MID Logo 2021
Supporting Growth & Opportunity
 
Applications are invited for the position of:
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
(Full Time – Fixed Term Contract)
 

The Position
This position involves working with individuals and groups in local communities, especially disadvantaged communities targeted under SICAP (Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme) 2018 – 2022. The CDO will be responsible for establishing contact with individuals and groups and supporting local communities in collective action to address local issues and develop community initiatives.

The Role
The purpose of the post is to:
  • Support local communities to engage in collective action, including community group formation and identification of needs/issues
  • Support members of New Communities to achieve social inclusion
  • Link individuals and groups in disadvantaged communities to resources and supports available through state agencies and other service providers to address their needs/issues
  • Link individuals and groups to resources available through Monaghan Integrated Development (MID) including SICAP, RDP, LES, TUS/RSS and other MID Programmes.
  • Promote social inclusion in local communities through effective use of community development principles and practice
The position is based in County Monaghan with Monaghan Integrated Development CLG. Interviews for this position will be competency based and shortlisting will apply on the basis of the information provided in the application form.


The application form, together with a full Job Specification and guidance on the competencies required (Team Work; Information Management & Decision Making; Delivery Of Results; Interpersonal & Communication Skills; Specialist Knowledge, Expertise & Self Development; Drive and Commitment to MID Community Development Principles) is available from , or can be downloaded here: Application Form & Job Specification.
Closing date: 5.00pm Monday February 14th 2022 (14/2/2022)
 

The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018-2022 is funded by the Irish Government through the Department of Rural and Community Development and co-funded by the European Social Fund under the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020 and is overseen locally by Monaghan Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) with support from Monaghan County Council.
 
 

New Year, New Career!
 
Contact the Clones Local Employment Service to kick start your career ambition in 2022! Agne  and Anne  / 047 52994 are happy to chat about your options and opportunities
 
Some services they provide are;
⭐Professional one to one support to assist with career progression
⭐Access to Job Vacancy listing and information
⭐Professional CV
⭐Information on / Referral to Community Employment Schemes (CE)
 

                                    
 
Free, high value training open for registration!
 
Join Monaghan Integrated Development’s Innovating Communities project by registering to participate in one of the below Courses. Innovating Communities is a LEADER cooperation project that delivers free training and mentoring in a creative problem solving process known as Design Thinking. The process can be applied to locally identified challenges such as climate action, inequality, tourism and the list goes on! Course participants will be guided to reach their expected outcome i.e. a funding application, strategic plan, network, art piece and more.
 
Courses open for registration are;
  • Creating a Community & Arts Space for Ballybay, Mondays 7-9pm, currently running and others are welcome to join
  • Establishing a Monaghan Wetland Network, start date and running times to be confirmed
  • Responsible Tourism in Monaghan, Tuesdays 2.30-4.30pm, from Tuesday 1st February
 
Creating a Community & Arts Space for Ballybay, Mondays 7-9pm, is currently running and open to others to join. They began the Course in December, looking at how they could design a better future for Ballybay, and kept returning to the lack of community and arts spaces in the centre of the town, and so, their focus fixed on this. The brief is, currently, to create a multipurpose town centre community space, with a long term strategy, that the community maintain ownership of. To learn more about this and how to get involved, visit www.innovating.ie / contact Collette  / 087 176 1732
 
Establishing a Monaghan Wetland Network, start date to be confirmed, will use the Design Thinking method of problem solving, to assist the interested parties in setting up a Monaghan Wetlands Network, with input from the Community Wetland Forum at various stages throughout i.e. guest speakers.
 
Responsible Tourism in Monaghan will take place on Tuesdays 2.30-4.30pm, starting Tuesday 1st February 2021. This course is open to people who are interested in respecting Monaghan’s landscape and amenities in the context of responsible tourism and environmental soundness. If you wish to participate, contact Collette – details below. Once in the Course, through the process of Design Thinking, your group will assess County Monaghan in an environmental context to decide on the focus and an expected outcome. Monaghan has many amenities available for both locals and visitors to enjoy, such as beauty spots, historical or cultural places, and businesses. These activity spots are often linked by cycle and walkways, and or roads. How can we ensure that we are offering these amenities responsibly and respectfully?
 
For more information and to register, visit www.innovating.ie and or contact Collette  / 087 176 1732 to learn more.
 
We wish to acknowledge the project funding being provided by the Monaghan LEADER Local Action Group under the LEADER Programme, the Department of Rural and Community Development under the National Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and the European agricultural fund for rural development 2014-2020.

Smart Villages Working Together for a Smarter Future in Co Monaghan
 

County Monaghan embarks on 12 month Smart Village Training Program led out by
Monaghan Integrated Development (MID) as the LEADER implementing partner to Monaghan Local Community Development Committee (LCDC).
 
Smart Villages are communities in rural areas that use innovative solutions to improve their resilience, building on local strengths and opportunities. Through the Smart Village approach, we want to build on the success of the LEADER programme over the last 30 years and seek to support local communities to work smarter and more effectively.
 
Monaghan Integrated Development, together with local development companies around Ireland, commissioned the creation of the Smart Village training programme and eTownz is providing this exciting training in the county under the LEADER Programme.
 
Monaghan Integrated Development are looking for individuals/businesses/community groups who are passionate about their area and would like to be part of this new and exciting initiative that is coming to County Monaghan this year! On completion of the course the participants will be the ‘Smart Village Champions’ in their communities trained in how to bring various stakeholders together and coordinate the program annually.
 
The first course will commence Tuesday 25th January 2022, 7-8.30pm and run for 6 weeks online. The Parish of Tydavnet (Tydavnet, Scotstown, Ballinode, Milltown & Knockatallon) has been chosen to be the first community in County Monaghan to pilot the Smart Village Training Programme, if you have an interest and live or work in the area, please get in touch. Further areas will be identified so be sure to call and put your name down and Smart Villages could be coming to your area!
 
The program seeks to:
  • Promote greater collaboration between local organisations and communities
  • Encourage on-boarding of new volunteers by building teams of people with similar interests and complementary skills
  • Support community champions in handing over responsibility to the next generation
  • Reducing, the administration workload
  • Build a more fluid supporting relationship between communities, Local Development Companies and Councils
Are you interested in participating? Please register your interest with Laura at  or call 0871737690 for more information.
 
For more Information visit https://training.etownz.ie/monaghan/ or www.midl.ie  
 
Monaghan Local Action Group (LAG) is administering the LEADER RDP 2014-2022 in County Monaghan for the Department of Rural and Community Development and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The County Monaghan Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) is operating as the LAG for the County. Monaghan Integrated Development the Local Development Company for County Monaghan is the implementing partner and Monaghan County Council is the lead financial partner.

Monaghan Integrated Development will begin to deliver

Smart Village Training in 2022. 

What is a Smart Village?

Smart Villages are communities in rural areas that use innovative solutions to improve their resilience by building on local strengths and opportunities. They take stock of local assets, use the best available local knowledge and take the initiative to shape the surrounding reality. Smart Villages think beyond the village and understand that they exist surrounded by the countryside, other villages, towns and cities – they also activate linkages and create clear modes of communication between all. 

Smart Villages Training will be delivered over the course of 6 weeks which will guide participants through the process of creating a ‘Smart Village Plan’ for their area.

Training will be delivered throughout the year across all areas of Monaghan.

Monaghan Integrated Development are looking for individuals/businesses who are passionate about their community and who would like to be part of this new and exciting initiative that is coming to County Monaghan in 2022!

The Parish of Tydavnet has been chosen to be the first community in County Monaghan to pilot the Smart Village Training Programme. Training will be delivered by Etowz as part of the LEADER Co-operation Project which is being rolled out nationally.

Are you interested in participating? Please register your interest with Laura on 0871737690 or at  

For more information please on Smart Villages Training you can visit: https://training.etownz.ie/monaghan/

*Smart Villages Working Together for a Smarter Future*

* LIKE - SHARE -SPREAD THE WORD *📢

Do you have an idea that could be LEADER funded? Join us for Monaghan LEADER Information Webinar on Tuesday 7th December at 7.30pm via Teams to discuss. Register your attendance for the webinar here.

For more information about LEADER and or to chat about your idea, feel free to contact  / 042 974 9500 / 087 176 0877

LEADER funding is available for community and environmental projects. Read more about the projects that can funded here.
 
 
 
Join us at the Monaghan LEADER Information Webinar on Tuesday 7th December at 7.30pm.
contact us to reserve your place and or discuss your idea;  / 042 974 9500 / 087 176 0877

LEADER funding available for community and environmental projects.  #LEADER

Join our Innovating Communities Course group who have been focusing on climate action, biodiversity and sustainability today, Friday 12th November from 12pm – 2pm at Walnut Grove, Monaghan Shopping Centre, Monaghan Town, where they will showcase the prototype for a website entitled Community Climate Calendar (CCC)
 
Their mission is to demonstrate biodiversity practices that encourage local community members to be greener. They hope to achieve this by providing information that motivates people to put positive actions into their daily practice.
 
For more info, call by on the day and or contact Collette / 087 176 1732
 
 
 
 

LINC (Linking Irelands New Communities)
 
Theme – Goal One Projects
Target Group – New Communities
 
 
Notes to accompany, LINC (Linking Irelands New Communities), the MID SICAP video case study for 2021
 
The Target group: New communities.
 
The context: Through Fáilte Isteach, SICAP and other LDC programmes, MID were aware of access issues arising between new communities members and state services. In Co Monaghan, Tusla were seeing above average referrals from new communities.
 
The challenge: how to bridge the cultural and linguistic gap between state services and new communities. The challenge was identified through SICAP programme work with Fáilte Isteach and Tusla.
 
Note: SICAP did not set out to establish a Social Enterprise. This evolved naturally as the work of the programme unfolded.
 
The interventions put in place were:
•To establish a steering group for the project to:
Resource and co-ordinate the project
Identify potential leaders, community or cultural champions, within the new communities
The committee comprised Tusla, Fáilte Isteach Monaghan, ISPCC, the FRCs, Monaghan Integrated Development (SICAP and Volunteer Centre) and New Communities representatives. At the first meeting it was decided to call the project ‘Connecting Communities’.
 
• 12 cultural champions were identified by the committee
 
• Initially, each champion was Garda Vetted (by Monaghan Volunteer Centre), then provided with:
o training in Parenting (Parents Plus), Child Protection and Advocacy (QQI Level 6). This training was funded by CMETB and Tusla.
o €700 in funding to host an event (s) that would help them to build their profile within their community and give them a platform to explain and publicise their role. This funding came from QCBI Innovation Fund: Enhancing Children’s and Young People’s Outcomes.
 
• In 2019/2020, the champions were supported to form a social enterprise. At this point they received training in:
o Legal structures for Social Enterprise
o Employment Law
o Health & Safety and
o GDPR
o OCNI interpretation/translation (funded by CMETB and Tusla)
They were also assisted with:
o Making funding applications (securing €19,000 for their venture)
 
• Finally, they were supported to register their enterprise as a workers co-operative called LINC (Linking Irelands New Communities) and to employ an admin worker on a CE scheme.
 
What worked
• The collaboration with other agencies/groups

• Identification and training of champions and the ability of champions to fulfil their role

• Tusla‘s provision of an SLA with LINC, demonstrating faith in the champions ability.

• The ability of the LINC to access additional funding for training and equipment (c. €19,000 to date).

• The ability of LINC to access a CE support worker.

What did not work
The intention was not to start a social enterprise. However, initial payment structures proposed did not work so the workers co-operative model was the outcome that evolved.
 
The role of SICAP
• The SICAP team had a history of collaborations with the main project partners through previous work within MID.

• Through its previous engagement work with new communities, SICAP was able to identify all the potential champions.

• MID administered the QCBI funding and the SICAP team provided the support to each champion to spend their allocation and report back on their events.

• The SICAP team was able to work with Monaghan Volunteer Centre to ensure Garda Vetting proceeded smoothly, as both programmes are part of the Local Development Company (Monaghan Integrated Development).

• SICAP was absolutely critical in supporting the social enterprise start up. SICAP found the most suitable SE structure, held the group together during start up phase and helped them access funding and other SE supports. Without SICAP support, the group could not have successfully established their social enterprise.

What is next?
• LINC is currently marketing its services to other agencies. Clones Family Resource Centre has accessed their services to engage with Syrian Refugees who have been resettled in the town.

• There is scope for LINC to work with the Justice Department, Social Welfare and others in the years ahead.

Outputs
• 11 fully trained cultural champions working as members of LINC

• 1 Social Enterprise – LINC (Linking Irelands New Communities) currently providing part-time employment for 6 people

Outcomes
To date LINC has provided:
• Formal case management support to 55 families for Tusla

• Translation support to 7 new community families for Clones FRC

• Support with the development of the County Monaghan Migrant Integration Strategy

Tusla have stated “The work the cultural champions do helps keep families together. We know that in some cases some children may have ended up in foster care system but the work cultural champions has done has helped those families to stay together.”

Small food businesses are being encouraged to apply for funding under the LEADER Food Initiative – a €5 million investment aimed at assisting businesses to deal with the challenges posed by Brexit and COVID-19.

Our Rural Future:

Ministers Humphreys, McConalogue, and Hackett announce final call for applications to the LEADER Food Initiative

Minister Humphreys said: “I recently launched the Transitional LEADER Programme for 2021 and 2022, underpinned by €70 million in funding. I am delighted to announce the final call for applications under LEADER Food Initiative. Commenting on the development, Minister McConalogue said: I am pleased that applicants with eligible projects under this call can be eligible for consideration for the increased maximum funding limit now increased from 50% to 75%. The €5m funding now made available will help support farmers and food enterprises to develop premium, sustainable outlets for their products on the Irish market.” Minister Hackett continued: "It is so important to help connect small food producers to the consumer. That’s why I am pleased that this funding is made available under the LEADER Food Initiative. The support will help local food enterprises to access advisory, investment, and marketing support for those who wish to diversify into new products and to build efficient, sustainable routes to market that help connect small food producers to the consumer."

Minister Mc Gonagle said "I am happy to announce that the final tranche of the €15m funding allocated by my Department for the LEADER Food Initiative is now being made available for this final call for applications for artisan, micro and small food enterprises engaged in the agri-food sector. Following on from my announcement last year on extending the measure into 2021, I am pleased that applicants with eligible projects under this call can be eligible for consideration for the increased maximum funding limit now increased from 50% to 75%. The €5m funding now made available will help support farmers and food enterprises to develop premium, sustainable outlets for their products on the Irish market.” Minister Mc Conalogue added: “I hope that the increased maximum rates of aid will encourage these food businesses, who have shown great resilience during the past year, to apply for this funding support."

Minister Hackett continued: "It is so important to help connect small food producers to the consumer. That’s why I am pleased that this funding is made available under the LEADER Food Initiative. The support will help local food enterprises to access advisory, investment, and marketing support for those who wish to diversify into new products and to build efficient, sustainable routes to market that help connect small food producers to the consumer." 

Full Press Release Here

Find out how the LEADER Programme can assist you by contacting the LEADER office on 042 9749500 or email

Please click links for Expression of Interest Form and Guidance Notes

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