Empowerment

Society must have zero tolerance after Puska conviction, says Women’s Aid

Society must have zero tolerance after Puska conviction, says Women’s Aid

Women’s Aid has today welcomed the conviction of Josef Puska for the murder of Ashling Murphy in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, on January 12, last year.
It said the “deep social resonance” of Ashling’s murder should spur us on “in all aspects of Irish society, to do the work required to achieve equality and safety for all, to make Ireland a country that truly has zero tolerance for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence – now and for our future generations.”

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LGBT Champions bringing more inclusive healthcare to older people

LGBT Champions bringing more inclusive healthcare to older people

Society on the whole tends to view older people as non-sexual beings. Inaccurate as that may be, it is nothing new. However, it can have a particularly detrimental effect on the healthcare needs of those in the LGBT+ community.

Since 2018, a course for health and social care professionals has been helping to make healthcare settings more welcoming.

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Increase in over 65s contacting MABS after lifting of Eviction Ban

Increase in over 65s contacting MABS after lifting of Eviction Ban

South Munster Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) has reported an increase in requests for assistance following the lifting of the eviction ban on March 31.

MABS, which provides free advice to anyone who wants help in managing their money and taking control of debt, has experienced a significant increase in referrals from over 65s in particular.

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Landmark research shows impact of discrimination and poor accommodation on Traveller men

Landmark research shows impact of discrimination and poor accommodation on Traveller men

“I can’t go to any bar. They hear my accent, look at my appearance and they think I’m violent, it’s that negative stereotype,” – Martin Mongan, Donegal Travellers Project
A major study of Travellers’ lives in Dublin published in mid-February pointed to racism and discrimination for directly leading to many Traveller suicides. Research among a smaller group, focused specifically on Traveller men’s mental health, came to the same conclusion. This study was launched in December in Donegal and it marked the first time that Travellers themselves conducted all the research.
Facilitated by David Friel, the first Traveller in the North West to be educated to Masters level, the research paints a picture of the daily lives of 12 Traveller men living in Donegal.

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Fórsa Section 39 workers move towards “indefinite strike action”

Fórsa Section 39 workers move towards “indefinite strike action”

“For every member of staff freshly recruited, another experienced staff member is walking out the door. The situation is both unacceptable and unsustainable,” says Trade union Fórsa, complaining about unequal pay and conditions.

Last Thursday (Jan 26) the trade union moved towards “indefinite strike action” involving hundreds of its members working in community and voluntary sector health services across the country. It is not immediate, however, nor is every county certain to be impacted.

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Government funders must treat civil society groups with more respect

Government funders must treat civil society groups with more respect

An overdue document was launched by Minister of State for Community Development, Joe O’Brien, with help from Ivan Cooper of The Wheel and Rachel Doyle of Community Work Ireland, on October 19.

It was overdue in so much as it could be helpful for a couple living together for years, even if they sometimes drive each other bananas, to see what they actually agree on.

The seven-page document outlines an agreed set of values and principles to be used by central and local government, as well as state bodies, for collaboration and partnership when working with groups in the community and voluntary sector.

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Offaly support workers get calls from around the world

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Offaly support workers get calls from around the world

The increase in domestic violence during lockdowns and the murder this year of a woman while out jogging, in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, led to a national enquiry about gaps in the level of support provided to women at risk of violence.
Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service was set up in the aftermath of a previous deadly incident in 1997 and it does remarkable and mostly unseen work supporting female and male victims.
Here, Ray Lucey speaks to manager Anne Clarke.

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West Cork’s domestic violence service publishes unique newsletter

West Cork’s domestic violence service publishes unique newsletter

Recently, West Cork Women Against Violence (WCWAV) published the 80th edition of their ‘West Cork Whisper’ newsletter.
It is immensely practical, thoughtful and clearly laid out and the publication is useful to any and all working / volunteering in the domestic violence sector – no matter where in Ireland you are.
This is not only because the ‘West Cork Whisper’ is the only one of its kind published in the country, but because of the quality of the content.

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Red Cross too slow: Irish farmer hosting Ukrainian refugees on why others should do the same

Red Cross too slow: Irish farmer hosting Ukrainian refugees on why others should do the same

‘Changing Ireland’ has followed a Kildare family over the weeks and now months as they have taken in refugees. A few others in the area have done likewise, but Matt – a dairy farmer in his early 50s – was the first to move and the first to take in refugees in his locality. He acknowledges other hosts might need cash, but said: “It would change it. That’s not why we are doing this.”

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Every county should have a SoSaD project

Every county should have a SoSaD project

No better person than a volunteer who benefitted from a project to explain its importance. Lee MacMalighe put it plainly: “Save Our Sons and Daughters is a suicide-prevention service. But it goes much deeper than that. If you’re struggling in any way or form, they’ll...

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MENTAL HEALTH: Communities trying but can’t fill all the gaps, says Mick Kearns

MENTAL HEALTH: Communities trying but can’t fill all the gaps, says Mick Kearns

In responding to mental health needs, Lisheen House in Skibbereen in West Cork is a great example of what communities can achieve by themselves. However, the gaps are glaring in the country’s mental health services. As co-founder Mick Kearns tells Hannah Ní Shúilleabháin, independent community-based, volunteer-managed services cannot fill all the gaps. Rather than wait however, Lisheen House is expanding its service to two more towns.

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Chuffed campaigners claim 100% success for Navan schoolbus

Chuffed campaigners claim 100% success for Navan schoolbus

Students from Windtown, Navan, Co, Meath, who previously struggled to reach school on a daily basis in all weathers, met last Monday with community minister Joe O’Brien and officials to highlight the value of their unique urban schoolbus and to call for ongoing support.
Five of the six pupils who met the minister are now doing their Leaving Cert and all were described as “very motivated” with solid career aspirations and plans for the future.

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Music to everyone’s ears – LEADER funds 60 violins in Louth

Music to everyone’s ears – LEADER funds 60 violins in Louth

Despite the pandemic, every evening schoolkids from three schools in Co. Louth meet online to practice the violin. It’s not the easiest instrument to master, but these children are now musicians who can boast of having performed  in front of thousands of people. 

The violins they play were funded through LEADER. It is a sign of how varied the support to communities can be nowadays through this fund.

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We’re all in this together! NOT

We’re all in this together! NOT

Speakers at a recent human rights event in Cork showed they are wiser now to the inequalities from our response to Covid-19 and we’re not all in this together, not when you look at the life-chances during this pandemic of migrants, care home residents, Travellers, and others. As one speaker put it, capitalism is dictating our morality. BETH ARDILL REPORTS:

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121 Family Resource Centres looking to the future

121 Family Resource Centres looking to the future

SUMMARY: A special report was published last month to mark the 25th year of the national Family Resource Centre Programme. The 60-page visionary document is called ‘Our Story’ and it looks back but also forward as Family Resource Centres celebrate their grassroots successes. In 2020, all 121 centres played an important role in helping communities respond to the pandemic.

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IPS is good news for expanding mental health supports

What is Local Employment Service’s success rate?

Ahead of the launch of a tendering process for delivery of job activation programmes, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection commissioned Indecon to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of Local Employment Services. Here, editor Allen Meagher dives in to the results.

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Is community development the key to preventing family violence?

Is community development the key to preventing family violence?

New Zealand is renowned for its beautiful natural landscapes, its blockbuster output and its sporting prowess. What it’s less well known for is its major issue with family violence. Researcher and family violence prevention practitioner Cristy Trewartha discusses here one of the approaches designed to make a difference.

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