Empowering Communities volunteers ‘at the heart and soul’ of a first-ever Family Fun Day are a dream team

THE Empowering Communities Bawnlea Resident’s Group  welcomed members of the community to its first-ever Family Fun Day on August 10.

The Fun Day was a collaborative effort between several volunteer groups and community organisations, who worked hard to ensure the day was enjoyable for all.

With the support of Citywise’s Community Liaison member Seán and CEO Daire, a space was designated for the Fun Day in the Citywise Educational Youth Centre.

The SDCC Mobile Library, the Red Cross, members of the Community Gardaí and the South Dublin County Volunteer Centre all came together on the day to show their support for the community.

The Empowering Communities volunteers from Bawnlea, who are “at the heart and soul” of the organisation, set-up tie-dye workshops and games for all the local children and even had the SDCP Smoothie bike in operation for the day.

Plenty of treats were in store on the day, as goody bags, refreshments and ice creams were handed out at the end of the evening.

Community Engagement worker with the Empowering Communities Programme, Dawn Byrne, expressed her gratitude for those who turned up on the day to support a good cause.

“It was an amazing day made much better by all the community support” she said.

Dawn was also grateful for the hard work of the volunteer team who put so much effort into ensuring the day was as much of a success as possible.

“We call ourselves the dream team because we can do anything. We all show up on the day, and we have so much to organise, but we know it’s all going to work out because we all work together so well, and the positivity is so inspiring.”

Although it was the first time that the Empowering Communities Bawnlea Resident’s Group set up the event, they hope to see many more in the future.

“We hope to keep collaborating with all the local community and organisations and make this event an annual affair,” said Dawn.

The Empowering Communities Programme is a pilot initiative that has been set up in four areas around South Dublin.

The programme aims to support communities to identify the challenges they face, such as poverty and social exclusion, and to develop their own local responses.

Funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development, communities are supported in this work by their Local Community Development Committee.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.