Kilkenny Traveller Community Movement awarded programme extension
The extension will allow them to continue to facilitate collaborative relationships between marginalised groups and main stream services.
Joe O’Brien TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, announced on Sunday, November 3, the extension of the Community Development Pilot Programme, for the original seven projects.
The Community Development Pilot Programme aims to trial community led interventions that address poverty, social exclusion and inequality and promote human rights.
The extension applies to the Kilkenny Traveller Community Movement (KTCM), a group dedicated to cementing a better future for Travellers within the county.
Being founded in 1998, the movement has fought for impactful policy changes on both local and national levels, while striving to hold leaders accountable. The activists involved work to ensure that their voices are heard for generations to come, and want to empower and educate others to take action.
The community movements main aims are to develop an effective community development response and process by the Traveller community of Kilkenny to address the social and economic factors which affect Travellers particularly in areas such as housing, education, employment, policing, discrimination, health/mental health, and general welfare.
The grant aid will be €125,000 per project.
The programme extension also applies to the Clare Traveller CDP, Cultúr Migrant CDP (located in Meath and Louth), Donegal Intercultural Platform, Inner City Organisations Network and Independent Living Movement Ireland (both located in Dublin), and lastly, the Longford Roma and New Communities.
The programme was originally launched in March of 2021, and these seven projects were subsequently allocated €1,000,000 (one million euro) in funding for the programmes.
The extension of the Programme for these seven projects will allow them to continue to facilitate collaborative relationships between marginalised groups and main stream services.
Minister O’Brien spoke on the announcement, “I am delighted to be in a position to extend the Community Development Pilot Programme for the original seven projects. The work they have undertaken over the last three years has had a significant impact within the communities they serve.”
“The programme facilitates a community-led approach to addressing significant social challenges. It is important to tailor interventions to the specific context and involve the affected communities in the decision making processes. This is what the Community Development Programme is all about,”
“I am confident that this extension will build on and enhance the work already done and provide an opportunity for further positive change within these communities,” he added.