Time to get active in the community

ACTIVE citizenship in its simplest form is about how we play an active role in our families, neighbourhoods, communities, voluntary organisations, workplaces and political structures.
In our communities, we have rights and responsibilities to be active – to care for others and ourselves. Successful communities emerge where there is a sense of shared citizenship, where people have the confidence and desire to engage in community life.
My colleagues and I on the Taskforce on Active Citizenship have been working hard on reversing a statistic we identified through months of research: for every adult involved in their community, there are at least two others who are not.
There is a great deal of untapped potential in Ireland, particularly among our young people. There are opportunities to improve the quality of life through more engagement by citizens of all ages, in shaping what happens in our neighbourhoods, communities and society as a whole and this is what National Social Inclusion/Active Citizenship Week, from October 17 to 22 is all about.
Across Clare, several events are taking place to promote social inclusion and active citizenship in the coming week in conjunction with Clare County Council.
Events include the launch of a multicultural story time initiative by Clare Library Service at De Valera Library next Tuesday and Wednesday; workshops on disability equality training by the Clare Volunteer Centre and the launch of a Homebound Book Service to the elderly at St Joseph’s elderly care facility in Ennis next Wednesday.
A drama workshop will be hosted by the Clare Youth Theatre, workshops will be held at Raheen Daycare Centre and an art workshop will be hosted by St Joseph’s Hospital. The Orchard Art Group will present a community art exhibition called Emerging Styles in association with the Clare County Arts Office at the Art Gallery in Kilrush all day on Tuesday.
One of the main features will be the launch of the Clare County Development Board Social Inclusion Strategy for County Clare at the civic room in Ennis Town Council buildings next Monday at 12.45pm.
The Clare Active Citizenship network will host a civil society forum, Have a Say: Claiming Our Future, which will include a keynote address by Dr Chris McInerney of the Tipperary Institute, as well as information stands and further speakers. It will be held next Monday in the civic room of Ennis Town Council from 10.15am to 12.15pm and all are welcome.
Active citizenship is about engagement, participation in society and valuing contributions made by individuals, young or old, whether they are employed or outside the traditional workforce.
In practical terms, this engagement and participation may mean membership of a residents’ association, political party or lobby group, volunteering in a local sports club, caring for a family member or neighbour or simply being vocal in your local neighbourhood about the issues affecting you.
Of course, active citizenship is more than this. It is about how people engage in the political and decision-making process at various levels, how well they are informed or enabled to be active and how various groups can be effectively included.
The collapse in the property markets, coupled with the implosion in global and domestic banking, has changed our country dramatically. Incomes are falling, while unemployment rises.
Involuntary emigration has made an unwelcome return as the best hope for many of our youngest and brightest.
While the economic woes that have befallen us have been much commented upon, the social cost has been less well documented. Worry and uncertainty dominates the lives of so many of our fellow citizens.
I believe it is timely this week to re-appraise and re-examine both the concept and our view of how active citizenship can contribute to our national wellbeing in this new social and economic environment.
In the era of the Celtic Tiger, the taskforce identified “some concerns… about the extent of community involvement and spirit of engagement and participation because of the many different types of pressure on people today”.
The pressures we spoke of, such as a lack of available time, may have eased for some, only to be replaced by new ones.
I believe the basic concepts and aims of improving participation among our citizens to be active citizens remain the same but we have to rethink how we encourage and support that participation, particularly among the youth.
The new challenge we face is twofold: our changed circumstances bring new needs but also mean greater demands on dwindling financial resources. Limited funding means value for money becomes the main concern in allocating resources.
I passionately believe that active citizenship can create a virtuous spiral. Seeing people give generously of their time and commitment, as I have done for over 30 years in my work with Special Olympics.
As a nation we are famous for our spirit of giving, let’s recapture that spirit this week. I hope you and your families enjoy the many events taking place in Clare.

Mary Davis is chairperson of the Taskforce on Active Citizenship and managing director of Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia.