COMMUNITY goodwill should be further tapped into to bring about projects that the State cannot afford to finance in the current climate, according to Galway junior minister Ciarán Cannon.
The Minister acknowledged that the process of accessing funding from Government is “too cumbersome” and should be “streamlined”.
Minister Cannon was speaking at the opening of the South Galway Education Centre in Gort on Monday. He highlighted the project as an example of successful partnership between local community groups and Government departments and agencies.
“There is no doubt it required incredible commitment and dedication from the community here in Gort. The opening of the centre presents a fantastic opportunity for education here in Gort and the surrounding areas and for me this is very much the model that we need to build on for the future, community and government, both local and national and the VECs coming together to produce an achievement such as this. In a time of diminishing resources it essentially is the only model that will work for the future and this is a perfect example of how this co operation can work and can produce a result such as this,” he stated.
“This is a community effort I believe and I grew up in a small rural community near Athenry and I was very fortunate to grow up in a community where community effort and community involvement was at the forefront of what we did. I think there is a huge untapped resource there nationally and particularly in rural Ireland, where government should be seeking to work hand in glove with communities to bring about occasions such as this. This is a wonderful resource, which I would argue, was brought about primarily by community effort helped along the way by the machinery of State,” Minister Cannon told The Clare Champion.
The Minister pointed out that this partnership model could be used to bring about other projects that the State can’t take on at the moment due to the current economic crisis.
“I see things like this happening perhaps in youth work. As a member of the opposition for the last three or four years I was calling for a nationwide network of youth cafes and I still think that is a massive need in our villages and towns and I think there are people there who are more than willing to begin that valuable job of providing those youth cafes around the country. A gentleman here spoke about how furniture and kitchens and computers appeared out of no where from the goodwill of the community and more than likely the local business community and we could try to tap into that as well in looking to provide a network of youth cafes,” he said.
This, Minister Cannon said, was a scheme he would like to see brought to fruition and he claimed, “Young people need this and their parents and their community are willing to work hard to provide it.”
The minister acknowledged that the State should be making it easier for members of the public to access resources for projects like as the South Galway Education Centre.
“The process should be simplified. People are often intimidated by that and I work in my local community development company at home and we get application forms for certain funding streams, certain training schemes and they are too cumbersome, they are too difficult to complete and I have been talking to some of my colleagues in Government about how we can streamline that. Obviously you have to have proper accounting procedures in place so you can show that tax payers money was spent wisely and properly but I think we can seek to streamline that process a lot more and that is something I will be looking at,” he concluded.
CEO of Galway VEC Joe McDonagh reiterated Minister Cannon’s praise for community partnerships. He pointed out that in 2006 Galway VEC started looking at developing phase one of the education centre, formerly St Colman’s Vocational School, which he said “we did off our own bat with a view to providing adult and further education programmes.” That took place from 2006 to 2008.
“In 2009 we had a meeting with the local group, the South Galway Education Group as they are now called, including Mossie Clabby, Michael O’Grady, Fr Tommy Marrinan and Martín Grealish and we decided to look at a joint collaboration to try to complete the project (the two-storey building). We were delighted with that type of collaboration and nowadays it is so important that we join in partnership. Funds are scarce and more than anything else it activated a tremendous community spirit in the area here,” he outlined.
“Hopefully this will lead local politicians to bring back the message that people on the ground like ourselves County Galway VEC, like communities like the South Galway community here, we are ready and willing and able to take on the challenges of partnership and give it a tangible expression and looking at the challenges that are facing us, this is where it is going to happen and this hopefully, will be a sign of our comeback,” Mr McDonagh concluded.

Minister Canon opens new education centre

The new South Galway Education Centre officially opened on Monday and is the fruit of a joint initiative between Galway VEC and a group of local volunteers.
Minister for Training and Skills, Athenry man, Ciaran Cannon opened the centre that is housed in the landmark old vocational school building.
This project is the final part of the refurbishment of the old vocational school. The first stage was completed in 2008. This new section, the main part of the building comprising two stories, was developed in partnership between the VEC and South Galway Education Group.
Minister Cannon paid tribute to all involved in the project “for their huge commitment and dedication.”
“I congratulate you all on the development of this superb facility and the provision of an outstanding service to the people of South Galway,” he told those present at the opening.
“The importance of providing adult education opportunities and encouraging adults to engage in education on a lifelong basis has never been as pronounced. I recognise the key role the adult education sector plays in providing opportunities for adults to gain new skills and qualifications and to build confidence to seek a better life for themselves and their families,” the new Minister stated.
“As part of the recently announced Jobs Initiative, an additional 3,000 BTEI places and 1,000 PLC places will be made available from September of this year.  These places will be prioritised for the unemployed.  My department will run application processes for both these schemes and all VECs will be entitled to apply for these additional places.  These employment focused initiatives are further evidence of this Government’s commitment to upskilling and re-skilling in order to help people enter and re-enter the labour market. We will continue to promote a lifelong learning ethos and support appropriate initiatives as much as possible,” Minister Cannon stated.

‘Red letter day’ for the community

Monday was “a red letter day” for the Gort and South Galway communities as two years voluntary work and contributions culminated in the opening of the South Galway Education Centre.
Key figures behind the development of the building were local men Mossey Clabby, Michael O’Grady, Máirtín Grealish and Fr Tommy Marrinan.
“It took a while but it was worth it in the end and there is great satisfaction in coming in and seeing it completed,” Michael O’Grady told The Clare Champion.
“It was wonderful to see so many people in here working voluntary in the evening and night time doing work, digging out stuff and getting rid of the rubbish and cleaning out the place and washing down the walls which were all gone mouldy from being neglected and everything. It is great to see it newly painted and immaculate today and the important thing now is that people use it,” Mr O’Grady went on. 
“Our courses are filling up and we are looking forward to next September when we will have a lot more new courses coming in. The feedback is quite good. We did a ‘computers for beginners’ course and the feedback from that was particularly good. We even have people coming in on a Saturday night to meet socially and talk Irish. Some of them are fluent speakers and they meet up and have a cup of tea and talk Irish to one another. It is a fun way for people to learn Irish,” he continued. 
While much of the work in renovating the building was done by locals on a voluntary basis the VEC now takes on the cost of maintenance and services to the building as well as financing many of the courses on offer in the building which was erected in 1939 and opened as a school the following year. In 1995 St Colman’s closed as the three second level schools in the area amalgamated.
Mr Clabby stressed the need for young people to get involved in building their communities especially now when the country is faced with severe financial difficulties.
Speaking at the opening Pat Gilmore, chairman of County Galway VEC, complimented the work of those who pushed the project, especially local councillor Bridie Willers, who he said was pivotal in convincing the VEC to collaborate with the local partnership in bringing about the facility that was opened on Monday.
Joe McDonagh, CEO Galway VEC, praised in particular the “leadership” of Michael O’Grady, “who is a past pupil here and has taken great pride in this project. This really is a red letter day for the community.”
Mr McDonagh said the VEC was “very conscious of the fact for the local community, the building rested an awful long time as an eyesore at a prominent point at the top of George’s Street.” He said the cost of the refurbishment at €300,000 was much lower than would have been necessary if it wasn’t for the contribution of the local community and in particular those who donated their time, furniture and equipment to the project.