Taskforce on Active Citizenship Consultation meetings
As a part of the public consultation process on active citizenship the Taskforce held 7 regional consultation meetings during September and October 2006. The meetings took place in Dublin, Monaghan, Sligo, Galway, Cork, Tullamore and a second evening meeting in Dublin. The meetings were held to allow the Taskforce to hear at first hand the experiences of private individuals and organisations participating at formal and non-formal levels in the community and voluntary sector and from those who were interested in the work of the Taskforce and what active citizenship means in Ireland today.
The format of the meetings generally took the same pattern. It began with words of welcome from the chairperson of the Taskforce followed by an overview of the work of the Taskforce and the consultation process by a Taskforce member. Participants at the meeting were then invited to take part in round table discussions on the issues raised in the both consultation paper 'Together, We're Better' and by the speakers at the meeting. Each table was asked to agree three key messages that they would like to send back to the Taskforce, these messages were recorded and a sample of which are below.
Following the round table discussions, the meetings were addressed by a young person on their view of what active citizenship means. An open forum discussion concluded the meetings.
The Taskforce would like to thank all those who participated in the seminars.
Dublin - Croke Park, 14th September 2006
Some comments from the meeting:
- 'Challenge and research where people believe they belong. Encourage people to start / re-establish their community. Explain to people why help is needed!'
- 'Community groups need corporate volunteers e.g. solicitors, accountant, financial advisors, IT people'
- 'Volunteers need to be recognised and appreciated. Hard to reach groups need additional supports to get and retain volunteers activity e.g. addiction, services, elderly, accredited training award systems.'
- 'Teach civics in Primary School. Focus on Transition year to teach our youth to participate in an education program about active citizenship, voting, lobbying and practical project.'
- 'Many services and projects begun by community minded volunteers who are now dealing with over bureaucratic accountability measures and a raft of legislation (7 + areas) requiring compliance. These demands are abstracts. Must get a better balance between transparency measures and the skills of ordinary people.'
Monaghan - Four Seasons Hotel, 19th September
Some comments from the meeting:
- 'Government have open competition for individuals / visionaries who have idea’s related to citizenship and people involvement in the community. Government could financially support the winners for about 3 years to put this vision into a sustainable practice project that would encourage communities to empowerment and personal learning fulfilment.'
- 'Everyone should be able to participate in local decision making on all relevant issues. This needs to be facilitated and the inputs need to be taken on board. Decision makers need to be educated to understand their role in involving people.'
- 'Nominate a day in which we celebrate citizens as role models especially celebrity citizens.'
- 'Communities need the funding and grant process to be less time consuming, so that they can invest more energy into their volunteers and community work core funding should be multi-annual and based on a broad programme of activity to allow scope for responding to local needs.'
Sligo - Sligo Park Hotel, 20th September
Some comments from the meeting:
- 'Development of a ‘talent bank’ nationally and locally for mentoring in the community to ensure foreign nationals, older people, other can be involved.'
- 'Level of existing volunteering not recognised – press do not carry positive stories. People will volunteer if asked but there is insufficient knowledge of volunteering opportunities – this results in same people tending to be involved.'
- 'A strategy be developed so that all sections of the community, particularly new people who have come into the community and older people, can participate at a practical level via training programmes to ensure that all are included.'
- 'This training should be accredited. Education and training is vital for workers and volunteers to ensure safety and quality structures within the community for young people and the whole community. Education system needs to be wider and less academic, with time for active citizenship within schools.'
Galway - Radisson SAS Hotel, 24th September
Some comments from the meeting:
- 'Resources are critical e.g. speeding up vetting procedures for volunteers, professional management and support for volunteers. Volunteers Centres need to be developed.'
- 'Active citizenship cannot be limited to its formal limits. It is as diverse as the persons who get involved and covers everything from loaning neighbour milk to organising an international sporting event. It depends on an individual’s personal obligations.'
- 'Consider options for giving time during employment hours for voluntary actions. Time is a huge barrier in ‘recruiting’ volunteers, e.g. up to 3 hrs a day commutingPoor time planning also has an important role.'
- 'Insurance costs prevent organisations from running activities – a way should be bound to reduce insurance costs for community/voluntary organisations'
Cork - Kingsley Hotel, 26th September
Some comments from the meeting:
- 'A community space in every new housing development (a pre-condition of planning).'
- 'Education has a huge role to play – citizenship studies and volunteering need to be given value and points. Education system encourages individualism not cooperation, how can we expect young people to suddenly become active citizens if they if they haven’t practised it in school!'
- 'We should be more concerned with Gross National Happiness rather than Gross National Product and we need to empower people to actively participate in their community to counteract the growing alienation many people feel.'
- 'Joined up thinking – Active citizenship is made possible by areas – health, child care, education – supporting the individuals to become active citizens.'
Tullamore - Tullamore Court Hotel, 2nd October
Some comments from the meeting:
- 'Barriers thet make running an organisation difficult, like fundraising, compulsatory training, insurance, health, child and adult protection, these can be made easier.
- 'Critical importance of promoting community and citizenship values – today we are consumers rather than citizens, an economy rather than citizens. Need to find ways to strengthen values of caring and interdependence. Value local communities as plans and problems can be solved and people empowered. Create communities in which there is a value led society.'
- 'Consultation process to develop, provided evaluate and improve services to genuinely meet the needs to service users – listening to people who are affected by services.'
- 'The local authority to provide a facilitator for local voluntary groups – inter related , publicise, social interactions, community magazine, ‘know your neighbour ’ activities.'
Dublin - Gresham Hotel, 11th October
Some comments from the meeting:
- 'Create funding and resources for volunteer bureaux/agencies in the whole country (each county). Strategy to include New Citizens'
- 'One of the barriers to active citizenship is the lack of accountability on the part of institutions that are supposed to serve the public.'
- 'Planning/Development and Transportation. Planning needs to become societal-focussed, integrated and moved away from the vested interests.'
- 'Provision of a ‘one stop shop’ where voluntary groups can assess information about funding, support services, policies and procedures. Central focal point at the heart of the community.'