merrion street

Joe O’Brien TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development & Department of Social Protection, made a formal visit to the Ballina/Straide regions of Mayo last week (Monday 31st May) to visit a number of different projects under his remit. As Minister with responsibility for Community Employment (CE) he visited two CE schemes during his wide-ranging trip.
The Minister was greeted at the Involve Project in Ballina by Paddy & James Maughan who host a number of youth initiatives and Traveller Health & Well-Being Projects within the Scheme. He was introduced to a number of participants on the scheme and had the opportunity to hear directly about their experiences with the scheme. The Involve project is also supported by the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme – SICAP, which is also under Minister O’Brien’s remit.
In the afternoon the Minister based himself at the Michael Davitt Museum in Straide where he met with a number of different groups from across Mayo as well as representatives of Mayo County Council. The Davitt Museum itself is run with the help of CE participants and is a strong testament to the value of CE schemes in local areas.
Commenting on his visit, Minister O’Brien said:
“It is difficult to overstate the value that a good CE scheme can have for both the participant and the local community within which it operates. The training opportunities for participants, the social interaction it provides and the local services it delivers makes CE an invaluable community employment tool and a crucial part of wider social inclusion objectives.
“The high standards that are so evident in the schemes I visited in Ballina and Straide are indicative of CE schemes throughout the country. It is important that the path of progression through CE schemes is maintained so that places are available for everyone who wants the opportunity to avail of the benefits of CE. As Paddy Maughan in the Involve Project pointed out to me when detailing some of the successes of the project – participants feeling empowered to move into regular employment or education is the ultimate goal of CE and we must keep that focus.”

ENDS