Changing Ireland Video

Visiting Prisoners - What is CASP?

CASP was founded in 1995 by residents and development workers in North Clondalkin in Dublin, Ireland.
The project is a response to the use of opiates by increasing numbers of people in the area.

Address:
Clondalkin Addiction Support Programme,
Ballyowen Meadows,
Fonthill Road,
Clondalkin,
Dublin 22.
T: 01-6166750. E: casp@iol.ie W: www.casp.ie

Visiting Prison: What to expect on your first visit.

You've got someone in prison in Ireland.... You're visiting for the first time - what should you expect? How many children can you bring? Could you be strip-searched?

For more in-depth advice from Sharon particularly for Community Development workers dealing with families of prisoners - visit: www.changingireland.ie/resources.html

Parent in Prison: do you tell the kids?

If you’ve got someone in prison – Should you tell your child? It’s tempting to tell your child that he/she’s in hospital or gone on holidays, but there are some downsides?

Relative in prison: How adults and children react differently

First-time prisoners can have it hard and it’s important for families to stay in contact. Children of prisoners react in different ways. It is important to listen to them.
Sharon Harty from CASP in Dublin offers advice to people who have someone in prison for the first time.

Parent in Prison - what if a child doesn't want to visit?

Your partner’s in prison .What to do if your teenage son or daughter doesn’t want to visit?

How do you prepare a child for their first visit?

Parent in Prison: And you feel like spoiling the kids.

Say your partners in prison .... You feel like spoiling your kids to compensate, but does it help?

Parent in Prison: Who can bring the kids if you can't?

Visiting a prisoner: What if you're asked to smuggle drugs?

Visiting a Prisoner: Should you tell them bad news?

If you’ve got someone in prison – Should you tell the prisoner everything that’s going on at home, or should you shelter them from bad news?

Visiting a Prisoner: What if they're suicidal?

Edenmore CDP - an introduction to Edenmore

Enabling Dissent - Niall Crowley - full speech

Niall Crowley talks about the limits that are set for dissent by the status quo. Niall the Equality Authority head who resigned in protest at over-the-top cutbacks is a man of action and a man who talks of revolution, of change, of developing a new model of development for Ireland.

Enabling Dissent - Kumi Nadoo - Full Speech

Community Development work is under attack in Ireland and around the world. Our job is to speak up on behalf of (and with) the voiceless and marginalised, but Governments dislike dissent.

The Carnegie Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies responded to efforts by and on behalf of the Irish Government to stifle dissent by holding a seminar entitled 'Enabling Dissent' on May 20th, in Dublin.

This is the full speech by Kumi Naidoo, a leader internationally of civil society organisations. He says the struggle to regain lost civil liberties has now begun.

Enabling Dissent - Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy - full speech

Sr. Stanislaus wants to hear more voices of dissent. She spoke in May at a seminar in Dublin organised by the Carnegie UK Trust and Atlantic Philantropies.

The silence of potential dissenters is a sign of how bad things are, says Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, one of modern Ireland's most outspoken nuns. She says that civil society organisations fail their people by staying silent.

Note: Sr. Stan would not match Bob Geldof as a public speaker - she speaks and slowly and deliberately - but her words carry weight and she has won numerous awards for telling it as it is.

Kumi Nadoo clip - fight back

Kumi Nadoo - of Civicus, says that it is time to fight back to regain rights, and not keep your mouth shut about policies.He says that the fightback has already begun

He asks, look at the access and influence you have. Is it wasting time and energy or helping to fix the problems and help the people?

Sr. Kennedy clip - How the government stifles dissent

Another clip of St. Kennedy speaking at the 'Enabling Dissent' seminar organised by The Carnegie Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies on May 20th, 2009 in Dublin.

Sr. Kennedy clip - Intolerance of dissent

Another clip of St. Kennedy speaking at the 'Enabling Dissent' seminar organised by The Carnegie Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies on May 20th, 2009 in Dublin.

Sr. Kennedy Clip - why civil society groups run shy

Another clip of St. Kennedy speaking at the 'Enabling Dissent' seminar organised by The Carnegie Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies on May 20th, 2009 in Dublin.

Minister of State Curran interview: on CDPs

The projects come from the communities themselves and what really inspires me is peoples imagination and their own approach to coming up with solutions to their problems that work.

They're so innovative and flexible and timely in their response that they're doing things the statutory agencies couldnt respond to in a short timeframe. Peoples ingenuity always astounds me.

- John Curran, Irelands Minister of State for Community Affairs (and the national Drugs Strategy), in an interview for the winter 08/09 edition of Changing Ireland.

Minister of State Curran interview: on jobs crisis

Moyross and other areas suffered unemployment rates of up to 80% in the 1980s and nobody wants a return to those days.

John Curran, the Minister of State for Community Affairs (and the national Drugs Strategy), spoke about the real challenge of unemployment and the need for urgency:

"The real challenge now is we have people losing their jobs who have the capacity to work, who have the work experience, who have discipline."

" The real challenge is that they're retrained and (quickly helped to) find alternative employment, so that they dont become disenfranchised by becoming long-term unemployed because its (then) much more difficult to get back into the workforce. "

Excerpt from an interview for the winter 08/09 edition of Changing Ireland.

Minister of State Curran interview: on being a protester

Once a protester outside the Dáil, John Curran - the Minister of State for Community Affairs (and the national Drugs Strategy) now views protests from inside Government buildings.

"I marched to the Dáil as a student Im very conscious when I see protests," he told the winter 08/09 edition of Changing Ireland

Deirdre Garvey, The Wheel, PART 1

Deirdre Garvey of The Wheel talks here to Changing Ireland on:
1. Where she sees the Community & Voluntary Sector going this year?
2. Her views on whether or not this is the year for leaders in the Sector to unite?
3. The Wheel's seminars on Making More From Less.
4. We asked Deirdre whats the rationale: The Wheel has gone for holding seminars around the country, rather than protests outside the Dail.

Deirdre Garvey, The Wheel, PART 2

Deirdre Garvey, CEO of The Wheel talks to Allen Meagher of 'Changing Ireland' about:
1) cutbacks to childcare, where she joined in a campaign when her family and community was hit;
2) the influence of The Wheel on shaping the Charities Act and the Wheel's rising membership - due she says to the practical supports they provide to Community and Voluntary organisations.
The Wheel was set up in 1999. For The Wheel's Charities Act 2009 Factsheet: follow this link : Factsheet

No.1 secret to writing news - H5W

Changing Ireland Editor, Allen Meagher, explains the H5W system of writing a news release.

What are the essential details that should be included in a news article?

For more on this, see the Changing Ireland Introduction to Media Skills

No. 2 secret to writing news - inverted pyramids

Changing Ireland Editor, Allen Meagher shows one of the secrets to writing news, the inverted pyramid shape. This workshop was held in Wexford.

News stories are not structured like essays, or drama. Get the bones of the story in the first paragraph, and use the rest of the article to flesh out the detail.

This makes it easier for the media to scan the story, decide if they want it, and edit it to length.

For more on this, see the Changing Ireland Introduction to Media Skills

PR insight: why the media love press releases

Changing Ireland editor, Allen Meagher, gives an insight into the world of modern journalism. The easier you make it for the busy journalist to get the story, the better your chances are of being published.

A press release, which has all the details (as covered in H5W), and is structured properly, (using the inverted pyramid) is easier to copy, paste, and edit into an article for the newsdesk.

CDPs are no soft touch.

Community Development Projects in Ireland are under threat from cutbacks to save "our" banks.

People from all over the poorest parts of Ireland came out in protest on September 8th, 2009.

There are around 250 workers and 2000 volunteers involved in our Community Development Programme and 1200 marched on the day.

For background:
National Forum blog
SIPTU Website
TV3 Coverage

John Carmody Poem "Bedford Row"

Poet and musician John Carmody wrote this poem to mark the 10th anniversary of the Bedford Fow Family Project in Limerick, Ireland, and performed it on Sept 24th, 2009, at the official celebrations.

For more visit www.bedfordrow.ie/poetry.html#prison

John Carmody poem 'Young Guns'

As I look back down the years, through all the friends I've lost,
Amid the drugs and drink and violence, tis now I know the cost,
Of all the lies I swallowed about what it is to be a man,
From friends who knew no better than the wisdom in a can,
One by one they fell away, between the prison and the grave,
And all that we are left with now are the stories of the brave,
Yet (theres) no-one to share them with, theres only you and I;
Two young fools who managed to live longer than the lie.

The reading took place in Limerick, Ireland, on Sept 24th at the official celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of the Bedford Fow Family Project. The project works with families of prisoners.

Dublin's Northside Partnership - really getting people back to work

The Partnership's 'Planning for Business' course has seen over 90 people set up in business in the first 6 months of 2010. Course facilitator Orla O'Carroll says the course is probably the best of its kind in the country. She credits the teamwork involved in preparing candidates before they go on the course.

The course is free and if you're interested, contact the Northside Partnership and ask to speak to one of the company's two enterprise officers. Tel. 01-8485630. http://www.northsidepartnership.ie

The Mission of the Northside Partnership is to be the driving force in meeting the challenge of social inclusion in its catchment area. The Northside Partnership is part of the national Local and Community Development Programme which is managed by Pobal on behalf of the Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Orla O'Carroll - Course Facilitator

Course facilitator Orla O'Carroll says the course is probably the best of its kind in the country. She credits the teamwork involved in preparing candidates before they go on the course. The Mission of the Northside Partnership is to be the driving force in meeting the challenge of social inclusion in its catchment area.

The course is free and if you're interested, contact the Northside Partnership and ask to speak to one of the company's two enterprise officers.
Tel. 01-8485630. http://www.northsidepartnership.ie

Cepta Dowling - Employment & Enterprise Manager

Employment & Enterprise manager Cepta Dowling says the number of people who complete the course and succeed in opening new businesses has tripled in a year.

The course is free and if you're interested, contact the Northside Partnership and ask to speak to one of the company's two enterprise officers.
Tel. 01-8485630. http://www.northsidepartnership.ie

Kevin Hendrick, Course Participant rates it 10/10

Kevin Hendrick, Coolock, Dublin, hopes to set up in full-time business as a sports therapist having completed a short course with the Northside Partnership in 'Business Management and Business Planning'. A printer for 10 years, Kevin was laid off in 2007 and decided to change career and move into sports therapy.

He gives the start-your-own-business course he's just completed ten out of ten. It really worked for him. Here's why!

The course is free and if you're interested, contact the Northside Partnership and ask to speak to one of the company's two enterprise officers.
Tel. 01-8485630. http://www.northsidepartnership.ie