Editorial
Anti-racism &
***** ‘Changing Ireland’ will shortly be setting up as an independent company, after nine years of support and management by the volunteers and staff of the Community Development Network Moyross Ltd. We are staying in Moyross, staying editorially independent and sticking with our aims (more of which you can read on our website).
critical debate C
ongratulations to the community workers and others who complained to Facebook en masse and had two racist hate sites shut down recently. It is an irony because community workers in Ireland began to network online in a big way just last year with the arrival of recession. Only for the threat of cutbacks, they might not have got together and those hate sites might still be in existence. Every cloud as they say has a silver lining.
Published By: ‘Changing Ireland’ is the national magazine of the Local and Community Development Programme and is managed and published by the Community Development Network, Moyross, Limited, through funding from the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs. Postal address: ‘Changing Ireland’, c/o Community Enterprise Centre, Moyross, Limerick. Office base: Unit 3, Sarsfield Gardens Business Centre, Sarsfield Gardens, Moyross, Limerick.
***** In this issue, we feature an opinion piece which suggests that the Community and Voluntary Sector should “reconsider building its imaginary castles in the sky, and (reconsider) creating ever greater visions of more rights and entitlements for its members and clients.” Gearoid Fitzgibbon, a community worker and ‘Changing Ireland’ reporter and editorial team member, argues that the broad social movement advocated by ‘Is Féidir Linn’ is desperately needed, but has “no prospect for success if the group cannot offer the ordinary voter and business groups concrete proposals, instead of the cap-in-hand and threats of high taxation?” If the Community and Voluntary Sector wishes to speak to the public about change, it needs to put forward a vision that people see common sense in, a vision that talks of responsibilities as well as rights and a vision that adds up in economic terms.
Tel Editor: 061-458011. Tel Administrator: 061-458090. Fax: 061-325300. E-mail: editor@changingireland.ie and admin@changingireland.ie Website: www.changingireland.ie Also check us out on Youtube, Facebook and Blogger.
Production:
***** Readers might wonder who are we to be pointing out flaws elsewhere, given that the Programme we are now part of and involved in the promotion of has been widely criticised. But if something’s true, it shouldn’t matter who says it and better to have it out than not. Regarding the Local and Community Development Programme (LDCP), there are serious concerns, but there are also less-publicised advantages. You can’t put close to 3000 workers together under the one roof without added benefit. In this issue, Minister Pat Carey outlines some of the positives. Since June 30th, most Community Development Projects and Local Development Companies (LDCs) have agreed, albeit under pressure, on integration plans. The campaign to allow CDPs continue to operate independently did not win approval at national level from the Minister. However, he left the door ajar for alternative proposals, once they meet the Department’s criteria. While CDPs deal with the changes inherent in a takeover, the LDCs are busy rolling out the €425m Rural Development Programme, while internally dealing with a demand by the Department to reduce salaries by 10%.
Editor: Allen Meagher Administrator (part-time): Tim Hourigan Reporter (work placement): Ross Ryan Editorial team: Viv Sadd, Sean McLaughlin, Gearoid Fitzgibbon Juan Carlos Azzopardi and Allen Meagher. Reporting: Articles are primarily written by Community Development workers and volunteers who have an interest in reporting. Design and print by: The Print Factory, Five Alley, Birr, Co. Offaly. W: www.printfactory.ie
Thanks To . . . ‘Changing Ireland’ thanks everyone involved in the production of Issue 33.
Disclaimer
***** As previously stated in this magazine, we fervently hope that the voices of disadvantaged communities will be heard even more in the future through the LCDP. There are concerns the opposite could happen. Meanwhile general Programme concerns and criticisms have been aired in ‘Changing Ireland’ along with the Programme’s positives and promised benefits for communities and we look forward to continuing to provide space for both sides of the debate. Meanwhile people, want to see what the work on the ground is achieving and supporting and in this issue we report on excellent examples of community work from Kilkenny and north Dublin, south Limerick and elsewhere that receive support under the LCDP.
Poverty is the worst form of violence - Mahatma Gandhi
The views expressed in this newsletter are those of the author concerned. They do not, by any means, necessarily reflect the views of the Editor, the editorial team, the management committee of the Community Development Network, Moyross, Ltd., or the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs.
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