Just over a year ago, residents and staff from various organisations in Darndale and Drogheda began a new programme which aimed to develop solutions to the challenges posed in their areas.

The place-based Leadership Development Programme was created in response to an increase in gang-related activities in the two localities, and to encourage greater collaboration between residents and those working in the community, such as gardaí and HSE and community development staff.

A total of 24 participants – 12 in each area – are currently taking part in the 18-month project, which was supported by €188,650 in funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development.

In Darndale, the programme is delivered by Northside Partnership, while in Drogheda it is administered by Louth Leader Partnership.

Darndale resident Tamara Kearns is getting a lot from being a participant. She works with Northside Partnership (on its Healthy Food Made Easy project) and says:

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. We’re a year into it now and I’ve learned so much and made so many connections.”

“We were introduced to each other just as people, not as their job title or organisation. It’s about building connections with other services and residents. It’s a different mix of everything and there have been a lot of boundaries broken down. It brought everyone together; residents were introduced to all the services that are provided, and we support each other’s services.

“There are still a lot of boundaries in the way, but the programme gives you the skills to think outside the box to see how you can work around them. You see the faces behind the services, and you realise that we all want the same thing, just some people might have a different way of going about it.”

• Tamara Kearns has learned to think “outside the box”.

Tamara says one team-building exercise made a particular impact on her.

“We were put into groups and they asked us to build straw castles. We were given straws and masking tape and had to work as a team and the goal was to have a castle that was still standing at the end of it. At the end we realised that we could have all worked together, instead of in our groups. We would have had loads of hands to build one big castle. So that was about teaching us to think outside the box,” she said.

The participants have already reached out to other local residents and held a meeting to discuss the local issues they are concerned about. According to Tamara, the challenges include a lack of a meeting space for local organisations.

She said: “We have lots of different groups in the area. It’s a fantastic area for sports, but we have no general meeting space. Like the women’s group has nowhere they can just meet up and have a cup of tea and a chat. There’s lots of requirements before they can do that, you need to look at insurance, you need to be set up as an organisation. And they don’t want to do all that.

“I do understand that there has to be protocols, but at the same time, that means you’re putting things on the long finger.”

Tamara concluded: “The whole thing has been very eye-opening for me, I’m really glad I’m doing it and I’d definitely be up for doing more. It’s run very smoothly. Rob and Dearbhail in Northside Partnership are fantastic. The connections that I’ve made have really helped me to settle into my new role.”

GREAT WAY TO NETWORK

Paul Kirwan, a health promotion and improvement officer with the HSE, is also participating in the course.

He explained: “When I started in my role in the HSE I was assigned to the Coolock Area Network, and Darndale falls within that. I’m from the area so I was very familiar with it.

“The Northside Partnership circulated their leadership course to everyone. I thought it would be a great way to network, and get to know people who were already working in the area. It’s very broad. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first. There’s a good mix of people – residents, community services, Tusla, Northside Partnership, youth services, the guards.

• Paul Kirwan learned to take off his HSE hat.

“I thought it might talk about: ‘How does my service fit in with your service?’ but it’s not about that. It’s showing people how to be leaders in their community. We practice exercises around teambuilding and building trust, and we’ve been having those difficult conversations. It’s not targeted at anti-social behaviour. It’s targeted at how to build the leadership skills of all people in the area to help shape the area for the better.”

According to Paul, the course is helping the participants to see the bigger picture, as opposed to the individual goals and agendas of their respective organisations.

He added: “My role in the HSE had been shaping how I was viewing things. But in the course, I can take off that hat and look at things as a resident.

“The programme isn’t built for any specific service. It’s about upskilling us as individuals, how to think differently. Everyone learned to put aside their own agendas. You need to put your agendas aside to really be able to collaborate.”