WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES

Community and Enterprise

The Community and Enterprise Department is mainly concerned with supporting the community and voluntary sector, enterprise development and with managing interagency co-operation and strategic planning for the County, through the County Development Board (CDB). The services of the Department have a direct connection with the communities of County Sligo and the partnerships made with other agencies seek to promote social inclusion and active citizenship in the County.

Providing Supports

Communities are supported to enhance their areas through various initiatives, these include the Tidy Towns competition, Community and Voluntary Grant Scheme and Pride of Place Competition.

There has been a steady increase, year on year in the number of Tidy Towns Committees entering the National Tidy Towns competition and in the marks awarded to Sligo groups in recent years. The provision of information, support and grant aid is met through the Community and Voluntary Grant Scheme along with providing support to the County’s Burial Ground Committees to help maintain burial grounds albeit with reduced resources.

Pride of Place is an all-island Competition and since the inception of the competition Sligo entries have been highly commended and shortlisted at national level. 

The Community Forum

This is a representative structure for more than 600 community and voluntary groups in County Sligo and is supported by the Community and Enterprise Department where its office is located.

Voluntary Sector

Support is also provided for the Volunteer Centre. The Department of Community and Enterprise aims to develop the natural synergies which exist between it and the community and voluntary sector.

Targeting Disadvantaged Areas

The RAPID Programme provides supports to specified disadvantaged areas in Sligo town and the Coordinator with the Area Implementation Team directs the work of RAPID on an interagency and community basis. 

Tourism Development

The Community and Enterprise Department plays a lead role within the County Council and as a member organisation of the CDB in tourism development for County Sligo. Some of the projects delivered by Community and Enterprise in conjunction with other agencies include the provision of new car-park facilities, the development of new walk-ways and upgrading of existing routes.

Support is also provided for unique events and various festivals which take place annually along with funding for Marketing Sligo Forum and Failte Ireland’s marketing programme for Sligo. We are currently working in partnership through the County Development Board structure to develop a unique Co Sligo Tourism Strategy to attract significant additional visitors to Sligo.

Social Inclusion and Equality

The Board’s Social Inclusion Measures Sub Group coordinates a range of initiatives dealing with early school leaving, domestic violence, childcare, children’s services and new communities as well as services to Travellers, Older People, People with Disabilities and unemployed people.

Sligo Peace and Reconciliation Partnership Committee

The Sligo Peace and Reconciliation Partnership Committee is a sub-committee of the County Development Board and is managed by the Department of Community and Enterprise. It secured €1.9m under the EU Peace III Programme for the delivery of the Sligo Peace Action Plan 2008-10. This funding is being used to deliver an extensive programme of activities in communities across the county addressing sectarianism, racism and conflict resolution and includes projects dealing with sport and peace, a churches initiative, women and peace, new communities, diversity work, urban and rural peace building to name some. A plan for phase II of Peace III has been developed with the hope that further funding will be made available in 2011.