Newsletter. Annual. Over 400 member groups across. South Dublin County

Transcription

1 Annual Newsletter The collective voice for the communities of South Dublin County Over 400 member groups across South Dublin County The representative, collective voice of community, environment and social inclusion groups in South Dublin County Supported by

2 Our Work Re-launch In November 2015, 150 PPN representatives attended the relaunch of the organisation with a new image and worker to go with it. Guest Speaker on the night, Ruairí McKiernan spoke about how the PPN is an opportunity for community groups to influence council decisions. Ruairí also noted that this could only be achieved if the PPN was developed properly and members participated. New Website Linkage Groups Linkage Groups have been meeting over the course of the year, some more regularly than others. Linkage Groups are an opportunity for PPN members to meet their representatives on the various committees. Linkage Groups meet on a need-to-meet basis where decisions need to be made or a submission on a policy can be developed. These will meet more regularly during General Election Hustings In collaboration with South Dublin County Partnership, the PPN organised two General Election Hustings. One for the Dublin Mid-West constituency which was held in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel and one in the Dublin South West constituency in Tallaght Stadium. Nearly all candidates and over 200 PPN members attended over both nights. Questions were submitted in advance by PPN members. Attendees were also able to make comments and engage with candidates on both evenings. Our website was and is one of the biggest pieces of work over the past year. The website was built locally with our members in mind at all times. The News section of the website contains updates on our work and events along with important public announcements. The Helpful Resources section has all the PPN documents, meeting reports from our PPN Representatives, PPN submissions and other useful resources such as forms, training material and South Dublin County Council plans / strategies. More recently, a PPN Member Directory has been added to the website. This is a searchable directory of all PPN members. Each listing has contact information and a description of the group. New PPN Representatives Elections were held during May and September this year. The PPN expanded the Secretariat from 9 members to 12 members at the May Plenary. The PPN then had requests from the Biodiversity Forum, Heritage Forum, Sports Partnership and Smart Dublin Advisory Network. These elections took place through Linkage Groups, except the Sports Partnership where the election ran online for all members to vote. Community & Voluntary Social Inclusion Environment Pillar Work Plans The PPN begun the process of developing work plans through identifying key priorities at the May Plenary. Pillar meetings have taken place since then and these priorities were developed further and actions allocated to them. Some of the actions have already been initiated. The work plans will be launched at the November Plenary.

3 Consultations and Submissions Over the course of the year, the past six months in particular, the PPN has developed submissions across a broad range of issues including: l Climate Change Strategy l Clonburris Sustainable Development Zone l County Development Plan l Heritage Plan l Biodiversity Plan l Transport Report l Participatory Budgeting l Orlagh House These submissions were developed by linkage groups, membership feedback and the Secretariat. All PPN submissions are available on our website. We also co-hosted consultations with South Dublin County Council on the new Community Maps and Local Economic and Community Plan. Training Programme and Seminar In collaboration with South Dublin County Partnership, the PPN organised a free training programme for PPN members running throughout September, October and November. Workshops covered a wide range of topics including Committee Skills, Dealing with Conflict, the Charity Regulator, Project Management, among others. Over 100 PPN member organisations registered for these training sessions with well over 150 individuals participating some doing more than one! Separately, we organised a Community Finance seminar with Clann Credo and delivered social media training to South Dublin Age Friendly County participants. Memorandum of Understanding In August this year, the PPN and South Dublin County Council negotiated a first of its kind agreement. This agreement, called a memorandum of understanding, outlines how the PPN and SDCC will work together. This agreement, strengthens the voice of communities across South Dublin County in local policies being developed by South Dublin County Council. IPB Pride of Place Awards IPB Pride of Place is an all-island competition that acknowledges the work that communities are doing all over the island of Ireland. South Dublin County Council chose to recognise the work of the PPN by nominating the PPN in the category Communities Reaching Out. The judging for this took place in August with the award ceremony taking place in late November. The PPN would like to wish fellow nominees in South Dublin County the best of luck in their categories: Dominic s Community Centre, Glenasmole Community Association, RAMS and ReCreate. South Dublin County Community Voice Launched in August, South Dublin County Community Voice is a Facebook Group page moderated by PPN members. The page is a space for communities to share information and support one another in progressing community activity. The page can be found by searching South Dublin County Community Voice on Facebook.

4 Your PPN Representatives Secretariat The Secretariat of the PPN is made up of 12 representatives elected by PPN members. The job of the Secretariat is to make sure the PPN is operating on a day to day basis. The Secretariat is responsible for developing the PPN work plan based on priorities identified by the PPN Plenary and the individual Pillars. The PPN does not have a chairperson and although this can be challenging, it encourages a new way of working and collaboration. Some Secretariat members will come to the end of their term soon. Elections for the Secretariat will take place in Spring If you are interested in becoming part of the team, get in touch without delay. Secretariat Members: Alan Hayes Palmerstown Neighbourhood Watch Ed Sadlier South Dublin Senior Citizens Club Enda Creegan Abbeydale and Abbeywood Residents Association Pat Lynch Palmerstown Community Council Justin Byrne An Taisce Dublin west Ronan Leydon Scoil Áine Green School Committee Siobhán Butler Greenhills Community Garden Una Ruddock Eco Ear Aiden Lloyd The Rights Platform Bibiana Savin Sage Support & Advocacy Service for Older People Doreen Carpenter Clondalkin Traveller Development Group Maurice Walsh Lucan Disability Action Group Local Community Development Committees The Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) has two main responsibilities: l To develop, implement and monitor a six-year Local Economic and Community Plan for the county. l To oversee the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP). These funds are for projects aimed at education, training, social development, enterprise and work with marginalised groups and communities. LCDC members include councillors, representatives of the local partnership company, nominees of the statutory sector such as social protection and education, social partners and nominees from the PPN. PPN Representatives: Ronan Leydon Newlands Residents Association Stephen Dunne Palmerstown Youth & Community Centre Justin Byrne An Taisce Dublin West Doreen Carpenter Clondalkin Traveller Development Group Maurice Walsh Lucan Disability Action Group

5 Your PPN Representatives Strategic Policy Committees Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) provide input in relation to the formulation, development, monitoring and review of council policy in key areas. Several SPCs exist. They deal with policy in relation to key services, like housing, planning, transportation, the environment, economic development and community and culture. Councillors make up about two-thirds of the membership of SPCs. The remaining places are filled by representatives nominated by local employers, trade unions, farming, social inclusion, voluntary and environmental interests (the PPN). The idea is that these external members bring additional professional knowledge and expertise to the SPCs. Policy positions agreed by SPCs are sent to the full council for approval at a council meeting. Many SPC recommendations are either adopted in full by councils, or with minor amendments only. SPCs generally meet four times a year. This means that on a practical level it can be hard for them to maintain momentum around topical or time-sensitive issues. Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh Arts, Culture, Gaeilge, Heritage & Libraries SPC, Muintir Chrónáin Tara De Buitléar Economic Development, Enterprise and Tourism SPC, Tallaght Community Council Connie Kiernan Enviornment, Public Realm and Climate Change SPC, Liffey Valley Park Alliance Tricia Nolan Housing SPC, South Dublin County Volunteer Centre Brendan MacPhiarais Housing SPC, Co-operative Housing Siobhán Butler Land Use, Transportation and Planning, Greenhills Community Gardens Gráinne Ní Mhuirí Social & Community SPC, Palmerstown Meitheal Tidy Towns Joint Policing Committee Layton Kelly Social & Community SPC, New Hope Residential Care The Joint Policing Committee (JPC) aims to develop greater consultation, cooperation and synergy on policing and crime issues between An Garda Síochána, South Dublin County Council, Elected Representatives and the Community Sector (the PPN). The JPC also reviews levels and patterns of crime and related underlying factors, establishes and coordinates Local Policing Fora. Jim Lawlor Old Bawn Residents Association Michael Noonan Templeogue Neighbourhood Watch Ann Corrigan Neart le Chéile Tara Deacy Clondalkin Drugs & Alcohol Task Force

6 Your PPN Representatives Other Committees and Forums Biodiversity Forum Heritage Forum Gary Tyrell Love Tallaght Outdoor Alliance David Saunders Tallaght Community Council Michael Maher Retired Active Men s Social Smart Dublin Advisory Network South Dublin County Sports Partnership Pat Hardiman TallaghtTourism.ie Annette Woolley Jobstown Community Games Thomas Walsh West Tallaght Men s Shed Club PPN Office, Staff and Contact Details The office of the PPN is a shared space with South Dublin County Volunteer Centre located in County Hall, Tallaght. The PPN also has office space in Clondalkin Civic Offices. Jamie Moore is the PPN Co-ordinator. Jamie s role is to support the overall development of the PPN under the guidance of the Secretariat. The PPN hope to secure additional office support in 2017 through the recruitment of a part time administrator. Always feel free to contact us! Mobile: info@sdcppn.ie Website: Address: 4th Floor, Block 3, County Hall, Belgard Square North, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 YNN5

7 The National Picture Every county in Ireland now has a Public Participation Network. Each PPN is at a different stage of development, but most have their Secretariat in place, their Representatives elected and their worker recruited. PPN National Advisory Group PPNs are co-funded by County Councils and the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. The PPN National Advisory Group was set up this year to provide the necessary oversight, monitoring and evaluation of the PPNs Membership consists of representatives from PPN Secretariats, the national Environmental Pillar, Social Justice Ireland, PPN Workers, Local Authority PPN Liaison Officers and PPN Workers. The group is chaired by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. Regional PPN Meetings Social Justice Ireland organise regional PPN meetings for Secretariat, PPN representatives and PPN Workers. These take place every four months and are used to share progress, work on issues and support PPN volunteers in their roles. National PPN Workers Network A network for PPN workers was set up this year and meets quarterly. This network focuses on the experience of workers supporting the development of PPNs. The network highlights challenges and opportunities, feeding these back to the National Advisory Group. Workers also use these meetings to share good practice and receive briefings from relevant agencies such as the Charities Regulatory Authority. This network was set up by South Dublin County PPN Co-ordinator, Jamie Moore.

8 Did you know? The PPN: 419 Member Groups 23 Representatives on Council Committees 12 Secretariat Members 8 Written Submissions this year 273 Community 126 Social Inclusion 20 Environment Up 6 this year We Organised: Up 3 this year 11,468 s sent / received this year (not including newsletters!) 955 per month 220 per week 10 Secretariat Meetings 2 Rep Forums 20 Linkage Groups 4 Pillar Meetings 2 Plenaries 17 Training Sessions 1 Seminar The PPN Website: 3829 Unique Visitors of our website in 8 months Average 4 pages per visit Most popular sections: 39% go directly to sdcppn.ie 38% come through Google 16% click through from social media 66% view our website on PC 34% view our website on Mobile / Tablet Directory Training News Supported by