Community Group Supports

SICAP has three actions that underpin our work with local Community groups:

1. Building Stronger Communities

In building stronger communities, we aim to develop the capacity and core competencies of new and existing local community groups. We provide support to empower groups to organise and run themselves in an efficient and effective manner whilst building on the key principles of community development. These include equality, inclusion, empowerment, collaboration, collective action and participation.

Building stronger communities also supports the emergence and sustainability of social inclusion focused networks within the county in the areas of homelessness, disadvantaged women, disability, health, social isolation and digital poverty. These supports seek to increase the capacity of a communitys members and to work with the networks towards becoming strategic players at local and regional levels.

2. Community Alliance Network

Through this action our priority is to work with collaboration partners to begin to address communities’ physical characteristics and social facility environments to enhance greater community engagement and community well-being. We work with the local community to identify the things that matter most to them and we then create a community agenda. One of the top priorities emerging from these agendas is typically the commencement of actions to address the physical environment within the communities themsleves.

We are also seeking to stimulate local conversation in terms of climate action, sustainability, environmental care and upkeep, protecting biodiversity and promotion of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's), specifically geared towards sustainable communities, responsible consumption and climate action in a practical and targeted way that engages families, young people and children to get involved and take pride in their local areas.

3. Integrated Communities

From a migrant perspective, our ongoing work throughout Meath continues to highlight a number of key challenges facing new communities in terms of social, cultural and economic integration. There remains a significant information gap as migrants experience a lack of knowledge about their new social and civic systems and are often unaware of the civic and social processes within Meath or Ireland in general. Integration is a two-way process, building mutual acceptance and trust are key conditions to social cohesion and will be addressed SICAP under this action.

In 2022 we are providing Polish Language classes which we believe will greatly help in developing community integration. Polish is now the second most widely spoken language in Ireland.

Following on from the success of our Intercultural Food Day in 2021, we hope to organise another similar event whereby nationalities will have a chance to get together and showcase the best of their nations either through food, song and other cultrual exchange activities. These will serve both as a chance for migrants to socialise together and strengthen cultural networks and it will also allow Irish people to learn about the land and culture of their newest neighbours.

Other Services Provided

  • How / Where to apply for grants
  • Training in digital skills, social media, grant writing, governance etc.
  • One to one supports
  • Advice with setting up a new group, writing a constitution, becoming an LCG etc.
  • Support with governance, data protection etc.
  • Advice on how to manage group dynamics
  • Opportunities to collaborate with other community groups
  • Support with board and committee renewal and succession planning
  • Support with developing sustainable, stronger communities
  • Support with volunteer and board recruitment, finding premises etc.

Accessing Community Group Supports

You can contact Angela Farrelly, SICAP Project Officer,  at angela.farrelly@meathpartnership.ie or contact her directly on 086-8390448.