Community Showcase, Sligo County Council - Comhairle Chontae Shligigh

The Sligo Connections Reaching Across project hosted a Cross Border community showcase in the Sligo Park hotel at the end of September. Cross Border worker Conor Fitzgerald, who organised the showcase, explains that “The showcase was designed to highlight the work of community groups and community business in the Sligo area that have over the last number of years built up relationships with community organisations or business from Northern Ireland.”

Background

The Sligo Connections Reaching Across project since it formation in 1999 has being involved in “supporting and developing local and Cross Border interaction amongst community groups.” The project is funded under the Peace 11 Programme and has an office located in the County Council Offices at Riverside. The project is managed by a committee of eight people made up from representatives from the community and voluntary sector with input from the Omagh Sligo Partnership, the Special Projects Office and the Community and Enterprise office of Sligo County Council. There is a full time development officer and a part- time administrator engaged by the programme to help facilitate Cross Border connections and to develop training programmes for local community groups.

“The concept behind the Sligo Connections project was first proposed by the Omagh Sligo Partnership. The Partnership wishes to see a stronger development of the social, economic, tourist and local government links between the two regions”. Today Sligo Connections in conjunction with the Peace 11 programme, Sligo County Council, The Omagh Sligo Partnership, the County Sligo Community Forum, and the local communities have achieved some very positive actions in relation to Cross Border and Cross Community developments.

- Members of Sligo Connections with Cathaoirleach Cllr. Margaret Gormley Back Row (L-R) Conor Fitzgerald, David Dunne, John Conlon, John McDermott Front Row (L-R) Margaret Conlon, Cathaoirleach Cllr. Margaret Gormley, Theresa Keane

Training Programmes

“We have and plan to run a number of training programmes which are free to members of community groups interested in developing Cross Border links”. The first of these programmes is called “Reaching Across” which shows step by step how to plan a Cross Border visit. “It starts by showing the group the process involved in reaching agreement amongst their own group about getting involved in Cross Border exchanges, It goes on to explain how to find a partner and then goes through the stages of planning the visit as well as following up once the initial exchange is done. To date three such training events have being run and we have had over 45 people attend the courses. As a result of this training programme we have also published a “How to guide” that is used by individuals and communities in conjunction with the training programme when planning Cross Border exchanges.”

Sligo Connections is currently working with over 130 groups from Northern Ireland and over 150 groups from the Sligo area. The make up and geographical spread of these groups are wide and varied. “For example we have childcare groups from Enniskillen to community enterprise centres based in Belfast; we have active aged groups from Omagh and women groups Newry. While in the Sligo area we have women’s groups, from Easkey and Riverstown, Youth groups from Sligo and Aclare, Active aged groups, Sports groups and Disability groups from all over the county.”

Participants

The showcase was launched by Cathaoirleach Councillor Margaret Gormley, and other speakers included Liam McKeever of Area Development Management and Copmbat Poverty Agency (ADM/CPA), Director of Services Dorothy Clarke, and Cross Border worker Conor Fitzgerald

- Pictured at Sligo Connections Showcase Cllr. Martin Baker, Cllr. Pat McGrath, Cllr. Deirdre Healy McGowan, Cathaoirleach Cllr. Margaret Gormley, Lorna Curry (Sligo Northside IT Project), Cllr. Aidan Colleary

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