Local development leaders welcome plan for community workers with communications role

Three local development company representatives welcomed the announcement of a new Community Connection Project which will employ 30 community link workers countrywide. Notably, the new community workers will have a communications role.

At the Welcoming New Communities conference in July Minister of State for Community Development, Integration and Charities, Joe O’Brien, announced a new project that will see 30 community workers hired to support integration and to counter misinformation.

The workers will be employed by local development companies under the Community Connection Project, which will receive funding of €3 million over 2024 and 2025.

Changing Ireland interviewed Carol Baumann, CEO of the Irish Local Development Network; Sabina Trench, CEO, South West Mayo Development Company; and Ryan Howard, CEO of South and East Cork Area Development.

While the project is only funded for 18 months, they all agreed that this is the start of something new in communicating with and listening to communities and that it may become a long-term funded programme. This was also alluded to in an interview with Minister of State Joe O’Brien.

Watch the video interviews here.