Affordable (€10) 'Social Media for Change' training in Cork on Jan 21st

In 1994, Ballyphehane CDP's office had a typewritter and a telephone to communicate with the outside world. Now everyone has a tablet and they can communicate with most members of the community without leaving the building (they do leave the building). On Jan 21st, they're hosting a seminar on using Social Media for Social Change and will look at how new technologies can help us communicate, campaign and challenge in the 21^st century.

The event is supported by Cork City Partnership, the Irish Examiner and RTE. 
Cost €10.

CLICK THE "READ MORE" BUTTON BELOW FOR DETAILS...

The work goes on - Southill's day of action on drugs

- COMMUNITY WORK ON THE GROUND

- 100 ATTEND DRUGS INFO DAY IN SOUTHILL

- Limerick, June 23rd, 2010

The Local and Community Development Programme is due to take off by the end of this year - the structures are being argued over up and down of the country - and in the meantime the work on the ground in communities continues.

Southill CDP in Limerick today brought together 12 staff from 10 agencies involved in anti-drugs work for a public information day on drugs.

A lot of parents brought along their children to see what drugs look like, so they would recognise the dangers when confronted by the real thing.

'Changing Ireland' met a mother of an eight-year-old concerned about the way schoolchildren are being targeted. She was determined to educate her child before it was too late. Others sought advice on the day from Slainte, Aljeff, North Star, Cuan Mhuire, Victory Outreach from Cork and others on the way through addiction.

Caroline Keane is a community-based Drugs Education Worker and she says alcohol and nicotine are the most widely used drugs in Southill.

She was pleased at the end of the day: "We had 100 local people along today and 30 of them signed up for training." The training includes joining a Community Addiction Studies course starting in September.

Group photo above: John Hehir, Denise McNamara and Zoe Hehir who

attended the drugs information day and organiser Caroline Keane.

Photos below: Close-up shots of of patches from the North Star quilt. Each patch is in memory of someone who died before their time.

This report is the beginning in a series showing how local work around the country continues, while policy makers, politicians and community activists seek at the same time to influence the shape and structure of the new Local and Community Development Programme.

CDPs on Liveline

On Monday 9th November, Joe Duffy got a call from a Kathleen O'Neill in Kilbarrack CDP about the proposed changes to the CDP programme. Once it got started, more people started ringing in including:
Mary Catherine Heanue from Inishturk Development Office
Ursula McKenna from Dochas for Women, Monaghan
Bray Traveller's CDP's Jim O'Brien,
Maurice McConville from Le Chéile CDP,
Martin Hamilton from Kilmore West CDP,
Mary McClorey from Southside CDP in Drogheda,
Harry Murphy from Crumlin CDP and
Liz Riches from Ballybeg CDP in Waterford.
Joe Duffy and the RTE listeners got the low down on what CDPs do for their communities around the country

Listen to the CDP discussion on Liveline. (mp3 file)