Influencing the Decisions That Shape Your Community!
Community & Voluntary ~ Social Inclusion ~ Environment
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We hope you will enjoy reading the August PPN eBulletin. Please share it with the members of your community group - it’s important that everyone is kept up to date and well informed about what is going on around Carlow.
If your group has something of interest to share with the County, avail of the opportunity to promote your events for FREE with Carlow PPN, by emailing: fbroadbery@carlowcoco.ie or carlowppn@carlowcoco.ie
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In this months ebulletin:
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Carlow PPN Re-registration 2024
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Carlow PPN Members, please check your inbox for your re-registration link. If you didn't receive the email, please contact Fiona at fbroadbery@carlowcoco.ie or call 087 2760139
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An Exploration of the Barriers to Involvement in Public Participation Networks
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An independent consultancy company have been commissioned by the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) to carry out a piece of research on the barriers to involvement in Public Participation Networks (PPN). They are keen to explore the demographic characteristics of groups and individuals involved in all 31 PPNs in Ireland and in doing so, investigate the diversity of participation and where appropriate explore the barriers and challenges for diverse groups in actively participating in PPNs.
Please access the survey here
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Carlow PPN recently visited the wonderful Elderflower Garden Club - a hidden gem in Carlow. Nominated and representing Carlow in the Co-operation Ireland Pride of Place competition!
Well worth checking out this great, peaceful garden on Barrack Street, Carlow Town - a place to find solace, with a warm welcome and great chat, not to mention all the homemade cakes and treats!
The Elderflower Garden Club Facebook page
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Sustainable Energy Communities and Carlow PPN
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A wonderful evening at St. John Caring Centre, Hacketstown, with Marina De Costa of Carlow County Development Partnership CLG, Carlows' Sustainable Energy Community mentor, on domestic and community retrofits and grant supports. Thank you to Jackie Stafford of Hacketstown Biodiversity Garden and the wonderful work this biodiversity garden is bringing to the local community on so may different levels.
In Ireland over 750 communities are working together to become more sustainable in how they use energy for the benefit of their community. Local community mentors provide guidance and support to help you to start thinking about energy use in your own community in an informed way. Marina shared information on the programme and signposted examples from other communities.
If you would like further information, please contact Marina at mdecosta@carlowdevelopment.ie
Carlow PPN talked about representation and participative democracy and ways to connect with community groups from the local area. We also read for our Community Wellbeing Vision:- 'Everyone in the County of Carlow is enabled to live sustainably. We are leaders in actively caring for our environment and make wise use of all our assets; natural or made'.
We also discussed the benefits of joining the PPN and ways we can help with the setting up of a Women's/Men's/Peoples Sheds. If anyone would like to get in touch - please do, contact Fiona at fbroadbery@carlowcoco.ie or Trish at carlowppn@carlowcoco.ie
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Carlow PPN provides a method for communities to engage with Carlow County Council to ensure that they have a say in local decision making. The PPN is the recognised link through which Council departments connect with the community & voluntary, social inclusion & environmental sectors in Carlow via the PPN Representatives.
Community representation – that of the Community and Voluntary,
Social Inclusion and Environmental sectors -
is a core function of the PPN
PPN Representatives who sit on council boards and committees report back to PPN groups on matters that concern them, and is a mandatory requirement of PPN Representatives.
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Following the outcome of the local elections, Carlow PPN will soon be informed of PPN seats available on Carlow County Council boards and committees in which you or someone from your group may be interested in getting involved with. Watch out for further updates in our next newsletters and on the PPN website.
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For any feedback/input for the attention of any of the PPN Representatives -
please email Trish at carlowppn@carlowcoco.ie or call
087 195 1444 and we will forward onto the relevant Representative.
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What are Strategic Policy Committees (SPC's) ….and how do they relate to the PPN?
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Local authorities set up policy committees where elected councillors and representatives from social, economic, cultural, environmental, community and voluntary groups may advise on, develop and review council policy.
It is the task of the Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs), as committees of the Council, to advise and assist the Council in the formulation, development and review of policy.
The remit of the SPCs is to deal only with policy matters and as such they are strategic in nature. They have no remit in relation to routine operational matters regarding the delivery of services. The SPC system is intended to give Councillors and relevant Sectoral Interests an opportunity for full involvement in the policy making process from the early stages.
Carlow PPN submission to the Public Consultation on Draft Strategic Policy Committee Scheme 2019 - 2024
A PPN Representative is elected for a fixed term to represent the issues of Member Groups on a particular Board/Forum or SPC, through thematic Linkage Groups.
You can read p.41 - p.52 of the PPN Handbook for further details.
PPN Handbook 2020
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Recent reports from PPN Reps can be accessed below:
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Dates of next SPC/Committee/Forum meetings for August 2024:
There are no Committee meetings during the month of August in the Corporate Calendar.
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Follow us on our socials - for current, relevant local & national news @Carlowppn
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Please avail of the opportunity to advertise in our monthly ebulletin.
Email/call Fiona on 087 276 0139/059 9136288
fbroadbery@carlowcoco.ie
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The Home Energy Saving Kit is available to borrow, free of charge, from your local library.
The kit contains five easy to use tools to measure how your home uses energy and where energy might be escaping.
Check in with your local library for further information.
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Recycle for FREE with WEEE
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Household electronic and lighting items are free to recycle. When you recycle electrical items, you’re not just preventing them from going to landfill, you’re also giving those items new life.
Recycle for FREE with WEEE at your local authority recycling centre or participating electrical retailer.
Powerstown Civic Amenity Site Carlow
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Irish Seed Savers Association
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The Irish Seed Savers Association cultivate heritage apple trees and vegetable seeds, preserve them in their seed and field bank, and share the surplus produce with the public to help conserve these varieties. They are Ireland’s only living public seedbank. They research to identify heritage varieties as they educate our community
Find out more on the Irish Seed Savers Association
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Ireland's Provisional Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1990-2023 Report
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This report provides early insight into the annual greenhouse gas emissions in advance of final data being submitted to the EU and UN for 2025.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has produced provisional estimates of greenhouse gas emissions for the time period 1990-2023.
Read report here
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How-to-Guide from the Nation Biodiversity Data Centre
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This 'How-to-Guide explores how to create and restore meadows in local communities and gardens and how to transform grassy areas into semi-natural grassland. Increasing the number of meadows on the island of Ireland will significantly help biodiversity, contribute to carbon storage, and leave the legacy of this vital habitat for future generations.
Access the Guide here
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Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Update
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COMMUNE 12th - 18th August 2024
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Muine Bheag Arts is pleased to present COMMUNE - a programme of live events in the Muine Bheag Community Centre from 12th - 18th August. The programme invites artists, community organisers, graduates-in-residence, gardeners, zine-makers, visitors and friends to contribute to an evolving and expanding programme.
Full list of events can be found here
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Bagenalstown Community Gardens Tour + Talk - 14th August, 5pm
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As part of the COMMUNE programme, Muine Bheag Arts invites you to a tour of the Bagenalstown Community Gardens. Tommy Cox will lead the tour and discuss the group’s work in relation to community, sustainability and biodiversity.
This event takes place at Bagenalstown Community Gardens, R21 TD61. Book your spot here.
The tour will be followed by a screening of Donna Haraway: Story Telling for Earthly Survival in the Muine Bheag Community Centre at 7pm.
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Resistance Weight Training
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Do you have a dog?
If so, you need a licence - under the Control of Dogs Act 1986, as amended all dog owners are required to have a dog licence.
Find full details here.
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A Guide for Community Archives & Heritage Groups
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The Guide looks at ways volunteer groups can address some of the challenges that can influence their future success. Common challenges include attracting new members, getting young people involved; keeping adequate records; or losing access to accounts due to lost passwords or IT crashes.
Succession Planning: A Guide for Community Archives & Heritage Groups
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Carlow Fringe Arts Festival 2024
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With a focus on community and creativity, the Carlow Fringe Arts Festival is a (long) weekend packed with magic, music, comedy, poetry, dogs, and much more, revitalising the heart of Carlow town!
Join in for a thrilling bank holiday weekend that promises to light up Carlow with an incredible line-up - We hope to see you there!
Carlow Fringe Arts Festival line-up
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The Landscapes that Connect Workshop
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As part of Water Heritage Day, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office (LAWCO) will explore how our rivers connect the Blackstairs Mountains to the wider Leinster landscape - this is for the farming and the non-farming communities.
Shane Casey, Carlow's Biodiversity Offer, invites you to a workshop taking place in Myshall Community Hall on Sunday, August 25th. Minister for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan is expected to give the opening address.
RSVP by return email to scasey@carlowcoco.ie, with the number of places required.
After the workshop presentations, there will be a guided walk of the Myshall church grounds, to explain the ins and outs of its recent "Plan for Nature" and lunch will be provided.
More information
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Launch of Carlow's LEAF Programme
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Bagenalstown Community Garden was the idyllic setting for the launch of Carlow’s Literacy and Food Education Programme (LEAF). The LEAF programme is about empowering communities to grow their own food as a vital climate action. It’s about sowing seeds of empathy and nurturing a culture of sustainable living, all while turning libraries into bustling hubs of food growing.
The programme will see the distribution of seeds throughout the county via the Library branch network and participants who register online will then gain access to a wide range of digital resources that will guide and encourage growing, as well as providing a network of support amongst growers throughout their localities.
Let’s grow together!
Full details
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Irish Wheelchair Association launches Pre-Budget Submission
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The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is calling on the government to make this last budget a positive legacy to support those who need it most in our society. IWA’s main asks are on Cost of Disability, Sectoral Reform and Funding, and investment in Personal Assistant Services which includes pay parity. Addressing these issues will pull people out of a poverty trap and support independent living, all the things Ireland signed up for in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
More details
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Fostering Ethnic Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace - Ireland
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Your Voice Matters!
Fostering Ethnic Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace in Ireland - Research: Call for survey participants.
This survey is part of a research project seeking to understand and foster ethnic diversity and representation in workplaces across Ireland, commissioned by a major financial services organisation.
Your insights and experiences are invaluable, as they strive to better understand the overall employment and job seeking experiences of individuals from different ethnic backgrounds in Ireland.
Take the Survey here
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Irish Council for International Students: Speak Out Against Racism
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Racism is when you are discriminated against, treated differently, or less favourably than someone else because of your race, colour, nationality, ethnic, or national origins. Racism can be deeply traumatic and have a devastating impact on people’s lives.
The Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) have developed a guide to understanding racism in Ireland, your rights, and what to do if you see or experience racism.
Read the Guide here
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Useful Contacts - Mental Health
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The Rate of Suicide in Ireland is being significantly underestimated.
A new study published by HUGG, and conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants, shows that the true rate of suicide in Ireland is significantly higher than is currently being reported.
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Join people all over Ireland for the annual Big Splash for Aware. Take the plunge solo or get a gang together for a dip at your favourite swim spot. Along with benefitting your own mental and physical health by taking part, you’ll be raising vital funds to ensure Aware can continue to deliver their essential and free mental health services nationwide.
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The Minister for Mental Health and Older People announces publication of Mental Health Bill 2024, this replaces the Mental Health Acts 2001–2022.
The Mental Health Bill provides a modern legal framework that will protect the rights of people with mental health difficulties in the decades ahead.
Mental Health Bill 2024
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Carlow Mental Health Association was formed in February 2010 by volunteers with a passion for promoting positive mental health in Carlow. They work with local, regional and national organisations to provide signposting and information on supports for maintaining and enhancing mental and emotional wellness, as well as information on help available to those who are experiencing mental and emotional challenges.
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Minister Heydon announces €22.3 million in new research grants
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As part of the ongoing North-South co-operation on agri-food research and innovation, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland collaborated in this research call by providing funding to enable eligible research organisations in Northern Ireland to participate in projects with partners in Ireland. Two projects will benefit from this collaboration in this Tranche II list.
Read full report
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Community Connection Project
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Minister of State for Community Development, Integration and Charities, Joe O’Brien announced a new project this week that will support the recruitment of up to 30 Community Link Workers.
The workers will be employed by local development companies under the Community Connection Project (CCP), which will receive funding of €3m over 2024 and 2025.
The new employees will engage and work with local communities across Ireland over an 18-month period with a view to helping communities respond to the arrival of International Protection Applicants.
Full details
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Ireland Against Racism Fund 2024
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The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Ireland Against Racism Fund 2024 is now open for applications from organisations for national, regional and local projects.
Closing date: 7th August 2024
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Dormant Accounts Funds (DAF) - Growing Social Enterprise Fund
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Funding for the Growing Social Enterprise Fund is 100% sourced through Dormant Accounts. The Department of Rural and Community Development are the lead department for this fund with Pobal taking on the role of fund administrator.
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Merchants Quay Ireland: Medically Supervised Injection Facility Fund
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Following approval for the development of the Medically Supervised Injection Facility (MSIF) at Merchants Quay Ireland, a Community Fund has been established to benefit the local community surrounding Merchants Quay.
If you think your group would benefit from this fund, in a way that benefits the local community, please read the policy document and complete the application form below, before 12 noon on Friday, 30th of August 2024.
Initiatives funded by the MSIF Community Fund need to show evidence of demonstrable value for the collective benefit of the community or the group concerned.
Policy document and further details
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- Traveller Accommodation Grant Programme: Open Call
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Part of St. Stephen’s Green Trust’s (SSGT) strategic goal is supporting the provision of culturally appropriate, secure, quality accommodation for Travellers. The Trust is currently welcoming applications from groups leading on the issue of Traveller accommodation who are working towards strengthened support through organising, activism and campaigning and improved awareness of and attitude towards need for change in how accommodation is being delivered.
About the fund and how to apply
Closing date: 9th September 2024
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- Family Matters Grant Programme
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The 2024 St Stephen’s Green Trust (SSGT) Family Matters grant programme is open for applications from groups working across the island. The programme aim is to contribute to improving the system of support for families affected by convictions and imprisonment, to improve rehabilitation and resettlement outcomes.
About the fund and how to apply
Closing date: 9th September 2024
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Consultations, Surveys & Submissions
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Teenager Library Survey - County Carlow Library Service
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Calling all 12 - 18 year olds in Co. Carlow. The Carlow Library Service would like to hear form you and what events you might like to see in your library.
Take the survey here
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Exploring Attitudes Towards Climate Change - Research: Call for Survey Participants
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To better understand how climate change impacts the Irish population, the DCU School of Psychology are asking you to complete a short survey on your views of climate change, its risks to you and how it affects your day-to-day life.
Please find the link here: Qualtrics survey link.
This research is being completed by Anna Tebbenhoff (anna.tebbenhoff2@mail.dcu.ie) as part of the MSc Psychology (Conversion) from the School of Psychology
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Queen of the Universe NS, Bagenalstown - Safe Routes to School Scheme - Part 8 Process
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Carlow County Council’s has intentions to carry out various safety improvement measures to improve pedestrian access to the Queen of the Universe National School, Long Range Road, Bagenalstown as part of the Safe Routes to School programme.
Further details and make a Submission
Closing date: 4th September 2024
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Adopt A Monument Manual- New Edition!
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Are you passionate about heritage and community archaeology? A comprehensive guide is here to help you get started with your very own project. Whether you're a community group, historical society, or an individual enthusiast, this manual is packed with invaluable insights and practical steps.
Download your copy at https://ow.ly/sukP50SH3YZ
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Age & Opportunity is delighted to offer Changing Gears in partnership with Carlow County Library, in person this August at the Library.
Designed to boost wellbeing and resilience for those aged 50+ years, it is a five-session course which focuses on managing transitions in mid to later life.
Full details here
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Mobile Music Machine are delighted to return to Carlow in 2024, to perform 15 Care Concerts in residential care homes and healthcare settings across the county. These concerts are a continuation of the Covid Care Concerts, which successfully commenced in May 2020 and have to date seen 100 of Ireland's leading musical artists perform over 2,500 live concerts in 23 counties, reaching an audience of 150,000, providing access to the arts for all.
Read Press Release
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National Heritage Week celebrates Ireland’s cultural, built and natural heritage.
It brings together volunteers, community groups and heritage enthusiasts to share their experience, knowledge culture and practices.
Heritage week is from Saturday 17 August to Sunday 25 August 2024.
Many national and hundreds of local community organisations participate by organising events throughout the country.
Full details for Carlow events
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*Please click on the posters for a fuller image...
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