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Monday, October 5, 2015

UCC conference on assertive communities set for Oct 21 - organised by Co-op Studies & Civil Society researchers

Brian Harvey, Anna Lee, Mary Fogarty and Marian Harkin are among the guest speakers lined up for a conference on local and community development to be held on Wednesday, October 21st, in University College Cork.
Dr Carol Power

"The conference is titled 'The Changing Landscape of Local and Community Development in Ireland: Policy and Practice' and "will be of interest to community activists seeking positive change," says Dr. Carol Power, Centre for Co-operative Studies, UCC.

Entry is free, but you must register in advance and the earlier the better (see below). You can view the day's full programme here.

Organised by UCC researchers at the Centre for Co-operative Studies with colleagues from the university's Civil Society Research Cluster, it will examine how policy and practice is changing in relation to local and community development in Ireland. 
Together, they began a research project prompted by the Local Government Reform Act (2014) which seeks to achieve better co-ordination between local government and local development through a process of alignment. This is having far-reaching implications for those working at the coalface of local and community development.
The conference forms part of their research project.
The UCC researchers will be joined by the following high-profile speakers:
Brian Harvey
Anna Lee
  • Brian Harvey, author of a landmark report on the impact of austerity on the community and voluntary sector will provide an overview of recent changes in the sector. 
  • Anna Lee, who has worked in the not-for-profit sector for many years, will present the view of community development policy in Ireland from the frontline.  Anna is former CEO of South Dublin County Partnership and currently chairs Volunteer Ireland.   
    Mary Fogarty with Maeve O'Hair

  • Mary Fogarty, who with her neighbour Maeve O’Hair pioneered the Loughmore Co-operative Shop and Tea Rooms in Co. Tipperary, will talk about her experience of setting up a co-operative.  Theirs is one of many examples one finds around Ireland of community-led initiatives that seek to combat issues such as rural isolation and lack of services. 
  • The day will close with an address by Marian Harkin, Independent MEP.  

Admission to the conference is free but, due to venue capacity, you are best advised to register in advance by emailing: cpower@ucc.ie