Ideas sought for new well-being plan for Clare

A NEW ‘proclamation’ for County Clare is being drawn up as a blueprint for this and future
generations of Banner residents.
Ideas are currently being sought to feed into the plan which covers all aspects of life in the county.
The Public Participation Network (PPN) which is an umbrella organisation representing a range of
community, voluntary, social inclusion and environmental groups, is preparing the vision document,
which will be tailored to each of the county’s four municipal districts.
To gather views on what improvements people would like to see in a range of areas, including social
and community development, governance, the environment and the economy, the PPN is circulating a
survey on its website and other platforms. The survey asks people what kind of county they would like
to live in and to outline what their local area needs to make it the best it can be for this and future
generations.
“We are excited to be undertaking this important project – we want to hear from people and groups
from across the county to produce a Vision for Community Well-being,” said Sarah Clancy,
Coordinator of Clare PPN. “This will be a kind of proclamation for County Clare, setting out our
shared vision for the kind of community we want to live in. We will use this document to guide Clare
PPN in its own work and to guide our representatives when we engage with the local and national
policies and plans that affect all our lives. Unless we start imagining the kind of world we want we
won’t be able to make it happen.
“You can help us to create this vision by taking some time to think about what you value most about
your area and community, and what your area and community needs to make it a place you would be
proud to live in and where all your needs are met. When you’ve given it some thought we would like to
invite you to take a few minutes of your time to fill out our survey. We want people to use their
imaginations and not be afraid to be too hopeful or ambitious.’’
Fionnuala Collins, a member of the Clare PPN Secretariat, added, “Clare PPN believes it’s important
for people to have a say in the decisions that will affect their local area. Communities need to
participate actively in setting out a shared vision of what their community would be like if it were the
best that it could be. By taking our short survey, people can help to create a Vision for Community
Well-being, which will set out the hopes and aspirations of real people in Clare.
“We often think about well-being in terms of good physical and mental health, but it can also describe
the wider conditions we need as individuals and communities to have a better quality of life, a healthier
environment and increased prosperity.”
Clare PPN had planned to hold public consultation workshops in each of Clare’s four Municipal
Districts. However, this has not been possible, due to the Covid-19 restrictions and so instead they are
beginning the process with this online survey. After the survey is completed, they plan to organise
online meetings to discuss the results for each municipal district and gather any further ideas from
those. The results of the survey and meetings will help to create a Vision for Community Well-being
statement for each municipal district and one for the county as a whole.
The survey is anonymous and confidential, although Clare PPN will publish the findings and use them
to inform its work. No one will be identifiable from any report or publication arising from the survey.
Responses are being accepted until the closing date of Tuesday, October 6, via the clareppn.ie, and on
the PPN’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.