National Domestic Violence Conference
Friday 18th November The Harbour Hotel, Galway Registration OPEN
The Community Response to Domestic Abuse, Western Regional Network (the Network), is holding a National Conference on Friday 18th November 2022 in the Harbour Hotel, Galway.
Network members are proud to celebrate 20 years of this important Network in the Western Region which comprises of members from Galway, Mayo and Roscommon; and are looking forward to exploring and promoting the community response to Domestic Abuse which underpins their work.
The Network is honoured to have renowned author and counsellor, Don Hennessy, as Keynote Speaker on the day. Don is the author of the best-selling books. “How He Gets into Her Head”, “Steps to Freedom” and “How He Wins” and is also a relationship counsellor who has worked for many years with women who are experiencing difficulties with abusive or controlling partners.
The Network are also delighted to welcome Independent TD Catherine Connolly, Leas Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, who will moderate a Panel Discussion on the day. The experienced and knowledgeable contributors to this Panel will include representatives from Ruhama, Pavee Point, Safe Ireland, Women’s Aid, Offaly Domestic Violence Support Services, Dundalk Outcomers and An Garda Siochána.
This National Conference will be of interest to both professionals, non-professionals and the general public who will have an opportunity to hear from a broad range of experts in this field of work and to avail of a question and answer session.
Irish Hospice Foundation Arts & Community Engagement Grants Nationwide
IRISH HOSPICE FOUNDATION (IHF), WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CREATIVE IRELAND PROGRAMME,OFFERSGRANTS FOR LOCAL PROGRAMMES
15 Seed Grants to support communities' creative exploration of grief or memorialisation are now available.
IHF are inviting applications from groups and / or individuals nationwide before the closing date of Friday 28th Octoberat 5.00pm. This IHF programme offers communities across Ireland multiple ways to process the impact of death, dying, grief, and more general losses.
IHF Seeds programme piloted in early 2021 and was extended through to 2022. To date, 39 projects have been supported with micro grants, expertise, and resources enabling communities of place or interest to develop their own tools or articulate their needs.
Previous awardees include individual artists, writers, nursing homes, secondary schools, community groups, disability support centres, local choirs, and hospitals. This year IHF are encouraging as wide a group of people as possible to apply with a simple application process and lots of support.
As part of previous Seeds Grants programmes, a number of awardees included several from the Connaught region. Examples include:
Leitrim based Artist Maria Noonan-McDermott completed her ‘Time-Lapse’ exhibition of paintings, poetry, and installations, inspired by caring for her mother who was living with Alzheimer’s.
Kevin Toolis fromAchill Island explored in his poem ‘Gone’ how a multi-voiced bardic epic poem, with different artists, could capture the universality of our collective loss during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jacqui Lynskey and her team at COPE Galway used their Seed Grant to host a series of workshops to allow senior citizens time to reflect upon and discuss how they managed bereavement.
Noel Lyons and the LatWEST Association collated and published ‘Voices on the Bridge’ a collection of English, Latvian, and Irish poetry and lyrics, with themes of loss of home through immigration, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
IHF Seed Grant Programme 2022 - 2023
Irish Hospice Foundation with Creative Ireland sets out to inspire and support the work of groups, organisations, and individuals who wish to mark in some tangible way their response to the universal realities of dying, death and bereavement.
About IHF Seed Grants
Seed Grants are to support groups, organisations, and individuals in exploring creative ways to do this. Priority will be given to creative initiatives that take innovative approaches to reflection and remembrance. They aim to help start new local art projects, or to support existing projects gain momentum - this may involve artists, crafts people, performers, and / or coders. It may be a group or individual who has a good idea.
Full list of projects from Connaught are as follows: Galway:
Videos of successful applicants from 2022 are available to view on YouTube HERE.
Grants of up to €2,000 are available with up to 15 awards on offer. Full details are on the IHF website: https://hospicefoundation.ie/seeds
Successful awardees are available for interview on request.
Application Process
Apply via either the digital application form on the IHF website or you can also download and print an application form from the IHF website and submit by post. See: https://hospicefoundation.ie/seeds
Key Dates:
Thursday 6th October 2022: Application process opens.
Wednesday 19th October 2022: Online briefing / Q&A clinic for potential applications.
Friday 28th October 2022 @ 5.00pm: Closing date for all applications.
Tuesday 8th November 2022: Successful applicants announced. All applicants will be notified this week.
Friday 28th April 2023:Successful projects must be completedby this date.
About Irish Hospice Foundation
Irish Hospice Foundation is a national charity that addresses dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. Our vision is an Ireland where people facing end of life or bereavement, and those who care for them, are provided with the care and support that they need.
Through advocacy and education, and the provision of services such as Nurses for Night Care and the Bereavement Support Line, Irish Hospice Foundation works to ensure that every person in Ireland can die and grieve well, whatever their age and wherever the place. For more information or to support all we do see: www.hospicefoundation.ie
New Initiative to Support Women’s Sheds Press Release
The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced a new fund of €100,000 to support Women’s Sheds. The initiative, the first of its kind, is in recognition of the fact that there is a growing number of Women’s Sheds across the country. Unlike Men’s Sheds, Women’s Sheds do not currently operate under a single national representative body. This makes it more difficult for them to avail of supports such as Government funding.
Minister Humphreys met a delegation of women from across the country who are actively involved in running Women and Sister Shed’s in their communities. At the meeting, she discussed ways in which her Department can assist Women’s Sheds, including with the provision of grant funding.
Today, Minister Humphreys announced that €100,000 will be set aside in her Department’s Budget specifically to support Women’s Sheds. The grants which will be in the region of €1,000 - €2,000 could be used to assist Women’s Sheds to expand within their communities, to run activities or to help them with their running costs such as insurance or rental costs.
Any Women’s Shed interested in availing of funding should get in touch with the Department of Rural and Community Development via womenssheds@drcd.gov.ie .
The deadline for the Healthy Ireland Fund 2023-2025 online application form and related documents has been extended from 3pm on 9th December 2022 to 3pm on Friday 27th January 2023.
This will allow an additional 6 week period for the completion of planning and sign-off by the LCDC prior to submission to Pobal.
The online application Portal will still be available to all from 7th November 2022 as originally planned. Pobal will issue a communication on that date with details. As outlined at the support event the budget for 2023 has now been increased to €75,000, therefore please submit a budget for €75,000 in 2023 and €40,000 for 2024 and 2025 in the online application.
The appraisal of submissions will take place in February and March 2022 with a view to final decisions being made at the end of Q1 2023.
The provision of the extension will impact on the delivery of HIF Round 4 work in Q1 2023, and Pobal is advising that spend should not commence prior to the 2023-2025 application being approved.
Read more about the Healthy Ireland Fund 2023-2025 HERE.
Strategy Statement for the National Parks and Wildlife Service Public Consultation
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is beginning the consultation process to develop their first 3-year Strategy.
Please find details below and attached re the plans and options for engagement.
Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service has a proud history, and carries a complex range of responsibilities, from significant policy and advisory functions, to operational responsibilities in the National Parks, conservation, enforcement, licensing, nature and biodiversity and as a statutory consultee on planning.
The first Strategy Statement for the National Parks and Wildlife Service will set out the core mission and values of the NPWS, together with our key strategic priorities as an organisation for 2023-2025.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service are seeking your views as to what those priorities should be, over the coming three years. What are the most important goals you think the NPWS should prioritise over the period? Do you have good ideas as to strategies which can be used to reach those goals? What is the best way for us to measure our progress?
Please see the files below in relation to the development of the first three-year Strategy Statement for the National Parks and Wildlife Service:
Read the Public Consultation on a new Strategy Statement HERE
This session will introduce the Resource Pack for Supporting LGBTIQ+ Communities and include training on the ABCs of the LGBTIQ+ community and welcoming diversity in your group
Download the flyer HERE
Come along to the GCCN Induction and find out more about GGCCN and how you, as a member, can become more involved and actively influence decision-making structures in Galway City.
Read more about the GCCN Induction here
FREE Charities Regulator Training In Person in Carlow
Carlow PPN are offering free Charities Regulator Training in-person, open to any groups/organisations intersted in attending.
This upcoming training will be held in person as follows:
The Charities Governance Code explains the minimum standards you should meet to effectively manage and control your charity organisation. This workshop will walk you through the requirements of the code including actions and evidence needed to demonstrate compliance. If your organisation has already started or completed the Governance Code for Community, Voluntary and Charitable organisations, it will help you to use the evidence you already have to comply with the new Charities Governance Code.
either through your socials or newsletter, as we would like to try to achieve full capacity.
Please see attached word doc HERE and poster HERE for details.
Please note, GCCN is also currently scheduling a Charities Regulator Training session to take place in Galway in the coming weeks.
REMINDER
Free Galway Autumn Academy Workshops for the Community
Volunteer Galway are running free online workshops that may be of interest to you or others in your organsation/'group.
All the workshops last 1.5 - 2 hours, so your time will be well spent!
You can see each workshop below and click through for more info and to register.
Galway LGBTI+ Interagency
Public Recognition Marker & Resource Pack Available on request. Show your support!
The LGBTI+ Interagency Public Recognition Marker is available for shops, businesses, community groups and more, in the city and county to display in their windows, showing that the LGBTQI+ community are welcome there.
If you would like to order a PRM sticker, get in contact with info@amachlgbt.com.
The LGBTQI+ Interagency also developed a resource pack for supporting the LGBTIQ+ community.
Find the Interagency Resource pack in PDF format - here ore request one by post by emailing equality@gccn.ie.
Free counselling supports (6 sessions) are available from My Mind with a particular focus on Ukrainian refugees.
The sessions are provided in Ukrainian.
Details at: https://mymind.org/free-counselling
The counselling service is funded by the Department of Health.
A Ukrainian Community Response Forum has been established in Galway City to enable the various organisations and agencies at local level, to work together in the delivery of services for Ukrainian refugees relocating to Galway City. The role of the Forum is to coordinate the community-led response in the provision of local assistance and support to Ukrainian refugees as they are accommodated in Galway City. Supplementing the supports and services being provided by government agencies at a local level, the purpose will be to ensure effective communication and information sharing in the coordination of local community and voluntary actions in providing community supports to the new Ukrainian communities.
It is intended that the information contained on this page will be a useful resource for Ukrainian people, agencies and members of the public who are seeking information on services and help available in Galway City. As we get more relevant, useful information we will continue to update this page.
The Galway City Community Call Helpline New Flyer GraphicsThe helpline is open to anyone who needs it, seven days a week.
If you need support or help to get access to shopping, food, medication or if you feel isolated or lonely and need someone to talk to, please get in touch at:
1800 400 150 covidsupport@galwaycity.ie
Please find below the new graphics for the Community Call for Galway City, for your information and onwards circulation and promotion:
The Keep Well campaign provides guidelines, information, and tips on how we can add healthy and helpful habits to our daily and weekly routines around five simple actions: keeping active, keeping in contact, switching off and getting creative, eating well and minding your mood
As part of the ongoing work of the Galway City Community Response Forum, Galway City Community Network and Galway City Council have developed a map of the COVID-19 related responses, activities and services available to people in Galway City.
The map is publicly available and can be used as a useful information resource both for individuals made vulnerable by COVID-19 and by organisations or agencies that need to know where they may refer their clients to for support.
