BNS Facts Sheet May 2007

Information on grants and programmes available to community groups

Funding for Advocacy Services for People with Disabilities. The Citizens Information Board is currently seeking applications from community and voluntary organisations to set up advocacy services in counties: Dublin, Cork, Tipperary, Wexford, Limerick, Meath, Louth, Kildare and Leitrim. The aim is to provide a range of advocacy services throughout the country. Further information and application forms can be got from www.citizensinformationboard.ie/news
Closing date for applications is the 25th of May 2007.

Grundtvig In-Service Training Grants. These grants are available to enable adult educators participate in short-term in-service training courses, work placement or job shadowing activities throughout Europe for up to 6 weeks. The grant covers travel costs, course fees, accommodation and subsistence. Closing dates for applications are the 31st of May 2007 and 31st of October 2007, depending on when the training is to be done. For further information contact www.leargas.ie/education or call the Education Service in Leargas at 01 8731411.

Estate Management Grant Scheme Kilkenny County council and Kilkenny Borough Council, have introduced a new grant scheme for the for estate management. For further information on Estate Management Liaison Officer, on 056 7794384. Closing date for applications is the 11th of May 2007.

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust funding for Ireland Aims to fund work which will contribute to the ongoing development of a just and peaceful society in the island of Ireland. The Trust is interested in funding work which:

• Addresses the root causes of violence and injustice, rather than alleviating symptoms.
• Projects which cannot be funded from other sources and
• Are likely to make a long-term, strategic difference.

ST. Stephen’s Green Trust meets 4 times a year to assess applications for grants varying from €500 to €15000. Grants are awarded for working in the following areas;
Those affected by homelessness, Offenders, Refugees and Asylum Seekers and Migrant Workers, Travellers, Evangelisation and Lay Formation, Those Effected by Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Those Effected by Hearing Impairments, Palliative Care and Community Development including Relief of Poverty. For further information contact The St. Stephens Green Trust, Lorga Daibhi, Sunnyhill, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare. 045 480666 or www.ssgt.ie

Community and Voluntary Grant Scheme
The Programme of grants for locally-based Community and Voluntary Organisations for the refurbishment of facilities has no closing date. Further details can be got at www.pobail.ie or by ringing 071 9186759 or from Voluntary Community Supports, Dept. of Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Teeling St., Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo.

Artist in the Community Scheme 2007
The Arts Council offers grant to enable artists and communities, work together on projects. The scheme covers all art forms. The Artist in the community scheme is managed by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts. There are two phases;
Ø Phase two, Project realisation, for which there is a maximum fund of €5,000 available deadline 29th June 2007.
For further information contact support@create-ireland.ie or call Katherine Atkinson, at 01 4736600.

Community Funding Available Under the “Adopt a Bank” Scheme.
Kilkenny County Council wishes to invite applications from local community groups in relation to “Adopt A Bottle Bank” Scheme 2007. This scheme is aimed at encouraging community groups to manage/maintain the bring centres on behalf of the Council. Full details on the scheme is available for the Environmental Awareness Officer, Environment Section, Kilkenny County Council at 056 7794470.

Greener Homes Scheme Grant
The Greener Homes Scheme Grant from €300 to €6,500 is now available and provides assistance to homeowners who intend to purchase a new renewable energy heating system for either a new or existing home. For further details contact www.sei.ie Greener Homes Scheme, Sustainable Energy Ireland, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. Phone 1850 734 734 or email greenerhomes@sei.ie.

Community Support for Older People.
The Scheme for the Community Support of Older People aims to improve the security and social support of vulnerable older people in their homes by providing grants for:

• Window locks, door locks and door chains designed to strengthen points of entry to the dwellings.
• Security lighting.
• The once-off cost of installing socially monitored alarm systems.
• Smoke alarms.
• Emergency lighting for qualifying older people living on offshore islands.

Applications will be taken from the following relating to this:

• Voluntary or Community based organisations working with or providing support for older people can apply to participate in this Scheme.
• The organisation should be well established in their local area and must be able to demonstrate in their application a track record of voluntary and community activity.

For further information contact:

Voluntary and Community Supports Division, Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Teeling St., Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo. Phone No. (071) 9186759/ 9186762/ 9186763.

Information

Farm Plastic Recycling This new scheme has set farm plastic recycling targets of 55% for 2008 and 60% thereafter. Instructions on how to get involved can be obtained by contacting olga.broderick@kilkennycoco.ie or 056 7794470.

Training programmes.

Part-time flexible courses are available at Kilkenny Campus (NUI Maynooth) including the BA in Community Studies and Local Studies. Applications are currently being accepted for the BA with an information night being held in the College on Wednesday 9th of May at 7.30pm. Closing date for receipt of applications is 31st of May 2007, with a view to commencing classes on the 3rd of September 2007. NUIM Kilkenny Campus, St. Kieran's College, College Road, Kilkenny.
Tel: 056 7775910
Email: kilkenny.campus@nuim.ie
Web Site: kilkenny.nuim.ie

Good Practice workshop for Community and Voluntary Organisations. Takes place on the 16th of May from 6.30pm to 9.30pm in the Ormonde Hotel, Kilkenny. The aim of the workshops is:

• To provide the latest good practice information for community and voluntary groups.
• To provide information on the Charity Regulation, Fundraising Standards.

Youth Day ’07 Leargas those involved in youth work and services to join them on Saturday 19th of May to celebrate European Youth Week and launch the new Youth in Action Programme 2007-2013. It will take place in Croke Park on the 19th of May from 9.30am to 4.00pm. To book your place or for further information contact Susan on 087 9376581 or at youthday@leargas.ie.

Social Finance for Community and Voluntary organisations Common Cents 2007 - Conference organised by Clann Credo will take place on the 23rd of May 2007 in The Hilton Kilmainham, Dublin. This will be of interest to all working in the Community, Voluntary and not for profit sectors especially those with an interest in the future development of Social Finance and supports for accessing Social Finance in Ireland. Further information is available form Paul O’Sullivan at 01 5431861 or by emailing info@clanncredo.ie

Building for Children – Conference organised a network of Childcare Committees, including Kilkenny County Childcare Committee and South Tipperary County Childcare Committee. The conference hopes to stimulate ideas while thinking about a fresh way to build facilities for children. The conference will take place on the 6th and 7th of June in Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny. For further details please contact the organisers, at 01 2969392 or email orla@confernecepartners.ie.

Summer School- Conflict and Consensus: Assumptions, Values and Roles in the Irish Non-profit Sector organised by the Centre for Non-profit Management in Trinity College. It will take place on Thursday 21st of June 2007, in Trinity IMI Graduate School of Management, Sandyford, Dublin 16. The programme will explore the roles that the non-profit sector plays in Irish society. Further information can be got by contacting the centre at 01 8963850 or emailing sboyd@tcd.ie

Pen Green – A learning community. A one day conference will be held in the National College of Ireland Dublin on the 24th of May 2007. The conference is aimed at practitioners, policy makers, academics, students and anyone interested in early childhood care and education in Ireland. To register contact Brigina Crow at 01 4498618 or bcrow@ncirl.ie

Citizens Information Training Events in Kilkenny and SE Tipperary. Advanced Skills in Finding information Using the Computer for further information contact Michael O’Brien, 01 6059000 or on the www.citizensinformationboard.ie

Empower Training Courses 2007 A number of different training programmes will be offered in Kilkenny in the coming months. They include:

• Customer Services Programme, commencing 31st of May
• Team Leadership Programme, commencing 27th of June

Diploma in Social Integration and Enterprise for Community Development Workers by distance learning. University College Cork, is now seeking applications for the above course which will commence in October. It is aimed at mature students and will be delivered over an l-2 year period on a modular bases. Closing date for applications is the 31st of August 2007. For further information contact Bridget Carroll, at 021 4902070, email b.carroll@ucc.ie or check out the website at www.ucc.ie/ccs/CentreProgrammes.

Developments Future Conference organised by NUI Galway will take place on the 24th and 25th of November 2007. The conference aims to improve linkages between different sectors of the development community, with an emphasis on the importance of research to educators, practitioners and scholars alike. Further information can be got by contacting the Conference Secretariat at 091 492858 or emailing carol.healy@nuigalway.ie

Computer Courses
BNS continues to provide computer courses in basic computer literacy, Information Technology Skills and Introduction to Internet. The Mobile IT unit will provide training in Community Centres, at times suitable to participants. Any community which has nine people interested in undergoing computer training should contact, Bernie Byrne at BNS Rural Development for further information, phone 056 7752111.

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