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INTERCULTURAL CITIES Let’s Walk and Talk Dublin - Age Friendly City Included in this edition: Review 2013 www.dublincity.ie Dublin City Council SOCIAL INCLUSION MAGAZINE
INTERCULTURAL CITIES
Let’s Walk and Talk
Dublin - Age Friendly City
Included in this edition:
Review 2013
www.dublincity.ie
Dublin City CouncilSOCIAL INCLUSION MAGAZINE
Contents
pg 4/5
pg 6/7
pg 7
pg 8
pg 9
pg 10
pg 11
pg12
pg 12
pg13
pg 14
pg 15
pg 16/19
pg 20/21
Let’s Walk and Talk
Dublin City Comhairle na nÓg AGM/Music Showcase
“2P or not 2P”
“Dublin’s Little Jerusalem”
Dublin City Library Services
Dublin City Sports Network
World Aids Day 2013
Disability Inclusion Training
Ballyfermot / Bluebell Sports & Recreatioin
Positive Ageing Week in Ballymun
Finglas Volunteers Night
Dublin - AGE FRIENDLY CITY
Statistics - Age Friendly City
Intercultural Cities / The Office for Integration
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Welcome to the Review 2013 edition of Dublin City Council’s Social Inclusion Magazine. During 2013, there were many events organised by different departments of Dublin
City Council that included many diverse people. It is impossible to include them all in one magazine. However, it is important to highlight projects that contribute to supporting diversity within Dublin. A key part of this is including different groups who can easily be excluded from equal participation within our communities.
Dublin City Council’s Social Inclusion Unit began implementing Dublin Age Friendly City in February 2013. This is an important project for progressing the visibility, needs and contributions of older people within Dublin city. For 2013 the focus had been on consulting with people over the age of 55 for their views on how to make Dublin a more age friendly city. For details on this project contact Hugh Fahey at [email protected] or 01 2223139.
The importance of developing an intercultural city with new and older communities has been affirmed during 2013 by a number of events including a successful conference run jointly by Dublin City Council’s Office for Integration and the Council of Europe. The need to include and hear the voices of young people is asserted via the on-going work of the Children Services Unit with Comhairle na nÓg. Their adoption of mental health as a major concern demonstrates the awareness of young people of this mayor social issue of our times.
In this edition we also outline what our public libraries are doing to bring us the history of our Jewish community in Dublin. We highlight some of the extensive socially inclusive activities of our Dublin public library service. The Lets Walk and Talk tours of Dublin city, Ranelagh Walking Trail Map & Guide, Older Sports Day 2013, Positive Ageing Week in Ballymun, Disability training in Ballyfermot, Disability Focus Group of the Dublin Forum and World AIDS Day - all demonstrate the needs of people to be included in their own communities
May I wish you all a Happy and peaceful New Year.
Hugh FaheySocial Inclusion OfficerDublin City Council
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The name Ranelagh is Norse in origin and derived from the Irish“Gabhal Raghnaill”, an area of what became Co. Wicklow centered around
Ballinacor. Until the early 17th century, this region was under the control of the O’Byrne family. Fiach MacHugh O’Byrne was known in the 16th century as Lord of Ranelagh, however following the defeat of the O’Byrnes and the seizure of their lands, that title went to Sir Roger Jones who in 1628 was ennobled as Viscount Ranelagh. His son, Richard was created Earl of Ranelagh in 1677 and his London residence was called Ranelagh House. When that was sold, the site was converted into a fashionable spot called Ranelagh Gardens, the same ground where the Chelsea Flower Show is hosted today. So when in 1768 businessman, William Hollister decided to open a similar open air place of entertainment in Dublin, he chose to emulate London by naming it Ranelagh Gardens. Thus a name which had crossed the Irish Sea returned to its own country.
Let’s Walk and Talk‘Let’s Walk & Talk’ is a
community initiative of Dublin City Council compris-ing weekly walks in various parts of the city, themed historical walking tours and other special events. All tours are led by Pat Liddy, who makes history come alive as you explore hidden parts of the city. The weekly walking groups are led by a team of volunteers from the community and demonstrate how collaboration between the community and Dublin City Council can produce such positive results. Ten weekly walks currently take place in the city including ones conducted in French, Spanish and Irish. These walks are a great way for all to stay healthy, meet people and learn a little something about our Fair City. All tours and weekly walks last about 90 minutes, are FREE and no advance booking necessary.A series of Village Walking Trails Maps & Guides are also being produced as part of the Let’s Walk & Talk, Vibrant Villages and the Lord Mayor’s initiatives. These trails will provide you with an opportunity to explore the history of villages and enjoy much of what these areas have to offer today. Our inaugural trail is of Ranelagh Village and was developed in partnership with the Ranelagh Arts Centre & Festival.
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Dublin City Comhairle na nÓg AGM
The Dublin City Comhairle na
nÓg AGM took place on Thursday 3rd October 2013 when 200 young people aged 11
to 18 from Dublin City gathered in Croke Park. Through a series of facilitated workshops young people discussed 3 issues relevant to young peo-ple; mental health, cyberbullying and play facili-ties. The theme of cyberbullying was selected by the majority of young people present as the overall issue for the Comhairle members to work on for the year 2014. 23 new members were elected onto the comhairle committee bringing member-ship up to 56. On the day Comhairle members updated the young people on the work they have done since their last AGM. In 2013 the elect-ed members worked on the theme of Mental Health. On Satur-day 28th September a DVD “Dare to Talk” was launched by Dr. Tony Bates
the founder of Headstrong - The National Centre for Youth Mental Health in Ireland in the Acade-my. It is hoped that the DVD will be a resource for young people, schools, youth services and community groups to support young people in maintaining good mental health. Comhairle’s success would not be possible with-out the continuous support and encouragement given by schools and youth organisations. Dublin City Council facilitates the overall organisation of Comhairle in the city with the support of a multi-agency approach with partner organisations including the City of Dublin Youth Services Board.
It is important that the voices of young people are heard through their in-volvement in Comhairle.
For further information on Dublin City Comhairle na nÓg please contact :
Nina Farrell, Comhairle Coordinator T. 2225394 or
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Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn launched a new leaflet ‘People with disabilities need 2P2’ on 6th December. This leaflet
is an initiative by Dublin City Community Forum’s Disability Focus Group. The Disability Focus Group identified the need to produce the leaflet to highlight ‘best practice points for accessible toilets in Dublin city. It’s designed to raise aware-ness and provide guidance on designing and building accessible toilets to the highest standards. It was prepared in consultation with people who have disabilities and organisations including the Irish Wheelchair Association and The National Council for the Blind in Ireland.
For more information contact:Carmel McCartney, Dublin City Community Forum Co-ordinator T. 01 222 3259 or E. [email protected]
“2P or not 2P”
Dublin City Comhairle na nÓg launched their DVD on Mental Health “Dare to Talk” as part of a music event “Dare to Listen” which took place in The Academy, 2 Middle Abbey Street, on Saturday 28th September at 2pm. The DVD was launched by Dr. Tony Bates the founder of Headstrong - The National Centre for Youth Mental Health in Ireland and was followed by a music showcase event which highlighted the importance of music to young people’s Mental Health. Young emerging bands Spielberg, Hidden Plans,
Clover Coast, LessThanFour, Bagels and 48 Hours entertained the invited guests while organisa-tions Spunout, Reachout and Teenline provided information to young people on how to look after their Mental Health and the support that is available to young people going through a hard time. Speaking at the launch Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Henry Upton said “This event today organised by the elected Comhairle members is a fabulous example of young people taking action to help themselves”.
Since their AGM in 2012 mental health has been the main focus Comhairle members have worked on. It is hoped that the DVD will be a resource for young people, schools, youth services and community groups to support young people in maintaining good mental health. The DVD comprises of 5 different clips which highlight the im-portance of communication including a song written by members entitled “Tunnel Lights”.For more information contact:Nina Farrell atE. [email protected] T. 01 2225394
DUBLIN CITY COMHAIRLE NA NÓG - DVD LAUNCH & MUSIC SHOWCASE
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A SELECTION OF PROGRAMMES/EVENTS RUN BY DUBLIN CITY LIBRARIES IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS
LIBRARIES ran a citywide “Year of the Snake” 2013 competition as part of Chinese New Year Festival. 600 entries were received and 120 passed on to author Enda Wyley who judged the competition. During the Summer children were encouraged to read with the LIBRARY programme, “Going Places with Books” The Business LIBRARY offers job seekers information and skills for employment and career develop-ment and also supports cultural integration.During the Rose Festival in St. Anne’s Park, the LIBRARIES reached out into the community with our “Learning Bus”The Central LIBRARY offers learning opportunities and career development opportunities. LIBRARIES promoted intercultural activities, celebrating the Festival of Russian Culture with Russian/English conversation exchanges & historical talksCummuniversity: Local Community Development Programme LIBRARIES Initiative 2013 The 20 week programme took place in Coolock Library. Formal lectures were held on a range of subjects such as Economics, Geography, Politics and Philosophy. They were consistently well attended and provided a rich platform for discussion and development.
The LIBRARIES Digital Projects use old photographs of Dublin neighbourhoods as part of “memory lane” sessions. Discussing the photographs fosters the connection of older viewers to their city and highlights the importance of their role as members of the Dublin
communities, past and presentIn April Inchicore Community came together to read the works of Michael Murpogo as part of the LIBRARIES “One Author, One Community” project.
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One hundred and forty people participated in the 6th Annual Older Adult Sports Day held on
Wednesday 25th September 2013 in Ballyfermot Leisure Centre. The event was organised by Dublin City Sports Network Sport & Active Recreation Team. As part of Positive Ageing Week it was open to people over
the age of 55 who live in Dublin city. All participants were encouraged to try a whole range of activities including archery, tai chi, fun & games, shuffleboard, kurling, chair aerobicsand line dancing in a fun and safe environment. The Event was about getting people aged 55 and over involved in sports and physical activities. All abilities were catered for and socialisation within and between groups was greatly encouraged. With lunch provided and transport available on the day it was easy to take part and get active. Participants were all awarded a specially designed mug at the end of the day as a reminder of the event. The feedback was extremely positive with participants describing the event as “a great laugh”, “thoroughly enjoyable” and “a fantastic opportunity to try new activities”. Sport & Recreation Officers with Dublin City Sports Network were on hand after the event to assist groups to introduce new physical activities into their local areas.For further information, please contact: Antonia Martin, Sport & Recreation Officer, 01-2225407 E. [email protected]
Dublin City Sports Network - Older Adult Sports Day 2013
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World Aids DayDecember 1st 2013
December 1st was World AIDS Day and Dublin City Council highlighted the day by gathering people from different organisations who work with people who are HIV
positive. This display of solidarity highlighted the need to counter the stigma attached to those who are HIV positive. Many people are excluded and isolated due to the stigma
attached to HIV and AIDS. Images and messages were projected onto a wall in Bernardo’s Square next to City Hall for three nights highlighting the need to counter stigma and raise
awareness of HIV and AIDS in Dublin city.The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Oisín Quinn, lit a candle in the Mansion House in honour of World
AIDS Day. With him were representatives from the Social Inclusion Unit and Office of Integration of Dublin City Council, Dublin AIDS Alliance, ACET (Aids Care Education and
Training) and Positive Now. Positive Now represents people themselves who are HIV positive and a key message from them is to stamp out stigma attached to people who have
HIV or AIDS.
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On Friday 1st November Dublin City Sports Network in partnership with CARA National Adapted Physical Activity Centre hosted the first Disability Inclusion Training course at Ballyfermot Leisure Centre. This was a 6 hour introduction level course. It was designed to give coaches, volunteers, Sports Development staff & Leisure Personal ideas and inspiration to adapt their sessions to make them more accessible for participants with a disability. The course layout was based around both theory and practical sessions. It covered terminology, barriers to participation, legislation and guidance in relation to sports inclusion programmes.The 25 participants on the course ranged from Dublin City Council Sports Staff, Leinster Rugby, FAI & Boxing Officers, along with some sports volunteers & coaches. The course is a Coaching Ireland and CARA National Adapted Physical Activity Centre endorsed course. All participants received a certificate for completing the course.
There are plans to facilitate another course in the New Year. If you are interested in the forthcoming course please email:Aideen O’Connor Sport & Active Living CoordinatorDublin City Sports Network E. [email protected]
Sporting and Recreation Activities in Ballyfermot and Bluebell
On the 23rd of May Dublin City Coun-cil Sport and Recreation Officers
teamed up with the FAI to hold a soccer blitz day in the Ballyfermot Leisure centre. This day attracted participants from the Meni services and the mental health centres and from the general public.
On the day 40 participants turned up to join in on the fun.
On the 8th of June Dublin City Council hosted a family fun day in
Sundrive Park. The day consisted of many different sporting activities including Archery, Boxing, Fencing, Basketball and Mountain Biking. The event attracted approximately 500 participants. Local clubs were also present on the day to provide information to participants on how to get involved in sport on a regular
basis. Throughout the year “Chair fit for
fun” exercise classes were held on Wednesdays in Ballyfermot Leisure Centre and on Thursdays in Bluebell Community Centre . Chair fit for fun is
a chair based exercise class for older people
with an emphasis on having fun,
doing what you can do and meeting new people. Aqua Aerobics classes were held in the Guinness Pool on a weekly basis also.
For further information contact Catherine Flood at:Tel: 2228595E. [email protected]
Disability Inclusion Training - Ballyfermot Leisure Centre
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BallymunPositive
Ageing WeekBallymun retained the status as a positive ageing town for 2013. A week long festival was arranged with a variety of events including trips, social events and an information day. The highlight of the festival was a concert by the Artane Senior Band with Tenor, Paul Linihan. This event was organised and funded by Dublin City Council. Over 500 people took part in this years festival.
pictured right:Tenor, Paul Linihan
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“The Finglas Volunteer Night” “ The Finglas Volunteer Night” was held in Beneavin College, Finglas on Tuesday 26th November 2013. The night was held to thank volunteers for the enormous contributions they make to their communities in the Finglas area. They were representatives of resident associations, environment groups, active age/sports/walking clubs . Over 200 people attended and the event gave community representatives the opportunity to chat, share experiences and ideas.
For further information please Larry Dooley,Community & Social Development Officer (Finglas)Tel: 01 2225404Email: [email protected]
Thank you to volunteers in FinglasThank you to volunteers in Finglas
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pictured above:(from left) Lisa Keenan - North West Area Administrator and Larry Dooley - North West Area Coordinator with members of the Older Person’s Council for the North West Area of Dublin.
Dublin Age Friendly City is a project co-ordinated by the Social Inclusion Unit of Dublin City Council.
The unit began in February 2013 working with the area man-agement of Dublin City Council to set up inter-agency groups in five different areas of Dublin city. These interagency groups have met a number of times during 2013. They have agreed they will work together to develop a plan for their own areas to improve the quality of life for older people. The work done during 2013 to progress the
development of these plans included a number of different projects. A mapping project has been completed that identified where older people live in Dublin City. An older person’s council has been formed in the North West Area. A series of consultations with over 1500 older people took place throughout Dublin city. These consultations gathered the views of people over the age of 55 on dif-ferent issues that affect the lives of older people. The results of these consultations were gathered together and fed back to three of the local inter-agency groups. This has resulted in the development of the first draft plan for the North West area of Dublin. This area includes Ballymun, Finglas, Whitehall and Cabra. The other four interagency groups will develop their plans early in 2014. Over the following pages information is outlined about the five areas that make up the geographical locations of Dublin Age Friendly City. Other information is also given - the locations of where older people live in Dublin City, an outline of the process and the nine topics that older people were consulted about and the objectives of Dublin Age Friendly City.
For any further information please contact :Hugh Fahey at 222 3139 or E. [email protected]
Dublin Age Friendly City
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Dublin Age Friendly City
Dublin City Council has signed up to the World Health Organisation’s City and Community Age Friendly project. This declares Dublin will work to become an Age Friendly City. To achieve this, a number of dif-ferent organisations have come together to agree a strategy on how to improve the quality of lives of people who are over 55 years of age. The project is being rolled out across the 5 administrative areas of Dublin City Council; South East, South Central, Central, North Central and the North West. However, there are some variations to the existing administrative boundaries for the purpose of this project (the electoral districts within the remit of the Tolka Area and Ballymun-Whitehall Partnerships have been included in the north west area as opposed to the north central, and central areas).
Over 55s in Dublin CityAs of the census 2011 Dublin City Council’s population was 527,612 with 21.5% of the population (113,671) aged 55 and over. This older population is unevenly distributed throughout the city area. The highest number of people over the age of 55 live in the North Central Area, (33,554). This is a 30% share of the City’s total population over the age of 55. The Central area has the lowest number of people aged 55 and over with 8% of the total older population.
The distribution of those over the age of 55, across the 5 administrative areas.
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What is an Age Friendly City?According to the World Health Organisation (2007), an Age Friendly City supports and enables people to age actively through policies, services and structures which recognise that older people have a wide range of capabilities and resources. Policies, services and structures related to the physical and social environment are designed to enable older people to enjoy good health, continue to participate in society in a meaningful way and to feel safe.
The objectives of the Dublin Age Friendly City initiative are to:
Make Dublin City the best possible place in which to grow old.
Increase the participation of older people in the social, economic and cultural life of the community, for everyone’s benefit
Build general support and pride among the people of Dublin City for being an age-friendly place to live
Lead the way in demonstrating the processes that are required, the benefits to be gained and lessons to be learned from implementing an age-friendly city initia-tive by sharing and disseminating information as the project develops.
Dublin Age Friendly City – The ProcessDublin City Council, with the support of Ageing Well Netwotk, established a Dublin Age Friendly City Alliance to oversee the development of a strategy for Dublin city. Also in each of the five administrative areas of Dublin City Council an inter-agency group is working to draft a plan for each of the five areas of the city. A consultation process has been taking place to capture the views of people over the age of 55 on how
to make Dublin more age friendly. Information is gathered through On-Street Conversations, Round Table Consultations and Questionnaires. This consultation process will result in the development of local area plans and a city wide age friendly strategy. The agencies involved in the five areas are key public, private and not-for-profit agencies involved in providing supports and services to older people in the city.
People over the age of 55 were asked to give their views in respect of these nine areas.
1.Stay living in our own homes and communities2.Have real opportunities to influence social, economic and public life 3.Be enabled (supported) by the built and social environment 4.Get to where we want to go, when we want 5.Feel and be safe at home and out and about6.Lead healthier and active lives for longer7.Be truly valued and respected8.Continue to learn, develop and work9.Have the information you need to lead full lives
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Where Older People live in Dublin City.
There are different requirements of people of different ages within the ‘older age groups’. The requirements of a person aged 65 will be different to those over the age of 80. It is useful to
identify where in the city the different age groups live. The three different age categories are 55-64, 65-79 and 80+.
The percentage of the population aged between 65 and 79 is significantly higher on Dublin City’s North Side than the South Side (the Central area has been excluded for the purpose of this compari-son). The North Side averages at 12.5% (North Central 12.8% and North West 11.3%) compared to the South Side averaging at 8% (South Central 8.7% and South East 7.4%)
Age 65-79
It is clear that the % of people between the ages of 65-79 is much lower in the city centre area. Although the North Central has the highest number of 65-74 year olds in total, there are area specific pockets of older people throughout the Dublin region, particularly in the North West area – around Finglas and Cabra, and in the south west of the city – Crumlin, Drimnagh and Kim-mage.
Age 55-64
The highest numbers of over 55s are found in the North Central area in the areas of Donaghmede, Beaumont (Hospital), between Collins and Griffith Avenues to the east of the Swords Road and Clontarf. The area surrounding Ardlea Road, running west from the Artane Roundabout has the highest % of population aged 55-64.The highest numbers of those be-tween the ages of 55-64 are concentrated outside of the canals, however there is still representation of the 55-64 age category in the city centre area, particularly around Kevin Street Upper, Pearse Street running to Ringsend road and south to Mount Street Lower and North Docks. The highest numbers are evident in the south of the city around St. Vincent’s and St. Luke’s hospitals.
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Age 80+
The electoral districts with the highest % of population over the age of 80 are home to nursing /convalescence homes and hospitals (St. Marys in Phoenix Park and Beneavin Lodge off Glasnevin Avenue & St. James Hospital).It is interesting to see the lack of representation of the over 80s both in the city centre and the more newly developed suburbs north of the city.
The following are all the organisations participating on the interagency alliances of the Dublin Age Friendly City project.
Ageing Well NetworkAn Garda SiochánaBallyfermot and Chapelizod PartnershipBallymun Whitehall PartnershipCrosscareDublin BusDublin Chamber of CommerceDublin City CouncilDublin City UniversityDublin Business Improvement District
Dublin Institute of TechnologyHealth Service ExecutiveIveagh TrustLarkin Centre for the UnemployedNational College of Art and DesignNorthside PartnershipOur Lady’s HospitalRathmines & Pembroke Community PartnershipSt. Vincent de PaulSyrom Systems LtdTolka Area Partnership
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The International intercultural Cities Conference was held in Dublin in February 2013 as part of the Irish Presidency of the EU. Hosted by Dublin City Council with the Council of Europe and the Euro-
pean Commission the International Intercultural Cities Conference was a milestone event. It focused on the Diversity Advantage of Intercultural Cities and highlighted best practice on intercultural com-petence of cities on integration.250 participants from 4 continents, 60 countries and 100 cities, including over 40 Mayors, Deputy May-ors and Councillors, representa-tives of cities, national authori-ties, civil society, business, media, foundations, and academia met in Dublin on 6th to 8th February. This international conference explored the results and achieve-ments of the intercultural Cities initiative and cities involved in it. Delegates examined implications for adopting a diversity-based approach in national and international integration policy and practice. The conference was formally opened by the Minister for Justice and the Lord Mayor of Dublin.
“Our challenge now is to look further afield within our own country and link with the great work being done in many counties north, south and west of our city. The challenge of working within the city but engaging in new relationships with our National partners is one DCC aims to take on with the assistance of the department of Justice, Equality and Law reform this year, and I would ask that the Irish groups here this week take the example from this Milestone Conference and we commit to a national discussion” Lord Mayor of Dublin Naoise Ó Muirí February 2013
Martin Luther King 50th Anniversary of his Speech ‘I have a Dream’ Dublin City Council’s Office for Integration and Social Inclusion Unit in association with the U.S. Embassy and Temple Bar Cultural Trust hosted a commemorative evening of live music, film, and speeches to mark the landmark 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28 in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. The evening included a recital of the speech by number of significant members of the public chosen to represent our whole community and those significant organizations
and bodies who are so involved in the work for civil and human rights in Dublin and Ireland . There was music from Aoife Doyle Band and the Gospel Music Project. A documentary film entitled Soundtrack for a Revolution told the story of the American civil rights movement through a unique mix of historical documentary and
contemporary musical perfor-mance. The film features new performances by top artists including John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean, and The Roots as well as riveting archival footage
and interviews. This event was part of THE DREAM@50, a worldwide celebration of Dr. King’s speech that involved seventeen locations across the globe.
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Duke University Student Intern Programme:Neal Pierre Gatke a student from Duke University North Carolina worked for six weeks on this years Duke University Student Intern Programme with the Office for Integration. The following is an outline of Neal’s experience in his own words.‘There is only one word to describe my experience in Dublin, Ireland…incredible. Besides the lovely, vibrant city itself, my placement in the Dublin City Council Office for Integration has been the most exciting work that I’ve ever been involved with. I was placed in Dublin
through Duke University’s program called Duke Engage. I can honestly say there was never a dull day - every day was packed with exciting challenges. The Office for Integration supports organizations that promote an intercultural mission by providing a platform for diversity to flourish. Through funding and providing useful information to these organizations, the Office for Integration plays a vital role in this increasingly diverse city.On my first day of work, I learned about my project for the summer: I would be evaluating the work of the office over the past six years to determine a new strategy to promote interculturalism in Dublin. In the end, I created a report that evaluates the migrant perspective on current interculturalism in Dublin. Interviews with the leaders of NGO organizations that promote diversity and acceptance of different cultural backgrounds were conducted in order to gain insight on how Dublin City Council can better assist their organization. This report examined the findings and helped Dublin City Council’s Office for Integration in its review and assessment of the strategy, ‘Towards Integration: A City Framework. My visit to Áras an Uachtaráin (“The Irish White House”) to meet the President of Ireland has undoubtedly been the highlight of my Duke Engage experience. The President commended the work the Dublin City Council is doing towards making Ireland a culturally rich and diverse society. He said that immigrants coming into Ireland are here to stay and, therefore, we need to engage in the process of making them feel at home. Interestingly, after immersing myself in the city of Dublin for eight weeks, I can conclude that Dublin is definitely a diverse and intercultural city. However, I do believe that it is more diverse than intercul-tural. In Dublin, I see various ethnicities and cultures represented however I do not see much interac-tion between the different groups. I rarely see interracial couples, children, or even friends. I personally think it is very challenging to get the issue of interculturalism completely right’
DCC Migrant Voters Campaign
Dublin City Council, Lord Mayor, Oisín Quinn, and the Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter T.D. jointly launched the Migrant Voters Registration Information Campaign on Monday, 4th November at the Mansion House in Dublin. The Council and the Lord Mayor are working with immigrant organisations in the Dublin area to raise awareness within the migrant commu-nity and the broader community on entitlement to vote and how to register to vote. The right of migrants living in Ireland to vote in local elections is quite unique in a European context where such a right is not immediately available to immigrants in many other countries.Speaking at the launch the Lord Mayor said “We encourage all leaders of community groups Irish or migrant based to share this information, promote the website links and get all migrants
living in the city to register to ensure their right to vote in the upcoming local and European elections in May 2014.” The Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter, said “The campaign being launched here today is a very important one and fully deserv-ing of our support”. Ireland offers all residents, regardless of citizen-ship, the right to vote in local elections. Dublin City Council encourages everyone to use their vote to be part of the decision making process.
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The Social Inclusion Unit wishes to thank the following people for their contributions to this publication.
Jordana Corrigan, Bernie Doherty, Larry Dooley, Hugh Fahey, Michael Fahy,
Catherine Flood, Nina Farrell, Maria Hall, Declan Hayden, Jeff Kiernan, Carmel McCartney, Mary McLaughlin, Ciaran Mahony, Antonia Martin, Brian Mongey,
Cathrina Murphy, Aideen O’ Connor, Ronan O’ Donnell and Pat Teehan.
Upcoming events Supported by Dublin City Council’s Social Inclusion Unit in 2014:Social Inclusion Week 19th - 24th MayFor further details please contact the Social Inclusion UnitE. [email protected] or T: 01 2223139
Upcoming events Supported by Dublin City Council’s Office for Integration in 2014:Dublin Chinese New Year Festival – The Year of the Horse 2014 – Jan 30th – February 14th BAHAR - NOWRUZ: The Festival of Spring – March 23rd Experience Japan: April 13th For further details please contact the Office for Integration E: [email protected] or T: 01 222 5091
