This article is from page 51 of the 2007-05-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 51 JPG
A REPORT published last week has highlighted the importance of local community action in responding to the challenges of social exclusion in today’s fast-changing rural Ireland.
The report, entitled “Making a Dif- ference: Social Inclusion in a Chang- ing Rural Ireland’, was published by Pobal and suggests that success- fully promoting social inclusion in rural Ireland will require engaging in joined-up thinking, in policy and planning as well as in implementa- tion.
As part of the National Develop- ment Plan, Pobal manages a number
of Government programmes that Support communities and commu- nity initiatives across Ireland.
“While rural areas have shared in the boom, they continue to experi- ence many deficits in economic and social infrastructure,” said ‘Tony Crooks, CEO of Pobal. “They are also facing new challenges, with the continuing decline in agriculture, new forms of social exclusion and a more diverse society,” he continued. “Community-based initiatives play an essential role in the promotion of social inclusion, complementing the work of statutory agencies.”
These community-based pro- grammes include the Rural Transport
Programme, the Rural Social Scheme, the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010, the Peace and Interreg programmes in the border counties, the Dormant Accounts Fund and the Local Development Social In- clusion Programme, which funds the local partnership companies.
“Many forms of social exclusion are complex and hard to address. Bottom-up approaches that are driv- en by community organisations allow the involvement of disadvantaged groups in the design and delivery of initiatives, and enable initiatives to reach the most socially excluded individuals and the most remote ar- eas, he continued.
The report states that more joined- up thinking is needed, at both national and local levels, if we are to address social exclusion in rural Ireland to- day, “Greater coordination between service providers, whether statutory, community-based or both, is needed in both planning and implementa- tion”, and says that coordination can help ensure that a full range of sup- ports is available to individuals and groups in need of assistance.
The report presents the key mes- sages from a conference, organised by Pobal, which brought together 220 participants, including policy makers as well as beneficiaries of the Pobal managed programmes.