A fun creative protest will be held by CDPs on Friday 6th November @ 4pm @ the GPO. Please come and support us. CDPs speak for those who are most removed from the process.
Monday, November 2, 2009
CDPs demo at GPO Dublin on Friday, Nov 6th (4pm)
A fun creative protest will be held by CDPs on Friday 6th November @ 4pm @ the GPO. Please come and support us. CDPs speak for those who are most removed from the process.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
CDPs on the streets again!
CDPs will part in a national SIPTU march tomorrow (September 30th) in Dublin to defend community resources from McCarthy cuts.
For more see: www.siptu.ie/community
NCDF rejects plan to disband CDPs
The CDPs’ national body today rejected plans to “integrate” the Community Development Programme with another larger programme, the Local Development and Social Inclusion Programme (LDSIP).
“This scheme will disempower the most marginalised of local communities across Ireland,” said NCDF chairperson Larry McCarthy, himself a volunteer with Le Cheile CDP in Dundalk. “It’s an attack on the poor.”
“This move by Minister Curran will terminate the involvement of 2000 volunteers in deciding a little of what happens in their own communities and that undermines everything that Community Development stands for,” added Mr. McCarthy.
The Minister’s announcement comes hot on the heels of a 15% cut to projects this year and a recommendation in the McCarthy report that €44m be cut from the €72m going to the two programmes. The Community Development Programme costs less than €20m annually and is worth at least three times that figure to local communities when the volunteer input is included and the impact of the work is taken into account.
“Minister Curran hasn’t consulted anyone about this, it’s the top-down-approach. If this and other proposals in the McCarthy report are adopted, I’d have serious concerns about the sustainability of many communities in this country from here on in.
“We would welcome talks with the Minister where he could clarify some of the issues around the lack of consultation with, not alone the CDPs, but the service users," said Mr. McCarthy.
“Community Development is taught at third level, yet we as a country are looking at pulling the plug on the greatest investment by the State in supporting Community Development on the ground. That makes a mockery of the educational element,” added the NCDF statement.
“Our mission is to keep Community Development in Ireland alive and flourishing and the secret of CDPs success is that we’re locally managed and independent. Take that away and you’re dismantling the local social inclusion infrastructure.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN JEOPARDY: Curran plans to integrate CDP and LDSIP programmes
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS Minister John Curran intends to “integrate” the Community Development Programme and the Local Development and Social Inclusion Programme (Partnership companies).
He gave no detail on how it would be done but said he wanted to see "a single, redesigned programme in 2010, in the context of the budgetary position.”
The NCDF is meeting tomorrow in Dublin and will respond to the Minister's plans.
'Changing Ireland' has published the relevant excerpts from his speech and press release on its blog at: www.changingireland.blogspot.com
The Community Worker's Co-op has responded as follows:
The Community Workers' Co-operative recognise that the economic situation calls for increased efficiencies in all areas of society including the community sector. However the organisation called on the Minister to stop making decisions behind closed doors and to consult with those operating at community level to ensure that his aim of providing more efficient and streamlined social inclusion services can be achieved.
In a statement, Ann Irwin, CWC National Co-Ordinator said that "those working at a community level know best how services and community work at local level can be optimised. Yet they were not even consulted about this decision to integrate the two programmes. Neither have they been consulted about the 'thorough review' of the CDP that the Minister mentions in his speech and the programme redesign work being carried out by the Centre for Effective Services which is also happening behind closed doors."
Ms Irwin called on the Minister to include those working at grass roots level, and the organisations that represent them, in the major decisions facing the community sector in the near future.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
NCDF has now met both Ministers O'Cuiv and Curran
Chairperson of the NCDF, Larry McCarthy, met with Minister of State responsible for Community Affairs, John Curran, a fortnight ago and outlined our case.
Larry made the Minister aware of the pressure on CDPs and the issues facing projects and their volunteers that are within his control and called for an end to any more cutbacks on community projects.
Minister Curran had seemed reluctant to meet the forum.
However, now both the senior and junior ministers in the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs have met with the NCDF.
The next meeting of the NCDF is on Sept 23rd.
Anything that should be on the agenda, let us know in the comment section below (by name or anonymously) or tell your regional rep on the NCDF.
WRITE NOW! DON'T WAIT!
Members of the NCDF (Pic from June '09)
with Minister Eamon O’Cuiv.
Among those also in the photo are: Donal O'Shea, Clare Island,
Emma Freeman, Ballymun, Susan O'Neill and Mary Timmons, Limerick,
Maurice McConville, Dundalk, Ann Fitzpatrick, Tallaght, Mary Hennessy,
Newbridge and Theresa McGouran, Ballyfermot.
Current members absent from pic: Allen Meagher, Mary Timmons, Viv Sadd,
1200 on national Sept 8th march for CDPs
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Poorest communities face chop (Already in 2009 we've been well-snipped)
Are you angry over the Government's Bord Snip proposals? Communities are going to get royally shafted. What's to be done about it? Tell us what you think.
The anger has already spilled into comments beneath the 'Minister refuses to meet us...' posting below. For instance, anonymous said...
"Save us! Bord snip, 44m in community cuts! Rapid gone. CE scheme decimated. Areas left to rot. What a joke. Shame on all involved with these cuts. We'll be back to the horror days of the 80s with bag snatching, heroin epidemics, no go areas etc. Oh give me strength."
July 16, 2009 12:15 PM
Friday, July 3, 2009
Minister of State responsible for Community Affairs, John Curran refuses to meet community reps
The NCDF will issue a formal statement on this matter shortly, but it is safe to say the NCDF is disappointed the Minister of State with responsibility for Community Affairs declined the opportunity to meet people representing volunteer projects in the most disadvantaged communities in the State and to hear their voice.
LEAVE A COMMENT!!
OR ASK A QUESTION!
Click 'anonymous' if you like and your identity is protected. Or you can leave your name or organisation's name.
Community projects overwhelmingly endorse SIPTU campaign
LEAVE A COMMENT!!
OR ASK A QUESTION!
Click 'anonymous' if you like and your identity is protected. Or you can leave your name or organisation's name.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
First blog posting of the new National Community Development Forum (NCDF)
To date, two national programmes supporting our poorest communities have been hit with savage cuts. The first is the National Drugs Strategy. Secondly, there is the Community Development Programme which funds 180 Community Development Projects in the poorest parts of Ireland. The twin-effect of these cuts on poor people is life-destroying.t specifically f
This BLOG comes from people involved in Community Development throughout the country as we stand up for our communities rights to fair play. The Government is playing a card-game with people's lives. Cutting funding to the poorest communities just because they are (perceived as) too weak to protest makes crude political sense, but is as morally repulsive as closing children’s hospital wards.
Our 180 Community Development Projects will not see out the year if the cutbacks continue. So, we’re now getting very organised.
- Our CDPs have united and organised themselves nationally. First time ever we set up an independent body for the projects. Widespread support for our work. Huge potential to speak up for and with the voiceless and vulnerable. We'll be heard at local and national level and we are here to stay.
- The workers and voluntary management committees have organised under SIPTU. Yes, employers and staff united on an issue and supported by a trade union. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has pushed projects too far with cuts by email and decrees demanding for instance that projects stop networking. There will be action at local at national level, starting up very very shortly.
BACKGROUND:
So - what's the background?
The Community Development Programme was established in 1990 to tackle huge challenges in Ireland’s 'poverty and unemployment blackspots'. People in these areas were dismissed by many so-called educated people as being too lazy to work. Those who criticised the poor overlooked barriers to work that effect women, lone parents, people who were failed by the school system, people with disabilities, and people in rural areas without cars (to mentions but a few people facing barriers).
Over the last 19 years, volunteers in these communities have made a real difference nationally by managing our 180 projects and working to lift the barriers. The work counteracted many of the effects of poverty on people, and also aimed to challenge the causes of poverty and discrimination.
Though funded by Government, the projects have been steered in recent years by Government away from work that might challenge Government policies at national level. They prefer us to provide and manage services in communities (training, creche, FAS schemes, etc) than to empower people to participate in society. It appears that the Government wants us to manage the poor, to keep the lid on things, and not to be ‘rabbiting-on’ about the deep-rooted structural causes of poverty and inequality.
CURRENT SITUATION - POOREST COMMUNITIES LOSING OUT FASTEST:
There are 2000 volunteers (many prefer the term ‘activists’) in our 180 projects, some of the finest people in Ireland. But - on top of political pressure to conform, the savage 20%-plus cutbacks are forcing the volunteer managers to pull back on the work they engage their staff to do.
The Department is trying to manage the projects by email dikdats, issing new rules like decrees and making financial demands that are forcing projects into impossible situations. There is the possibility that many projects are now – in a legal sense – trading recklessly. Who wants to be a volunteer manager and company director in these circumstances?
If the volunteers leave bit by bit, the projects will collapse in ones and twos and the Programme will vanish without trace. It might suit Government politically and financially but it would be a disaster for disadvantaged communities. If the current policy continues to be pursued, the Government will succeed in shutting down the core community infrastructure in Ireland’s poorest parts.
€20 MILLION ANNUALLY IS NOT BIG MONEY!
The national Programme can get by on €20 million, small change in the scheme of things and great value for money (Reference: Nexus Report 2000, ERN Report 2003).
But if the Community Development Programme is done away with, the Government will have destroyed 20 years of hard. Imagine seeing closed-up or unused community centres in the areas of greatest deprivation - what a poison that would be.
Neither the project staff nor the voluntary management committees accept being party to cutbacks that condemn deprived communities to oblivion for years to come. Volunteers are also gutted to see other national programmes cut, education cuts, welfare cuts, etc – on top of job losses heading for 50% in disadvantaged areas.
COMMUNITIES UNITED BEHIND CAMPAIGN
As stated, the projects recently set up a National Community Development Forum (NCDF) to represent themselves and their communities.
The projects also meet in clusters and at regional level. Staff and management are today often paying the networking costs themselves as project budgets have been so drastically reduced.
Currently there are 2000 volunteers involved and 300 or so staff engaged across the country in the Programme. All are committed to their communities and we are lobbying the Government to see fit to continue to support the projects, management and staff in the Programme.
GOVERNMENT SHOULD SUPPORT, NOT PENALISE, THE POOR
Pulling drugs-funding and community-supports from disadvantaged communities is counter-productive and the cost of killing off the Programme in human, financial and societal terms will far outweigh any savings.
We'll have a measure of the cost of cutbacks so far in a new posting.
As many formerly middle-class people are driven into poverty and social welfare dependency, we need to invest imagination and continued funding into our increasingly hard-stretched communities.
The Government should ideally support the poor as the poor fight the notion that they should bear the brunt of the costs of a recession.