Greetings from the Irish Delegation

Joanne McCabe, Focus Ireland

Anne O’Connor, Longford Community Resources

Mariaam Bhatti, Migrant Right Centre Ireland

Annette Patton, Donegal Community Workers Co-op

Robin Hanan, Group coordinator

www.focusireland.ie www.lcrl.ie www.mrci.ie www.cwc.ie www.eapn.ie

Message of Support from the President of IrelandAs President of Ireland, I am delighted to express my support for the Irish delegation to the 13th European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty and my solidarity with the delegations from all members States represented at this important event.

Europe is currently facing a crisis which is not merely economic or fiscal in nature. There is also a profound crisis of democracy in Europe which is grounded in the alienation of so many people, across many generations but particularly young people, from the political institutions and the decisions that affect their lives. The economic and financial forces that shape their lives are frequently described as forces not amenable to accountability; they are speculative forces, neither accountable or ethically sourced.

Parliaments are increasingly perceived as institutions from which power and democratic accountability has been leeched. Essential social goods and needs such as housing, healthcare, employment and education are increasingly considered as commodities to be calculated and traded on the speculative market. In the face of a dominant economic model which has proved so destructive, the challenge we face is to craft a public discourse in Europe in which all citizens – not just the most expert, or the most mobile among them – will be facilitated, supported and empowered to take part.

What is needed is a discourse that would let the experience of the poor and the unemployed of Europe be articulated, and begin the process of making government and the markets amenable to the tribunal of everyday justificatory debate and decision-making. Your meeting will, I hope, contribute greatly to the construction of this new pluralist and open discourse and I wish you my heartfelt support and good wishes in your important considerations.

Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland

Case Study – Structural Funds – Donegal Community Workers Co-op

Case Study on use of EU Structural Funds

Border region of Donegal in Republic of Ireland and Northern

IrelandFor the workshop on Funding the Fight Against Poverty, Tuesday Morning

Annette Patton, Donegal Community Workers Co-op

1. IntroductionThe role of Community Work is to focus on, and work in solidarity with, those who experience marginalisation, exclusion or discrimination and to address the power inequalities and structural causes of these. Because it is about challenging power relationships that lead to social injustice and redistributing that power in favour of the most excluded, community work often meets resistance from those who currently hold that power.

This always has been and continues to be a key challenge for community workers.

Under EU Structural Funds, community development became an integral part of local development strategies for the creation of community capacity upon which other social and economic initiatives could be built.

Donegal is a very large county (4th largest in the state) with pockets that are relatively densely populated and large areas where the population is very sparse. The population of Donegal is 161,137 (C.S.O. 2011). The county is diverse socially, economically, culturally and politically. Some areas have recorded the highest unemployment black spots in the E.U.

2. The ProjectPhase 1: ‘Tools for Change’ Community Development Course including the development of Equality module in collaboration with Partnership agency and Education Board.

Outcomes: 7 courses/92 participants completed the course with a recognised qualification.

Publication of resource guide: ‘Community Work approach to Peace Building’

Phase 2: ‘Social Analysis’ Course

Purpose: To equip participants with the knowledge, understanding and skills to utilise the tools of social analysis as an aid to the development and implementation of effective community development actions; to develop a personal understanding of Social Analysis and relate it to their experiences and to critically reflect on familiar situations of exclusion and inequality.

Target group: religious, social, and ethnic minority groups/ victims of the conflict in Northern Ireland/displaced persons/Asylum seekers/Refugees/Travellers/ex-prisoners/unemployed/underemployed and individuals with direct experience of poverty, racism or discrimination.

Northern Ireland

Case Study – Structural Funds – Donegal Community Workers Co-op

3. Outcomes5 course/ 72 participants

The project encouraged participants to engage in open conversations about power and inequalities, and explore the view that a society can be changed for the better through constructive dialogue and collective action.

Participants shared a number of personal motivations for participating in the training ranging from ‘wanting to make a difference for my children’ to a ‘quest for knowledge’ and a desire to ‘change self to change the world’. Other participants undertook the training to ‘learn new skills’, ‘learn about funding’ and a ‘pathway to further education’. Despite the differing motivations participants unanimously agreed that they had been profoundly impacted as a result of the training and the skills, knowledge, self-awareness and networks acquired.

‘It has significantly increased my understanding of the impact of intersecting areas of personal and group marginalisation and its lifelong impact on me and others’.

‘This course has changed my life...I realise I need to do more to make change happen… and feel empowered to do this’. (Course participant)

‘It re-ignited my passion to make changes regarding inequality’.

Having identified individual impacts and learning, participants were asked to agree upon a collective ‘significant’ impact from the training courses using the Most Significant Change (MSC) Technique, a participatory form of monitoring and evaluation, developed by Rik Davies and Jess Hart.

The most significant impact of the project, as identified by representatives of all 5 training courses, was the sense of EMPOWERMENT gained through participation.

Those present highlighted the fact they felt ‘empowered’ by the respect they received and shared from other group members, by the confidence they gained, the skills and knowledge acquired and the passion to make a collective difference which had been ignited.

‘This course has changed my life…..I realise I need to do more to make change happen…and feel empowered to do this.’ (Course participant)

Full report and toolkit available as pdfs on EAPN Ireland website www.eapn.ie

Course Participants Course participants receiving Certificates

Case Study – Structural Funds – Donegal Community Workers Co-op

4. Conclusions: Strengths and Weaknesses of EU Structural fundsStrengths (in relation to Peace Building specifically)

EU money focussed on capacity building and awareness from the beginning Led by grass root groups (local NGO’s) Experience and learning carried into subsequent projects (on a limited basis) The understanding of the impact of different jurisdictions, different cultures, and different

ways of doing things proved a challenge but mutually beneficial Challenge of measuring impact now embedded in practice Employment creation (on a short term basis) Governance standards

Weaknesses Displacing other funds that would normally be available from Government agencies Bureaucracy deterring (and sometimes excluding) smaller NGO groups from seeking

funding and those who are successful in securing funding are faced with cash flow issues and huge bank charges that are difficult to repay

Not enough opportunities for cross learning from other countries Limitations of working to funders goals with local communities often trying to fit size 6 feet

into size 4 shoes! Skilled experienced staff who develop exciting projects with positive social impacts are

suddenly unemployed with no guarantee of being re-employed in subsequent projects No long term opportunity to develop projects into mainstreaming bodies because of

overemphasis on ‘INNOVATION’ and a requirement to present a completely ‘DIFFERENT’ project proposal

Irish Government not taking an interest or seeing the potential application of peace building to other areas of the country as a transferable approach for other community contexts

Sometimes forced or not obvious partnerships rather than organic collaboration?? Opposite true too?? Can lead to new partnerships

Changes/Recommendations Local NGO’s should be recognised for their contribution to addressing social exclusion

and peace building through more long term funding streams to ensure continuity of learning and practice

Local NGO’s who have a proven track record in making significant changes in local and regional areas be supported in accessing structural funds directly e.g. low interest loan system for paying back advances throughout the life of the project -

Reduce level of bureaucracy to encourage local NGO groups to source funds more easily

Civic & Leadership aspects of the next phase of PEACE funding (PEACE IV) should be channelled directly to local NGO organisations who have a proven track record area

Outputs measurements....SEUPB itself measuring against these in the overall programme

Showcase shared learning Avoid gaps between funding to ensure development and continuity of expertise