CROSS-BORDER PROJECTS ALREADY NEED MORE SUPPORT

Read the full article in Issue 56 - Winter 2016/’17 of ‘Changing Ireland’!

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 BY ALLEN MEAGHER

Is the threat Brexit poses to communities being taken seriously?  

  Brexit poses a threat to the peace process on these islands. Support and funding for many community groups is at risk, despite the impact this could have.

   Anthony Soares (pictured right) told‘Changing Ireland’ in late 2016 that because of Brexit’s impact to date, cross-border projects already need more funding. And this was before political power-sharing collapsed at Stormont.

  In December, the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee deliberated on Brexit, saying an agreement should be drafted to “guarantee

open land borders and sea boundaries, support cross-border trade and preserve EU funding for cross-border projects”. The issue also received attention in December from the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, while An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, has addressed the matter as being of the utmost concern.

The UK’s Brexit minister late last year visited Belfast and Dublin, meeting with political representatives and business leaders. He did not meet Community and Voluntary Sector representatives.

This sent out a strong signal to those in the Sector that the priority is trade, commerce and business.

“WE ARE SERIOUS AS A DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES”

BY ALLEN MEAGHER

Read the full article in Issue 56 - Winter 2016/’17 of ‘Changing Ireland’!

Flick through the pages or download the PDF here: http://bit.ly/CI-Iss56-Winter2016-17

Community groups and interests can work outside the formal structures or within those structures and in many cases they are obliged to do the latter. In practice, many do both:

“We are serious as a Department of Communities,” Minister Simon Coveney 

assured people attending a ‘National Forum’ meeting for ‘Our Communities’, held in

November, in the great hall at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Answering the call,

community reps gathered to see about turning policy into practice that will work on the 

ground and deliver community-driven, bottom-up social inclusion.

Cover story - Look Good, Do Good! Entrepreneurs and their communities

Read the full article in Issue 56 - Winter 2016/’17 of ‘Changing Ireland’!

Flick through the pages or download the PDF here: http://bit.ly/CI-Iss56-Winter2016-17

COVER STORY

5 top Social Entrepreneurs in Dublin:

€45,000 handed out to spur on communities

Five thrilled winners were presented with €5,000 to €15,000 cheques as award winners in Social Enterprise on December 15. The awards were presented by Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Damien English.

   Minister English didn’t go away empty handed himself - he was presented with a hand-made navy-blue ‘House of Akina’ dickey-bow by project co-founder Lye Ogunsanya. Ryan Tubridy already wears one.

   The ceremony took place at the Hugh Lane Art Gallery in Dublin.The winners were: Re-create; The Yard at Solas Project; House of Aki-na; Aspire Productions; and Third Space.

   Dublin’s Social Enterprise Grant Scheme Awards was established in 2015 to raise awareness and reward the important work being done by Social Entrepreneurs in the city.

   At this year’s awards, a total of €45,000 was handed over to ve winning projects to further develop their operations and organisations.

   Evanne Kilmurray, CEO, Inner City Enterprise, said that social enterprises in the City “play a key role in rejuvenating many of the local communities and have long lasting impacts in terms of job creation and provision of real social services.”

   The awards help to showcase what social enterprise can achieve in our communities.

The scheme was launched “to address the gap for accessing funding for start up social enterprises” and Evanne said funding and mentoring makes “a vital di erence”.

   Minister English praised the important work done, saying: “Social Enterprise is the up and coming way to give ownership back to a community by delivering much needed local services in an e cient manner using self sustaining enterprises.”

PRIDE OF PLACE WINNERS 2016

Read the full article in Issue 56 - Winter 2016/’17 of ‘Changing Ireland’!
Flick through the pages or download the PDF here: http://bit.ly/CI-Iss56-Winter2016-17
PRIDE OF 

PLACE WINNERS

   Pride of Place is an all-island competition that acknowledges the work that communities are doing all over the island of Ireland.
   “The competition is about showing respect and inclusion for every sector in our communities, young, old, rich or poor and creating communities to which the people are proud to say they belong,” says Tom Dowling, former Meath County Manager and Chairman and Founder of the Pride of Place Initiative.

C'mon lads, move over! Join the 50/50 by 2020 campaign!

Read the full article in Issue 56 - Winter 2016/’17 of ‘Changing Ireland’!

Flick through the pages or download the PDF here: http://bit.ly/CI-Iss56-Winter2016-17

WOMEN (NOT) IN POLITICS - THE 50/50 BY 2020 CAMPAIGN

 Gender still a glaring issue and women now campaigning locally and nationally

   The boards of national sports organisations were put under pressure in December to improve the gender balance.

   Punitive measures were talked about for organisations that failed to reach a 30% female quota, with some politicians in favour and others opposed to penalties.
   Despite women and girls playing soccer, rugby and Gaelic games, only one woman sits on the executive commitiees/boards of the FAI, IRFU and the GAA combined.
   Together, these three bodies shared €7.4m last year from the State for youth development alone and they oversee thousands of games annually involving women and girls.