Twelve complete programme for community leadership

TWELVE people received certificates after completing a pilot programme encouraging community leadership in disadvantaged areas of South Dublin, including Balgaddy, reports James Roulston Mooney.

The Introduction to Community Leadership Programme was an eightweek pilot training programme run by the Empowering Communities Programme held in Rowlagh Community Centre.

The ECP was created by the South Dublin County Partnership and covers the locations of Quarryvale, Balgaddy and Rowlagh. The programme aims to empower local communities to craft their own response to area-based poverty, social exclusion and the resulting consequences.

South Dublin County Partnership Local Development Programme Manager Anthony Duffy regarded the pilot as a “huge success” and told The Echo about what the course offered the graduates.

Mr Duffy said: “We worked with 12 local people over the last eight weeks to improve and learn more about key skills involved in community leadership – the likes of conflict management, how to overcome limiting thoughts, how to plan, how to organise . . .

“We felt it was a huge success, the group really bonded.”

The course began in September and was facilitated by Adrienne Hayes, a Leadership Coach with the Pacific Institute whom Duffy described as “a well-known facilitator in community circles.”

Duffy devised the programme in the space of a year alongside colleague, Lifelong Learning Development Worker Carmen Paredes. The Local Development Programme Manager explained:

“We sat down and basically took all the core components of leadership and tried to devise a programme out of all them core components over the space of eight or nine weeks.

Attendees were taught to accept their individual leadership styles, what qualities, values, attitudes and behaviours make a leader, conflict management and negotiation and how to draw up and implement action plans, among other things.

The course was noted to be the first of its kind brought forward by South Dublin County Partnership. Other projects the ECP carry out include a bike project for families, door-to-door outreach and residential environmental projects.

The new programme saw people from across several disadvantaged areas in South Dublin come to Rowlagh to take part.

“Some came from Quarryvale, some from Balgaddy, some from Glenshane in Tallaght, some from the village side as well, I think we had a couple from Bawnogue.

“It was more of a wider demographic than just Rowlagh. We hope to do it again specific to areas . . .

“The programme itself is supposed to be focused on three key areas – Quarryvale, Balgaddy and Rowlagh – so, the hope is to do the programme again in one of the estates, with a more specific focus on the area. “But, as this was a pilot, we cast the net a bit wider.”