The Voice of Communities Strengthened and Showcased at Judging of Pride of Place Awards
South Dublin County put its best foot forward on Thursday the 25th of August when a judging panel from the All Island IPB Pride of Place Awards were in County Hall to learn about the work of South Dublin County Public Participation Network ¨C the PPN.
The PPN has been nominated by South Dublin County Council under the ¡®Communities Reaching Out Category¡¯ for this year¡¯s awards. The PPN used this opportunity to highlight some new projects and initiatives they have been working on recently.
Historic Agreement
This past week saw a historic agreement being reached to strengthen the voice of communities across South Dublin County in the local decision making and policy making structures of South Dublin County Council.
The agreement, which was put together by South Dublin County Council and community representatives from the South Dublin County Public Participation Network is a first of its kind in this county.
Signing the agreement, Mayor Guss O¡¯Connell stated ¡°As mentioned in my acceptance speech in May, I believe we should be working closer with the PPN. This is a forum where communities can have a say in decisions and policies that affect their lives. It was a priority for me when taking office to make sure this was formalised.¡±
A member of the PPN Secretariat, Una Ruddock said ¡°This is an important milestone for the PPN here in South Dublin County, but also a good precedence for PPNs across the Country. As a Secretariat member responsible for overseeing the operation of the PPN, this new agreement helps us to cement the status of the PPN as the leading consultative forum to engage the views of communities across the county.¡±
Speaking at the signing, South Dublin County Council CEO, Daniel McLoughlin stated ¡° Listening to the views of community when planning for the County is crucial. It is important we allow those views to influence our policies and actions. The PPN is key to making sure communities are enabled to participate in consultation but also to keep communities informed.¡±
New Online Community Group Directory
South Dublin County PPN currently has 385 member organisations made up of groups from across South Dublin County. The PPN is building a database of all community, environment and social inclusion groups. A new directory of all these groups are available on the PPN website www.sdcppn.ie. Make sure your group is registered as a member of the PPN.
Free Training Opportunities for Community Groups
The PPN is working with South Dublin County Partnership to bring free training opportunities for Community Organisations across the county. Some of these training sessions include: Committee Skills, Garda Vetting, Strategic Planning, Facebook Pages, Fundraising and much more. Check out all that is available and register your place now at: www.sdcppn.ie/training
Online Forum to Share Information
A small working group of PPN member organisations have come together to develop a new online forum for volunteers, community activists and groups across the county to share information, discuss issues of common interest, and learn about what is going on in the County. South Dublin County Community Voice is a Facebook group page that has now gone live. The working group members have been trained as moderators to help promote the group and generate interest. Find out more at: www.sdcppn.ie/sdccv