Community
Community Development
GRD has Community Development Officers based in Ballinasloe, Tuam and Rosmuc, covering North and South Galway as well as Connemara.
Officers work closely with community groups and other organisations such as the Galway Roscommon Education Training Board (GRETB) and the HSE to identify and meet local needs around, for example, access to healthy activities, education and important information about mental and physical health.
Much of the officers’ focus is on supporting local community groups and groups from New Communities, Roma and Traveller backgrounds to develop their skills through advice, mentoring, training and giving some financial support to organise events and buy equipment.
For further information please contact:
Migrant Health Project
Our Outreach Officer is building relationships with the Roma community, to encourage their involvement with local services, to support awareness of issues affecting them and to develop cross-agency responses.
For further information please get in touch with Anne Cassidy at acassidy@grd.ie
Rural Resource Officer
Our Rural Resource Officer works with people who are socially isolated in rural areas to provide training, for example, on digital skills and work with other organisations to improve local access to services and information in areas such as health and farm safety.
For further information please contact:
Capital Funding and Funding for Feasibility Projects
Capital funding and funding for feasibility projects and training is available under the LEADER programme. This programme has helped rural communities across the EU to direct the rejuvenation of their area, through community-led local development. The programme accepts applications based on projects which focus on:
• Protection and sustainable use of water resources
• Local biodiversity
• Renewable energy
• Rural tourism
• Enterprise development
• Basic services targeted at hard-to-reach communities
• Rural youth
For further information on the above please contact:
Rural Social Scheme and Tús Scheme
Under the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Tús Scheme, supervisors work closely with local community organisations to identify and meet their needs and coordinate the work carried out by participants.
Participants on these schemes work with local community organisations in a range of areas including village enhancement and Tidy Towns projects, landscape and pitch maintenance for sporting bodies such as local GAA and soccer clubs. They also help to maintain biodiversity areas in parks, walkways and woodlands. Participants on both schemes also provide social care, for example, with the Brothers of Charity, Ability West and Meals on Wheels. They also give administrative support to organisations including in areas such as research, cultural and heritage projects like graveyard mapping and historical book writing and retail support in charity shops.
If you are a community that would like to apply to have participants allocated to your organisation please contact:
Community Employment Scheme
GRD acts as a sponsor of a Community Employment (CE) Scheme which provides training and work opportunities for participants in their own communities and currently supports its many sub sponsors through, clerical inhouse, with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, and environmental workers in Craughwell, including with the GAA, Athletics Club, Church Grounds, St. Michael's Community Centre, Craughwell United Football Club and Tidy Towns. We are also delighted to add kitchen support workers to our team in 2022 for the Bia Innovator Campus, Athenry.
If you are a community group in the Athenry and Craughwell areas that would like to apply to have participants allocated to your organisation please contact:
CE Supervisor
Mary Feeney
087 1324723
mfeeney@grd.ie