Meath Partnership WRAP 1 Training Programme for Young Adults Aged 18-24

Meath Partnership and SOS present WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) 1 Training Programme for young adults aged between 18-24 living in county Meath, commencing August 3rd from 2:00pm – 4:30pm and running on the 3rd, 6th, 10th and 13th August 2:00pm – 4:30pm.

Do you want to take control over your mental wellbeing?

Do you want to become more resilient to the trials of everyday life?

If so check out the information below and get in touch with Monica [email protected] or Sarah [email protected] to book your place.

Water Safety Advice: Stay Safe at the Pool, River, Lake or Sea

For information on water safety advice when swimming click on the Meath County Council link below:

https://www.meath.ie/council/council-services/environment/water-protection/water-safety/water-safety-advice

Water Safety Ireland have further information on water safety via the following link:

https://watersafety.ie/

Ministers Catherine Martin and Roderic O’Gorman approve €250,000 to extend the impact of the Fighting Words Story Seeds programme to 14,000 children and young people

An additional €250,000 will be provided by the Creative Ireland Programme of  the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the What Works initiative, supported by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and funded under Dormant Accounts; to extend the Story Seeds programme of creative writing activity.

The Fighting Words Story Seeds programme is designed to help young people to articulate their own life stories so that they can understand their own experiences and their place in the world. Through creative writing Story Seeds strengthens positivity in children and helps them to reimagine the negatives in their lives and transform their sense of place and possibility.

Fighting Words Story Seeds initiative has been running in 22 primary schools in Dublin’s north inner city and north city during 2021, and will now extend to secondary schools and youth groups in the area.

This new funding will also enable Fighting Words to greatly expand the programme and bring the Story Seeds project to 14,000 children and young people in 120 primary schools, 70 secondary schools and 30 youth and additional needs groups in Dublin west, Dublin south inner city, Cork city, Limerick city, Bray/Wicklow and Drogheda.

Fighting Words will be linking with those organisations working in the areas of disadvantage, social marginalisation, mental health, disability, ethnic minorities and refugees/migrants. Fighting Words will also liaise with Tusla, the Children and Young People Service Committees (CYPSCs), and with Garda Community officers to ensure they are connecting with as many youth organisations as possible in each region.

“I loved reading the work the Story Seeds project produced in Dublin’s north inner city, and I’m really looking forward to what gets written by children and young people in other parts of the country when they start making Story Seeds their own.”

Roddy Doyle, Fighting Words.

Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD said

“The expansion of this creative writing programme for schools around the country is a fantastic development which I am delighted to announce. Now, thousands more children will have access to this scheme. Through Creative Ireland, the wonderful Story Seeds programme is designed and delivered by Fighting Words and will support groups working in areas of disadvantage and with minorities.  The success of this collaboration to date demonstrates how creative writing can build confidence and provide meaning and I am thrilled to extend this life-enhancing programme to more young people.”

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman TD added

“I am delighted to champion the expansion of this fantastic programme to address the needs of children and young people, particularly in areas of disadvantage. Fighting Words should be rightly proud of this innovative service, which delivers a programme addressing the needs of vulnerable children and young people in a way which is engaging, productive and fun for the participants. Fighting Words is a stellar example of how prevention and early intervention can work in practice to deliver better outcomes for marginalised children and young people.”

The Director of Fighting Words, Sean Love said

Story Seeds has been one of the most successful programmes we have run, the engagement and the creativity of the children has been inspirational. Fighting Words is delighted to have this opportunity to greatly expand the programme around the country and reach thousands more children and young people in some of the most disadvantaged regions.”

ENDS//

NOTES:

The Creative Ireland Programme 2017-2022 is a five-year all-of-government, culture-based initiative under the aegis of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media that emphasises the importance of human creativity for individual, community and national wellbeing. The programme is grounded in the belief that every person has creative capacities, the development of which contributes to their personal wellbeing as well as to the general wellbeing of our communities and society. 

The What Works Initiative is an initiative designed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and funded under Dormant Accounts, which aims to maximise the impact of prevention and early intervention to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Fighting Words provides free tutoring and mentoring in creative writing and related arts to as many children, young adults and adults with special needs as they can reach. Their programmes and workshops are delivered mainly by volunteer writing tutors.  Their aim is to help children and young people, and adults who did not have this opportunity as children, to discover and harness the power of their own imaginations and creative writing skills.  At its core, Fighting Words is also about something much broader and more inclusive. It is about using the creative practice of writing and storytelling to strengthen our children and teenagers – from a wide range of backgrounds – to be resilient, creative and successful shapers of their own lives.

Story Seeds project began in January 2021, when Sgt Aoife Reilly of the Mountjoy Garda Community Engagement Unit approached Fighting Words with the idea of collaborating on a creative project for primary school students on the northside of Dublin. 

Following meetings with Fighting Words staff, the Story Seeds project was born. The purpose was to encourage young people to celebrate the areas where they live, work and play.  Six Story Seeds stories were written between March and May 2021 at online workshops with the participating schools and teams of volunteer mentors and illustrators from Fighting Words. The stories were full of action and featured a huge range of inventive characters in adventures from Croke Park to Dublin Zoo, from The Garden of Remembrance to Johnny Cullen’s Hill, from Griffith Park to the GPO and everywhere in between.

Press Release: Minister O’Gorman launches the Comhairle na nÓg Five Year Development Plan and announces increase in the Comhairle na nÓg Development Fund

Thursday 8th July 2021

Roderic O’Gorman, T.D., Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has launched the Comhairle na nÓg Five Year Development Plan at the annual Comhairle na nÓg Organisers Information Event.

Comhairle na nÓg is the structure across Ireland’s 31 local authority areas that gives children and young people a voice in decision-making on government policy, and gives rise to Ireland’s recognition as a world-leader on youth participation. This achievement has not gone unnoticed and yesterday Taoiseach, Micheál Martin T.D., took time to directly address the Comhairle na nÓg organisers, highlighting the importance of the work done by the Comhairlí.  Speaking at the event An Taoiseach said:

“On the international stage, Ireland is seen as a country where children and young people’s views are listened to, respected and routinely taken on board in the public services offered to them – a place where they are seen as citizens of today and not just the adults of tomorrow. ”

The Comhairle na nÓg Five Year Development Plan, launched by Minister O’Gorman at the event, builds on the strengths of Comhairle na nÓg as a structure for allowing children and young people to have a say in decisions that affect them. The plan aims for Comhairle na nÓg to reach more children and young people, influence more decision-makers and deliver on Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), to make a true difference to the lives of young people.

Launching the Five Year Plan, Minister O’Gorman said,

“I have no doubt that this Comhairle na nÓg Five Year Development Plan will only assist the Comhairle go from strength to strength. Having a plan in place will help ensure that areas requiring development in Comhairle will get the space and attention needed. I am confident that this Plan will ensure that Comhairle remains relevant and becomes even more inclusive and visible.”

The Five Year Plan was developed through consultation with young people and with stakeholders under the guidance of a Steering Committee established specifically for this purpose.

The Plan is available online at http://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/140426/ad9e6fc8-d7b9-4d31-9996-4998bfaac3ed.pdf#page=null. A youth friendly version is under development and will be launched later this year.

Additional Funding for each Comhairle na nÓg

Funding and resourcing of Comhairle na nÓg is a key element in the Comhairle na nÓg Five Year Development Plan. Comhairle na nÓg organisers welcomed Minister O’Gorman’s announcement that additional funding of €5,000 is being made available to each Comhairle to start implementing the plan. In addition, an increase in annual funding through Comhairle na nÓg Development Fund, from 2022 onwards, will result in an increased funding of approximately 25% for each Comahirlí.

 

Ends.

PRESS RELEASE: Minister O’Gorman announces 2021 LGBTI+ Community Services Funding Call

Wednesday 7th of July 2021,

 

  • €700,000 will be made available to support community services for LGBTI+ people.
  • Funding aims to promote inclusion, protect rights and to improve quality of life and wellbeing for LGBTI+ people in Ireland.
  • Grant scheme is open to applications from existing LGBTI+ non-government organisations and community organisations working with LGBTI+ people.

 

The Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, Roderic O’Gorman T.D., today announced that applications can now be made for funding from the LGBTI+ Community Services fund.

 

€700,000 is being made available to applicant groups, operating at national, regional and local level, to support community services and promote visibility and inclusion of LGBTI+ people.

 

The 2021 LGBTI+ Community Services Funding Call is an important element in supporting the implementation of the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy, which was published on 28 November 2019, and complements the National LGBTI+ Youth Strategy published in June 2018.

 

Announcing the funding, Minister O’Gorman said “My Department aims to build a safer, fairer, more inclusive Ireland. The National LGBTI+ inclusion strategy is a major step forward for the LGBTI+ community – young and old, urban and rural. The continuation of this funding programme is a clear sign of my Department’s commitment to further improve access to services for LGBTI+ people, irrespective of their age or where they live.”

 

Key actions for the Department include maintaining the funding and capacity of LGBTI+ community services, as well as measures to ensure that community development infrastructure more broadly is both inclusive and welcoming to LGBTI+ people.

 

Minister O’Gorman added “Continuing to support the LGBTI+ community is a priority for my Department. The funding announced today follows last year’s successful funding call and will help improve quality of life for LGBTI+ people and ensure they are supported in realising their rights.”

 

Additional funding of €700,000 was secured in the Equality budgetary allocation for 2021 to support equality and LGBTI+ initiatives, bringing the total funding available to over €920,000 in 2021.

There are two streams of funding, and applications must be submitted electronically. Applications for funding will remain open until 3pm on Monday 26 July 2021. Groups can access a detailed guidance document and complete an online application form at the following links:

 

Scheme A –

https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/LGBTI_2021_Scheme_A

Scheme B –

https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/LGBTI_2021_Scheme_B

 

ENDS/

Trim Family Resource Centre Website is now Live!

To coincide with celebrating 20 years in existence, the Trim Family Resource Centre website has recently been upgraded and is now Live! Click on the link below to access this important resource:

https://trimfamilyresourcecentre.ie/

ISPCC Childline: Space From Anxiety Programme

This programme is aimed at young people between the ages of 14 – 18 years old who present with low to moderate anxiety. This is an evidence-based digital programme that has been delivered in the UK through the NHS and has shown measurable, positive long-term results (up to 70% clinical recovery). ISPCC Childline along with our partners, the National Office of Suicide Prevention and the Community Foundation, are delighted to let you know that we will be launching this new programme through the SilverCloud platform soon, and that we are now open for referrals.

Please note that any referrals or calls about the programme should go directly to Bree Steele

[email protected] +353 01 5224225

Click on the link below for more information on the programme content:

Module Breakdown