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Wednesday 27 February 2019

Volunteer Leadership Training

‘Volunteer Leadership Training’ (VLT) is a two-day modular certified course run twice per year aimed at non-profit organisations who already involve volunteers in their service.  Training is in a group setting.

Topics covered include:
*Advertising for volunteers
*Interviewing volunteers
*Screening
*Induction/Volunteer Agreements
*Developing a volunteer policy
*Planning for volunteer involvement

For more information and to talk to us about how we can support your organisation in its work with volunteers email us at info@volunteercork.ie

Training will take place in Cork Volunteer Centre premises, 13 North Main Street, Cork City at a cost of €100 per participant.

A place on the course can only be confirmed once payment has been received, and a waiting list system will operate for those unable to secure a place at this session.


ONLY 3 PLACES REMAINING for our March 13th & 14th session.


Coffee Morning in Support of Women's Aid

A chance to have a cup of tea and some sweet treats, mingle with other volunteers, meet a member of our placement team, find out about new / urgent opportunities.

MARCH

8th March - International Women's Day - Cork Volunteer Centre - to raise funds for Womens Aid. 10.30am - 12.30pm

APRIL

1st April  - Cork Volunteer Centre - 10.30am - 12.30pm

MAY

(National Volunteer Week) 
13th May - Cork Volunteer Centre - 10.30am - 12.30pm
14th May - Youghal Library - 11am - 1pm
15th May - Mallow Library - 11am - 1pm

JUNE

10th June - Cork Volunteer Centre  - 10.30am - 12.30pm


EU Zero Discrimination Day


“Women in Health” three workshops delivered by women to women.

Three workshops which the Fermoy Community Health Project is hosting to celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday 8th March
We have titled our event “Women in Health” – these three workshops will be delivered by women to women. 
Places are limited on each of the workshops, so you are invited to book a place on a workshop by contacting Jacinta McCormack directly on 085 8742320.

Feel free to share the flyer with colleagues, friends and family.


Friday 22 February 2019

What is the role of the EU in supporting a more equal society?

European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland in association with the European Commission Representation in Ireland invite you to a Citizen’s Dialogue workshop- discussing the role of the EU in supporting a more equal society.
Almost 113 million people, or over 22% of the EU population, are at risk poverty and social exclusion. In Ireland approximately 750,000 people are at-risk of poverty. In a year when the European Parliament elections take place in a Europe which faces many challenges, including Brexit, migration, climate change and delivering social rights, these citizen’s dialogue workshops will ask how can we strengthen social solidarity and ensure that no-one is left behind.  These workshops are open to everyone and will provide a good opportunity for discussion on the issues.

 The workshops are free and all are welcome

Speakers:
·         Hugh Frazer, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Social Studies, Maynooth University.  Hugh is the former coordinator of the European Social Policy Network which advises the European Commission on social policy and former Director of the Combat Poverty Agency.
·         Paul Ginnell, Director of European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland
·         Panel members: Representatives from the European Commission and from community and voluntary organisations.

Venue: Imperial Hotel, South Mall, Cork City
Date: Tuesday March 19th
Time: Registration at 09:30 a.m., Workshop 10:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m.

A light lunch will be provided at the end of the workshop  

Registration: If you would like to attend any of the workshops you can register here.

The Mná na hÉireann fund

The Mná na hÉireann Fund, Women of Ireland is a €1.8 Million Fund created by Social Innovation Fund Ireland in partnership with Bank of America and the Department of Rural and Community Development. The Department of Rural and Community Development provides match funding for all philanthropic funds raised by Social Innovation Fund Ireland, via the Dormant Accounts Fund.

The Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Fund is the first fund in Ireland to support charities and social enterprises that seek to enhance the economic mobility of women and is designed specifically to equip these organisations to expand their business acumen, drive growth and deepen their impact across Ireland.

The objective of the fund is to:
1)Empower 1,000 women to find and secure sustained employment across Ireland by investing in organisations that provide training, upskilling, education and other services directly to women experiencing disadvantage.

2) Double the impact of successful applicants by providing growth capital and support to organisations with a proven track record of social impact.

The Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Fund is open for applications from 18th February 2019 – 18th April 2019

For more information or to make an application please click here

The Older Persons’ Fund

The Older Persons’ Fund is a long-term philanthropic fund which promotes the civic engagement of older people, as a means of working towards making a difference in their communities.
The Fund builds on our long-standing engagement and commitment to supporting older people in their communities. We have invested over €1m in this area to date.
This year we have the following two categories that you may apply for a grant under:
Inclusion of older people in active citizenship roles – Grants of up to €7,500 will be available to organisations working towards inclusion of older people in active citizenship roles
Supporting older peoples’ voices at local & national level – Grants of up to €7,500 will available to organisations working towards supporting older peoples’ engagement in advocacy.
Our Grants and Donor Services Executive, Adele McNamara, talks through the Older Persons' Fund for 2018, how to make a strong application and what common mistakes to look out for.#
How to apply
Download the criteria here
Download the online application for Inclusion of older people in active citizenship roles here
Download the online application for Supporting older peoples’ voices at local & national level here
Contact Us
If you are unsure about any of the above, or have any other queries, please contact the grants team on (0)1 874 7354 or e-mail info@foundation.ie
Deadline
The deadline for applications will be strictly 4.30 p.m on Thursday 14th March 2019.
Why The Older Persons’ Fund?
It is estimated that by 2041, people aged over 65 will account for 22% of the population in Ireland, compared to some 19% today.
The Older Persons' Fund seeks to realise the benefits of this changing demographic by building a long-term sustainable fund to support older people’s voices at a local and national level and their capacity to engage fully in all strands of society. In line with this goal, the mission of The Older Persons’ Fund will be to support strategic community based and national activities promoting Older People as Active Citizens and Advocates – including influencing policy, community decision-making processes, leadership, negotiation and other ways to give greater “voice” to Older People. 
The Older Persons’ Fund has been set up with an initial investment of €3m provided by us (€1m) and The Atlantic Philanthropies (€2m). We are targeting an additional €1m to be raised and allocated to the fund between now and 2018, as well as on-going fund development in the longer term.
The Fund will initially support projects in the area of civic engagement which:
Support older people’s ‘voice’ at a local and national level, and their capacity to engage in all strands of society.
Promote older people’s participation as active citizens in their communities and their inclusion in civic life.
In the longer term, the Fund will also support activities that address older people’s social exclusion, for example loneliness and isolation, where increased civic participation is a planned outcome.
To see some of the impacts from The Older Person's Fund click here.

Local Communities: actions to help pollinators


Communities_Cover
Click on picture above to download Guide
Providing food, shelter and safety 

To help pollinators we need to ensure that they have food, shelter and safety from chemicals. The actions suggested will provide this in your local community. The more of these actions you can take the better. 

Many pollinator friendly actions simply require us to manage the land in a different way than we have become used to. It is not about letting the landscape go wild, but about managing it in a more sustainable way so that pollinators can survive and continue to provide us with their vital service.

 We have suggested actions that are not costly and in some instances may lead to cost savings. Multiple actions are suggested so that you can consider your own local community and decide which actions would work best and at which location. In all cases, public health and safety should be the key consideration.


“Protect pollinators so that you can grow your own fruit and vegetables, shop for local produce and have flowers and wildlife in your local landscape” 


Thursday 21 February 2019

Cork County Mayor’s Community Awards 2019

This year marks the seventh year of the Cork County Mayor’s Community Awards Scheme. This awards scheme was introduced in the County to acknowledge publicly the work of volunteers and to recognise communities working in partnership with the Local Authority and other agencies to better our communities.

Cork County Councillors and PPN Secretariat Members can nominate organisations and individuals who would like to put themselves forward for this award.


If you or your organisation would like to be put forward for this award you should contact a County Councillor or a member of the PPN Secretariat.

·         Contact details for PPN Secretariat Members can be found in the attached document

·         2019 Mayor’s Awards Guidelines document is also attached

 ·        Contact details for County Councillors can be found here

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy will make eleven awards on the night including three each from North Cork, South Cork and West Cork.  There will also be one overall Community and Voluntary Group award and one overall Individual award from within these nine award recipients. 
Mayor Murphy is asking people and groups to contact their local Councillor or PPN representatives to suggest nominees,
“There are so many wonderful individuals and groups in Cork County that I want to afford recognition for the work they do. These awards are set to congratulate all those nominated on the enormous positives they are bringing to their communities and to promote further their commitment to their communities. Their selflessness, energy and enthusiasm are what these awards represent. I look forward to meeting each and every one of these communities and individuals on the night, which is set to be a wonderful community orientated and inclusive gathering.”

Guidelines are also attached to this email, however, if you wish to discuss nominations you should contact a member of the PPN Secretariat or a County Councillor based in your Municipal District area.

The closing date for receipt of completed nominations is:Thursday, February 28th 2019

The Awards Ceremony is scheduled for: Wednesday 17thApril 2019

Heritage Council Adopt a Monument Scheme 2019

Is there a much loved monument in your area that you would like to learn more about? We are seeking applications from community groups across Ireland for our Adopt a Monument scheme. The scheme is a way of bringing monuments into the heart of your community. Our heritage is rich and diverse so a monument can be anything including ringforts, lime kilns, sites associated with the travelling community, or modern sites.

For communities, the Adopt a Monument Scheme offers a way of promoting pride in our monuments. It also offers opportunities to develop and understand the story of your locality and to work collaboratively together. From mentoring and training to assistance with funding applications and community events, the Heritage Council works in partnership to help to develop a deeper understanding of the monument and its place in the landscape and the team work with the communities to create  and implement bespoke plans for each monument.

Closing date: Application forms must be submitted toadoptamonument@heritagecouncil.ie by 28thFebruary 2019

For further information please visit:  https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/projects/adopt-a-monument 

Pure Cork Industry Day

A Pure Cork Industry Day will take place on Wednesday 27thFebruary 2019 next at the Vienna Woods Hotel in Glanmire
This is a great opportunity for Visit Cork to share their plans and achievements in both Leisure Tourism (PureCork) and Business Tourism (Cork Convention Bureau).
This an open invitation to any businesses involved in tourism in Cork (City and County). 

Panel of Speakers:
  • Ger O'Mahoney - Chair of Visit Cork
  • Seamus Heaney - Head of Visit Cork
  • Evelyn O'Sullivan - Cork Convention Bureau
  • Ciara Gallagher - Meet in Ireland
  • Monica MacLaverty - Southern Europe Tourism Ireland
The discussions on the day will be chaired by Kevin Cullinane of Cork Airport.

To register for this event please click on the following link:


If you have any queries about the event please get in touch with the Pure Cork Team on 021 4318036 or email info@visitcork.ie

Funding for Music Capital Scheme

€270,250 funding  announced for Music Capital Scheme
Music Network has welcomed the announcement by Josepha Madigan TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, confirming funding of €270,250 for the Music Capital Scheme 2019.
The Music Capital Scheme, supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and managed by Music Network, comprises two distinct awards that provide funding for the purchase of musical instruments to both non-professional performing groups and to professional musicians.
 http://i1.cmail19.com/ei/y/D0/959/C16/221110/csfinal/NOFEEMINANNOUNMUSICCAPSCHEMEMX21-9900000000079e3c.jpg

The Music Capital Scheme opened for applications on Thursday 14th February with a deadline of 2pm, Thursday 21st March 2019. Further information is available here  

Strand 1 is designed to support non-professional performing groups, such as Pipe and Brass Bands, traditional Music Groups etc.  The fund is valued at €163,400

Strand 2 is designed to support individual  professional performing musicians and is valued at €82,000
For further details, please contact Sarah Cunningham at Tel 01 475 0224 or emailcapitalscheme@musicnetwork.ie

Closing date 21/03/2019 at 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday 20 February 2019

Step 4 Life Older Adults Physical Activity Programme



Steps4Life -  is a new programme looking for older adult volunteers to take part in a FREE 4 week Physical Activity Programme, facilitated by 4th Year Physical Education Students from UCC.  Fun, easy, chair based and low intensity activity -Suitable for all levels of fitness and ability

Locations: Mayfield, Bandon, Cork City, Cobh, Fermoy, Bishopstown, Douglas, Wilton and Turners Cross

Date: Thursday 7th March 6.30-7.30pm

Register: Call Cork Sports Partnership 021 4347096


LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE

Growing Celery with Video Tutorial Courtesy GIY Ireland




Celery


Why Grow It?

Good question – though growing celery has been made a lot easier with the arrival of self-blanching varieties, it’s still a tricky enough prospect to grow well.  But stick with it and it will reward you well.  Celery is incredibly good for you and is a staple “stock-pot” veg.  It tastes great raw and freezes well.  Traditionally, growing celery was incredibly labour intensive because trenches had to be prepared to grow them in and then the celery had to be regularly earthed up to blanch or whiten the stems.  Most GIYers now grow self-blanching (green) celery which does not require earthing up or trenching.  Happy days.

Sowing

Dig the bed in the winter and add plenty of well rotted manure or compost.  Add organic fertiliser (e.g chicken manure pellets) before planting.  Slow to germinate so grow in module trays and then transplant.  Sow in March for planting out in May (when they have four to six true leaves).  Harden off before planting out.  Self-blanching celery is typically planted in blocks rather than in rows, so the plants shade each other from light (thereby improving the blanching process). 

Growing

Blanching celery makes the stems go white and more tender.  Even “self-blanching” varieties benefit from blanching – homemade collars can be made from strips of black plastic wrapped around the plant.  Traditional trench celery is blanched by “earthing up” the trench in which it was sown.  Water celery well in dry weather – it’s a thirsty plant and if the soil dries out the stems won’t swell.  If leaves go yellow, apply an organic feed (e.g. nettle or comfrey tea).

Harvesting

Celery will be ready in approx 40 weeks – usually August-Oct.  Lift as required but finish harvesting when frosts arrive.  Use a fork to gently lift the plant, roots and all.  A head of celery will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Recommended Varieties

  • Victoria F1 —is absolutely fantastic, producing strong upright stalks that are crisp and succulent.  If you have failed to grow crunchy celery before and have failed, Victoria will come to your rescue. 

Problems

Slugs like it.  Also prone to celery leaf miner (tiny maggots that cause leaf blisters) and leaf spot (brown spots on leaf that look like blight).

GIY Tips


  1. Celery freezes well.  Cut and blanch for 3 mins in boiling water.  Cool, pack in freezer bags.
  2. Celery seed stores well for up to 5 years.

Cork Birdathon A fun and interactive Birdwatching Event

Cork Birdathon – Sunday, 3rd March 2019 in Cul de Sac Pool, Inchydoney, Pillmore Strand, Youghal, Harpers Island, Glounthaune

The aim of Cork Birdathon is to raise awareness of the incredible bird life that exists in the county of Cork, particularly in the harbour area, and to encourage people to avail of the innovative bird trail that has been developed by SECAD Partnership CLG.  At the moment, the bird trail extends from Rocky Bay, near Crosshaven to Foxhole, on the outskirts of Youghal and can be enjoyed by young and old, from complete beginners to bird watching enthusiasts. Within a matter of miles, bird species can vary, which provides bird trail users with a wonderful showcase of bird species.

On 3rd March, everyone is invited to take part in the Cork Birdathon at one of the Meet the Expert locations:
SECADMap 
10:00-12:30: Cul de Sac Pool, Inchedoney
11:30-14:00: Pillmore Strand, Youghal
14:30-17:00: Harpers Island, Glounthaune

There will be experts at each location to help you identify the birds that you will see on the day.  You can also visit any of the sites along the South and East Cork Bird Trail where you will find information boards which illustrate the birds usually found at that location.

For more information go to http://corkbirdathon.ie and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CorkBirdathon/

Join The Fermoy International Choir


Illustrated Talk: 'A Night to Remember with some Kinsale Residents'

Date/Time: Thursday 7th March 2019 at 20:00
Event: 
Illustrated Talk: 'A Night to Remember with some Kinsale Residents' 
Location: Temperance Hall, Kinsale, Co. Cork 
Additional Information: Organised by the Kinsale History Society, a talk by Terry Connolly titled A Night to Remember with Some Kinsale Residents' will take place in the Temperance Hall. All welcome.

Tuesday 19 February 2019

What is the role of the EU in supporting a more equal society?”

European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland in association with the European Commission Representation in Ireland invite you to a Citizen’s Dialogue workshop

Have your say!
“What is the role of the EU in supporting
a more equal society?”

Almost 113 million people, or over 22% of the EU population, are at risk poverty and social exclusion. In Ireland approximately 750,000 people are at-risk of poverty. In a year when the European Parliament elections take place in a Europe which faces many challenges, including Brexit, migration, climate change and delivering social rights, these citizen’s dialogue workshops will ask how can we strengthen social solidarity and ensure that no-one is left behind. These workshops are open to everyone and will provide a good opportunity for discussion on the issues.
The workshops are free and all are welcome.

Event details
Cork
Imperial Hotel, South Mall, Cork City
Registration at 9:30am
Workshop 10am-1pm
26th March
Galway
Harbour Hotel, New Dock Road, Galway City
Registration at 9:30am
Workshop 10am-1pm
28th March
Dublin
F2 Centre, 3 Reuben Plaza, Rialto, Dublin 8
Registration at 9:30am
Workshop 10am-1pm

A light lunch will be provided at the end

Speakers:
·       Hugh Frazer, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Social Studies, Maynooth University.  Hugh is the former coordinator of the European Social Policy Network which advises the European Commission on social policy and former Director of the Combat Poverty Agency.
·       Paul Ginnell, Director of European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland
·       Panel members: Representatives from the European Commission and from community and voluntary organisations.

Registration: If you would like to attend any of the workshops you can register here.