges, to bear there is no requirement to transfer assets that are not process of evaluating and agreeing the assets and in mind that uncertainty is hard to manage, and programme related. liabilities to be transferred. change can lead to defensiveness and anxiety. For groups going for the full transfer, the plans He gave some tips for preparing the due diligence Celebrating the achievements and taking time to needed to be agreed, signed by all parties, and for the transfer: acknowledge the losses was also important, she said. submitted by the LDC to the local Pobal Regional Centralise the process, by appointing no more Attendees were cautioned not to wait until they Case O'cer by June 30th. than 2 people to deal with the evaluation and know everything before talking about change, Pobal hoped to tender for centralised listing of assets and liabilities that will be included because with major changes, there will be some conveyancing services for transfers of property. (whether all or some). uncertainties that may not be resolved for a long * Tim Hourigan is a part-time administrator with Identify all 3rd party consents (e.g. landlords, time. Instead, they should communicate what they ‘Changing Ireland’. so!ware license holders) and make plans towards know, when they have an idea of the short-term obtaining that consent. impacts to sta", communities, volunteers and boards Former Pobal R EFFECTIVE SERVICES manager gives his view – and their right to silence ormer Pobal Fsenior management disappointment of CDPs in particular who have and CDP by collating and making available member Aiden been very critical of the manner and the content of international evidence of good practice Lloyd has written a Minister Curran’s decision. It is clear also that the and ‘what works’ in similar community- critical article looking new Minister Pat Carey will not be changing this based initiatives, and review the design of at decisions that policy position. the existing programme in the light of this have been taken evidence. in relation to CDPs SUBSE(UENT SILENCE ◆ and in particular the Inform policy and practice relating to LDSIP role played by the %e CES are not required to justify the and CDP with the aim of maximising Minister’s decision and as an independent body Centre for Effective programme impact and e"ectiveness within Services. are actually expected not to. %ough many will existing funding parameters. take issue with this, from a Department point of He suggested that the €2.6m being invested in CES by the Government should be view any criticism of the CES for their subsequent ◆ Promote access to expertise for developing reinvested in supporting communities on the silence is unwarranted and misdirected. appropriate evaluation methodologies and ground. One may attempt to criticise CES for measures for the evaluation of local services ‘Changing Ireland’ put Aidan’s question to their understanding of the Irish context, their delivered under the programmes, and make Minister Pat Carey recently asking should the methodology or the content of what they recommendations for subsequent evaluation agreement with the CES be revisited and the produced, but they cannot be criticised because the design(s). money invested in communities in a different Minister took their advice nor because they have way. not become a champion for the programme they ◆ Assist the Department to build internal and Minister Carey replied: “Every single budget devised. CDPs and others may not like it but that’s external capacity for evidence-based design headline heading is being visited at this the way it is. and delivery of other related services and moment to get the best possible value.” * Juan Carlos Azzopardi is a member of the programmes. Aidan’s full article is published in the latest edition of the Community Workers Co-op ‘Changing Ireland’ editorial team and is the project newsletter, available on their website: www. co-ordinator with the Community Development Editor’s note: On June 1st, Fine Gael’s Michael cwc.ie Network Moyross Ltd. Ring asked a Dail question of Minister Pat Carey Meanwhile, the CES is due in a matter of in relation to CES regarding the company’s weeks to publish a report on the ‘Effectiveness ** More speci$cally the CES remit was to: background and State funding for it. Minister of publicly funded Community Development ◆ Assist the Department with planning for Carey gave a detailed reply. More info: www.www. programmes’. future delivery and development of LDSIP kildarestreet.com

23 MABS is 18 years in operation International – Ethiopia Adult education: Travellers visit Ethiopia to support Labre Park to development work By Colin Murphy Ethiopia undraising is all very well, but Margaret Anne By Colin Murphy O’Brien had been fundraising for aid projects nne Garvey has a trick she uses to show her in Ethiopia for almost a decade and she classes how the world’s riches are divided. wanted to see where her money was going. She uses chairs to represent each continent’s F%at was easy with the Irish-based charities she also resources,A and then divides the class amongst them to supported, but trickier with Ethiopia. represent population. North America ends up with An initial plan to visit the project there, seven years two students stretched across a row of chairs; Africa is ago, fell through. And then Margaret joined the adult one chair with three people trying to balance on it. education group in Ballyfermot. %e groups she does this with are always %e philosophy of adult education, says Anne Garvey, is “action learning” and she found this was immediately struck by the visible disparity. But when Margaret Ann O’Brien with a village resident in ideally suited to the women in Ballyfermot. Anne tried this exercise with a group of women Ethiopia. Photo by: Marie Cash involved in the Ballyfermot Travellers Action Project, “%ey don’t like sitting in the classroom for long there was little response. periods – they learn more from action and activities.” “%ey already accepted that the world’s resources Anne decided that the ideal way for the group to most radical aspect of the project. were very unequally divided,” she says. “It didn’t learn about life in poorer countries would be to visit “%ere’s a colonial or superior attitude in a lot of surprise them.” one. At around the same time, someone else had a charity, without people even being aware of it – the %e women were doing an adult education similar idea. Fr. Stephen Monaghan, a former parish idea that it’s all about ‘poor people’ who need to be course, and as part of it Anne facilitated a class on priest with the Travelling community, had become ‘helped’. development education, focussing on issues of global involved in missionary work (with the Vincentian Lay “Traditionally, aid is seen as rescuing people who justice, human rights and poverty. Missionaries) and was looking for a way to involve are drowning. But what needs to be asked is, why are %e subject typically focuses on poor countries, but Travellers in his work. He recruited Margaret to people falling into the river? Anne’s initial attempts to discuss overseas aid with the fundraise and when she said the Ballyfermot group “We need to hear the voices of marginalised women met with a guarded response. were interested in going to Ethiopia, he determined to groups themselves. Having a Traveller voice on organise the trip. development issues could help to give us that. Soon the group were busy preparing learning, fundraising, and getting dreaded vaccinations and anti- “At the same time, they’ll be educating people malarial prescriptions. In May, they $nally took o". about Traveller culture, and placing it in an %ey are, as far as they know, the $rst representatives international context.” of Ireland’s Travelling community to visit aid projects in Africa. %ey spent ten days in Ethiopia, landing in To hear how the group got on in Ethiopia, you the capital, Addis Ababa, then made the eight-hour can listen into a 10-minute documentary by Ronan journey by road to the city of Jimma, in the south west, Kelly (narrated by Colin Murphy). It’s online at: where they visited a women’s group in a leprosy project http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/docs_ set up originally by an Irish sister. curiousear.html. %en they drove to Ambo in central Ethiopia, When she $rst raised overseas aid, she was asked: where Margaret and her friends’ money has helped %ere’s also a website for the group (in progress) “Why are we sending people over to the developing with the building of a school and funded a feeding here: http://travellerstraveling.wordpress.com/ world to build houses, and sink wells, and provide programme for poor children. electricity, when we don’t have those in Labre Park?” %e Ballyfermot Travellers’ Action Project Labre Park, in Ballyfermot, is the oldest halting site “I’ve been looking forward to this for years,” said (BTAP) development education group who in Ireland and it’s where a number of the women live. Margaret prior to departure. “I’m travelled to Ethiopia were: Marie Cash, Elizabeth Conditions there are are times deplorable. going over to see what more we Moorehouse, Eileen Berry, DESPITE INITIAL SCEPTICISM can do for them.” Margaret Anne O’Brien, Anne Garvey Despite the initial scepticism in the group, Garvey %e next stage for the and persisted, and the issues of houses, water, electricity group, now that they’ve “We Elizabeth Cash. %e BTAP is a were the key. returned, is to take their Community Development Project. Unlike most Irish people, the Traveller women experiences to other need to hear didn’t take these for granted, and could easily see how community groups and Colin Murphy’s coverage and they were connected to poverty in poorer countries. into classrooms. the voices work with the Ballyfermot One of the group, though, was already well versed %ey plan to group was supported by Irish in issues of “%ird World” poverty. Margaret Anne do workshops of marginalised Aid’s Simon Cumbers Media O’Brien had been fundraising for aid projects in and talks on Challenge Fund. Ethiopia for almost a decade. In total she’s raised over their visit to groups themselves. €30,000 for charities at home and abroad. Ethiopia, In the last couple of years, her contributions have drawing funded a new #oor for a local school in Ethiopia and on Having a Traveller voice on helped to build homes for eight families there. their own Now, she and her colleagues can talk with experiences as development issues could experience having been to the school and having met Travellers in Ireland the families they helped. (See the accompanying report to illuminate them. help to give us that.” on the trip). For Anne, this is the

Waiter, there’s volcanic ash in my soup. I know, it’s a no-fly zone. 24 news Dept. working An Interview With a to Resolve Community Activist In Prison Issues in Erris trawler-$sherman from north Mayo, Pat “I was upset by that. %e judge did not know me, he The Department of Community, Equality O’Donnell was imprisoned in connection relied on the gardai to describe me.” and Gaeltacht Affairs has been involved in with his opposition to Shell’s plans for his area. recent years in directly trying to find for a HeA was given a 7-month sentence last February for solution to the environmental/community/ In your opinion, have proper in$estigations been “breaching the peace” and “obstructing a Garda”. carried out into alleged Garda assaults on you and in national issues at stake in north Mayo. ‘Changing Ireland’ interviewed the jailed relation to the sinking of your boat? Yes/No? While Minister Pat Carey declined to community activist in June, a month before he was due “No.” publicly comment on Pat O’Donnell’s for release. However, it was not easy. imprisonment in an interview in June with We posted Pat a letter putting interview questions to Do you feel the courts have been even-handed ‘Changing Ireland’, he did say his officials him, but according to Pat, the management at Casterea in their approach to dealing with charges against are “working on the ground” in the hope of Prison con$scated the letter. We posted another letter. protestors compared to how the courts treat allegations bringing about a resolution that would help Same story. (On the second occasion, Pat was given a against the Gardai, or Shell security? Yes/No? the community to move forward. magazine that was in the same envelope as the letter). “No.” He said he and Minister Eamon Ryan We have written to the prison service to ask what were working to “try and move the situation happened our interview Have the forward, resolve it if possible, to most questions. imprisonments of people’s satisfaction, there (being) some I Meanwhile, we persevered community activists like don’t think will ever be satisfied.” and Pat’s wife Mary put our yourself scared other “I’d hope that if it’s possible to agree questions to her husband on activists o!, or attracted on planning issues there, the healing a visit and relayed back the more people to the process in the community can begin. There answers to our o'ce. campaign? are friends who’ve been separated and Pat was released on July “Probably a bit of communities that have been split and that’s 17th as our magazine went both.” to nobody’s advantage.” to print. The Minister referred to the North West How successful Mayo Forum, which is separate from the #uestions: ‘Changing has the community planning and statutory consent processes, Ireland’ campaign against and was established in 2008 by the Minister Answers: Pat O’Donnell, Shell’s plans been in for Communications Energy and Natural Castlerea Prison general? Resources and the Minister for Community, “Very successful.” Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with the How are you? following two objectives. “I’m $ne.” What is the %rst 1. To offer a positive opportunity for thing you would change furthering the socio-economic development How are you spending now if you could change of the North West Mayo Region, through your time while in prison? anything? a co-ordinated engagement involving a “Keeping busy, availing of “I would give the number of Government Departments and facilities here like the gym.” rights of the gas and State bodies, with members of the local oil back to the rightful community and their public representatives. What is your relationship owners, the Irish 2. To provide an opportunity for dialogue with the other prisoners like? people.” between all parties with an interest in the Pat O’Donnell walks $ee. “Very good, they have project and to help promote understanding respect for me.” of how the Corrib Project is regulated, by Has the community begun to heal since the providing the local community and their campaign has slowed down a#er changing Shell’s What do the other prisoners think of your being in public representatives with an opportunity plans? for a co-ordinated engagement with the prison? “No the healing will still take a very long time.” “%ey think its a joke, they $nd it di'cult to Government Departments and other State understand.” bodies that have a regulatory role in relation Is there any message you would like to give to to the project. ‘Changing Ireland’ readers? Have you anything to say on why you were jailed for The Department of Community, Equality “Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe to and Gaeltacht Affairs reports that, “At the “breaching the peace” and “obstruction of a Garda”? be right and to highlight wrongs that are being done.” “I was jailed on the word of a garda, no evidence.” last meeting of the Forum on 8 May 2010, the future direction of the Forum was Finally, asked had Minister Eamon O’Cuiv been of Is it true that Minister Eamon O’Cuiv called to your considered; it was agreed that there was a help or otherwise to the community, Pat replied “Yes need to refocus the work of the Forum and family home a#er your jailing? and No.” He suggested that Minister Pat Carey “should “Yes, he called to see the $sh factory we operate, a initiate a more bottom-up approach. The listen to the concerns of the people directly a!ected.” crap plant that Mary and I are directors which employs ‘Communities Future’ approach adopted in six people. It’s called Porturlin Shell Fish Plant and Due to the way in which the interview was other areas of Mayo was considered to be adjoins our family home.” conducted, we couldn’t ask follow up questions. an appropriate model for levering a greater engagement at community level.” How do you feel about Judge Groarke’s labelling of #anks to Mary O’Donnell for her help in conducting you as “a thug and a bully”? this interview.

25 It’s ok to tell Icelandic volcano jokes now. The dust has settled. Northside Partnership – Social Enterprise

earn the right to the training, because Joe Reynolds from Darndale said otherwise without for example good the employees look out for each other on time-keeping, the skills you learn are and Phyllis Du"y from Coolock Speedpak focus no good.” remarked on the positive approach In recent years, the company by the bosses made everyone work developed a new way of measuring an harder. people facing mostbarriers employee’s progress. %ey call it the www.speedpak.ie “distance travelled approach”. www.shamrockrosettes.com Every four months, each employee is accessed on 80 indicators, covering their skills, education, behaviour and performance. So Speedpak can demonstrate even if the person hasn’t got another job, that they’ve progressed. %e company is planning to sell its ‘Workplace Accreditation Model’ as a commercial product to other social enterprises. John Murphy, social enterprise So impressed was the Arthur manager Guinness Fund with the company that it picked Speedpak out as one of ten national winners this year and A model awarded the company €100,000. Only 10% of people employed in Speedpak have the Leaving Cert social when they join. %e ‘Leaving’ is considered a basic by most employers enterprise and the company is working towards peedpak Ltd in Coolock is Speedpak worker Monica Kelleher. providing people with a Leaving Cert S“a bridge to employment” for standard of education by the time local people, says manager John n recent years, Speedpak in educated labour force,” said manager they $nish in Speedpak. Murphy. Coolock in north Dublin has John Murphy. %e company employs an The company has concentrated on taking on He acknowledged it’s going to be occupational therapist to assist in 800 customers and runs people who are “facing the most very di'cult now to $nd people jobs, providing the training. two businesses - rosette barriersI to getting a job.” but he remains optimistic. Trainee Monica Kelleher from manufacturing and contract %e company was set up by “We’ve a double bottom line; Darndale said she was “nervous” packing and 40% of its income the Northside Partnership and we’ve a commercial remit and a social at the start, but loves her work in comes from sales. It receives representatives of the local business remit. It means we produce rosettes Speedpak now, while her colleague support from local businesses, community in Coolock, Dublin and and pack things to employ people, Christine Kenny also from Darndale FAS, the Community Services is a social enterprise which provides not the other way around.” said she le! school early and had been Programme and the Arthur short periods of employment and “We organise tailor-made training unemployed for a few years when she Guinness Fund, among others. FETAC-accredited training for long- for individual employees through our started with the company. She listed For more information, contact term unemployed people. links to the Northside Partnership,” the courses she is now doing, talked John Murphy. T: 01-8671707. “Even during the ‘Celtic Tiger’ continued John. of her $ve-year plan and said: “I’d E: HYPERLINK “mailto:info@ years, the people we were working “Our philosophy is we don’t send want to get a full-time job like this speedpak.ie”[email protected] with were competing with a very someone for training, they have to where everyone gets on well.”

65,000 social Warmer Common Ground Credit Unions ommon Ground is a not-for- number of credit unions have enterprise jobs Homes Scheme Cpro$t arts agency in the Canal Aassisted with social enterprise he Warmer Homes Scheme Partnership area of Dublin. It is formation. possible Tdelivers energy e'ciency 12 years old and believes that arts r


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Funding for the LCDP in 2010 is €67.5m 26 Social & Community Enterprise What role can we play in developing social enterprises? Asks Ger Doyle Ger Doyle enterprises compared to those a"orded to INTRODUCTION private enterprises, making it di'cult for them HERE’S WHAT In Ger Doyle’s first article (Issue to grow. 32, pages 19-21) he gave real r

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3. %ey can also enable State agencies to get greater enterprises’ sustainability not in $nancial YOU value for the money in procuring a range of services. terms alone, but also including the extent to ocial enterprises are present in most urban %is is because social enterprises’ mission is less about which it achieves social sustainability, attains disadvantaged communities in Ireland, for making pro$t and more about improving the quality $nancial sustainability and is environmentally example, community childcare projects, of life of people they provide services to. sustainable . communityS launderettes and community cafes. 4. Social enterprises which provide maintenance, r

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When they’re located in disadvantaged security and property management services on behalf businesses with a view to securing a range of communities, social enterprises can encounter a of local authorities can also contribute to ensuring expertise and funding. number of constraints including: that neighbourhoods which have bene$ted from r

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physical regeneration programmes are sustainable In conclusion, social enterprises can demonstrate grow social enterprises. and do not require further capital investment from that there is an approach to engaging in economic r

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26 27 Over 10,000 people have viewed ‘Changing Ireland’ videos on Youtube It is not clear whether these seminars or the follow-up forum will have any impact on decisions being made in the December budget. Will a year of talking However, Chris O’Leary of Farranree CDP, who chaired the wrap up discussion, said: “Obviously there is a concern that this is going to be just a box-ticking exercise. However, about poverty make the contributions from the participants were excellent. The seminar reports should be sent back out to see if anything was missed. Then people need to see action.” a difference? Paul O’Rawe, manager of South Kerry Development, organised a bus which brought - Over 350 attend seminars on poverty and social exclusion staff, volunteers and students along: “It was worthwhile, but there should be an effort to By Gearoid Fitzgibbon promote more participation, especially for people rom May 11th to June 3rd, four regional from target groups who attend.” seminars were held in Galway, Dundalk, Miriam Holt of Waterford Women’s Centre was Wexford and Cork, as part of Ireland’s F aggrieved at the abolition of the CDP voluntary National Programme for the 2010 EU Year for boards, which, she felt offered working class Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. women an opportunity to directly represent A huge amount of work and preparation went themselves and their communities. into the seminars. Mark Ryan of Tipperary RAPID Programme According to Community Workers’ Co-op co- was encouraged by the large attendance, which ordinator Ann Irwin, “We were taken aback at the showed the dedication of people. Mark who turnout: 120 people attended the Cork seminar, attended the Child Poverty workshop, was happy with over 350 people attending nationally. People at the presence of a senior official from the wanted to talk about the issues. It was a valuable focus on older people; Department of Education and Skills. He said, “Its opportunity for people who make policy and 2. People with disabilities; important that the informal education sector is implement policy to talk face-to-face. Critical 3. Access to quality work and learning properly valued.” feedback centred around consultation fatigue: opportunities; Presentations from the seminars and copies people need to see something concrete happen 4. Child poverty of the seminar report are available on request as a result.” The workshops featured a presentation of from CWC. A huge amount of work and preparation went good practice by a policy maker, followed by A report on the seminar outcomes will form the into the seminars which comprised a morning of facilitated discussion. The main points of all four basis of the National Social Inclusion Forum to four workshops on the following themes: workshops were fed back to a wrap-up session. be held on November 17th. 1. Access to services – with a particular

EU year for Minister Ó Cuív wants your ideas!!!! combating he Minister for Social Protection same time. Éamon Ó Cuív has indicated he He would like to see volunteers on Twould welcome suggestions from social welfare paid small amounts for poverty and ‘Changing Ireland’ readers for engaging in community work without it changes he should make interfering with their entitlements. to the social welfare A few ideas volunteers with exclusion system. ‘Changing Ireland’ suggested he seminar attended by ‘Changing He is specifically include: TIreland’ was organised by the Community interested in making Guarantees that social Workers Co-op, the European Anti-Poverty changes that would welfare officers would not Network Ireland and the Community allow people work penalise people by deeming Platform, on contract from the Social Inclusion while claiming them “unavailable for work” Division of the Department of Community, unemployment when they are engaged in Equality and Gaeltacht A"airs. benefit, if that voluntary activity. According to the advance literature, the doesn’t sound like a Free childcare places in seminars were “an opportunity to take stock on contradiction. local community crèches progress to date in the $ght against poverty, as In an interview where someone gives up their well as a moment for re#ection and planning.” published in the time to engage in voluntary %e stated objective of the seminars was to spring edition, the community work. give “people experiencing poverty and social Minister talked of his plans Payment of PRSI while someone exclusion” a chance to “voice and articulate the for supporting people on is on long-term voluntary work issues they are facing,” and make suggestions on unemployment welfare who wish placement. how to deal with these issues “at local, national to work and help their communities at the E: editor@changingireland,ie and international levels.”

Comfort puts the spirit to sleep

‘Changing Ireland’,c/o Community Enterprise Centre, Moyross, Limerick T: 061-458011 (editorial) / 458090 (admin). E: [email protected] W: www.changingireland.ie