The Wheel is organising a sustainable communities forum in Ballaghaderreen on Wednesday 26 September from 10am-12.30pm. This free event for community and voluntary organisations in Roscommon and surrounding counties is taking place in the Ballaghaderreen Community Resource Centre in The Shambles on Market Street.

The Wheel are inviting volunteers and staff of community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises, as well as interested individuals, to join us for a morning of celebration and discovery about how we can make our communities more sustainable. It’s an opportunity for community groups to share ideas and experience and to network with other like-minded groups. We’ll also be introducing our Spark Change project that is seeking to shine a light on sustainable community practice across Ireland by sharing local stories and by challenging groups to undertake new initiatives.

 

The forum will be hosted by Caroline Wilson, The Wheel’s Regional Champion for Roscommon, Mayo and Sligo and we’ll also be joined by Dr. Vincent Carragher who is the lead researcher on the Spark Change project that we will be launching shortly.

 

There are many examples of groups promoting sustainability in Roscommon and beyond. These include networks of older people, community gardens, refugee support groups, tidy towns, disability groups, heritage groups and many others that share a common vision of seeking to make their communities better places to live. Participants at the event in Ballaghaderreen will learn about a number of innovative and creative initiatives that enhance and improve community resilience and be able to access a number of practical tools to support organisations locally to make their communities more sustainable.

 

The event is free but registration is essential, either by contacting Caroline directly at info@cftwest.com or online at https://www.wheel.ie/training/2018/09/spark-change-your-community

 

SPARK CHANGE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

What does a sustainable community look like, what are we doing already and how can we become more sustainable?

This interactive networking session will highlight the work being carried out by community and voluntary organisations throughout Ireland to make their communities more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

It will examine the supports provided by The Wheel to community-based organisations to carry out, and gain recognition for, their work. Participants will explore how these innovative community-based initiatives contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Supports include the online Sustainable Communities Toolkit and Spark Change Challenge.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will:

  • be familiar with a number of innovative and creative initiatives that enhance and improve community resilience
  • be aware of relevant supports from The Wheel
  • be able to access a number of practical tools to support organisations locally to make their communities more sustainable
  • have engaged with other organisations making their communities better places to live.