Project News Dungarvan CDP Settles Into New €6.5m Home Waterford Mothers Power-Struggle Open New Premises Over Centre In Dún The Independent Mother’s Project (IMP) has moved into a new dedicated premises which the volunteers managing the project have named ‘Tosach’. The official opening at 42 Barrack Street took place recently with the Mayor of Waterford in attendance. The IMP works with mothers who are parenting alone and provides them with a safe environment to meet. The project provides support, encouragement, development opportunities, access to information and aims to empower women. “We have mothers who put in a huge commitment to the project over the years while raising their young children,” said chairperson, Veronica Malone. “Their enthusiasm and energy has got the project to where it is now.” The project – as with all CDPs – operates from Community Development principles. For more information, contact Veronica or Amy. T: 051-352866. E: improject@eircom.net
Edenmore Is First With A Blog Over a dozen CDPs have websites, but the first CDP in the country to have a blog is Edenmore in Dublin. News from the project is published as it happens, be it a new member joining the CDP board or a shopping trip to Newry for senior citizens. The news is published by way of text, photos and movies. The blog also features news from indymedia.ie and films of Community Development initiatives from around the world. Recently, Edenmore CDP staff and volunteers produced a nine-minute film that tells where Edenmore is, the sort of place it is and some of the work the CDP is doing. Check out: http://edenmore.blogspot.com/
Laoghaire
The project co-ordinator of a CDP in Dún Laoghaire has concerns over proposals put forward by the local authority for the management of a new €4.8m community centre. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is building the new facility to replace the old resource centre on the site where Mountwood/ Fitzgerald Park CDP is based. The opening is scheduled for August this year and while describing the new building as a “good news story” to local media, the CDP project co-ordinator, Marian White, said the council is attempting to control who sits on the facility’s new management committee. In addition Marian is concerned the council will not grant the CDP a lease on the new centre. “As a Community Development Project we lobbied for about €1.7 million of the funds for the building, but having done all that we still have not got security of tenure,” she said. A council spokesperson said it was engaged in “extensive consultation” to ensure that the facility would meet the needs of the wider community.
Mountwood’s old resource centre
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Dungarvan CDP is settling into a new home, having moved into a premises that was renovated at a cost of €6.5 to cater as a multipurpose community centre. The project is sharing the facility with the local Scouts, the HSE, a special needs preschool, a project caring for older people, Focus Ireland and others. At the official opening of the Presentation Community Development Centre, Minister Martin Cullen commended the county manager, the town councillors and members of the management committee of Dungarvan CDP for bringing the centre to fruition. The building was formerly owned by the Presentation Sisters who were there since 1858. Dungarvan CDP works with over 200 members of the community on a weekly basis. The CDP’s management committee won a Community and Voluntary Award in 2007 and the project provides the backbone to at least 17 services and community groups in the area. Finance for the new centre came through the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dungarvan Town Council, POBAIL, the HSE and Waterford Institute of Technology. Dungarvan CDP’s new address is: Presentation Community Development Centre, Mitchell St., Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. The project’s phone number remains unchanged.
Targetting Older People In Cavan CDPs regularly host courses in their community centres and South West Cavan CDP, in conjunction with the VEC, are currently running technology courses for older people. Courses include: An Introduction to Computers for the Elderly; and Certified Intermediate Computing. If you are thinking of targeting older people, contact South West Cavan CDP on 049-4336070 for an insight. In Carlow, meanwhile, Open Door CDP is targeting immigrants by hosting a course in English for Foreign Nationals. Other courses hosted by the project include Digital Photography, Guitar, Beauty Therapy and Computers Fetac Levels 4 & 5.
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