After 13 years are so, Community & Voluntary Forums are mostly coming to an end and being replaced by Public Participation Networks, but who knows what is really happening and who is really working to make sure the good intentions of the Working Group on Citizen Engagement and Local Government are turned into reality ?  …..

Fair play to Fr Sean Healy of Social Justice Ireland and Michael Ewing of the Irish Environmental Network, who were both members of the Working Group.  They are holding seminars around the country, spreading the word as best they can ….

And yet, in many places, for many people, confusion reigns.  Where, for example, can we get a FAQ sheet designed for the ordinary community / voluntary group rep ?  Where is the support that would help a PPN construct “a vision of well-being for this and future generations”  ?  What is it reasonable for local community groups to expect of their local authorities in this process ?

None of this needs to be rocket science, but if it all stays confusing for people, then most PPN’s won’t get off to a great start and they will tend to default to a same old same old state of affairs.

It is genuinely confusing and difficult for people in local authorities too, as they have to manage multiple changes with minimal resources and minimal / late in the day guidance.

How well this all works will depend on how well things are done from here :

–  how well people are briefed

–  how well critical meetings are run

– the support and training that is available for people as they go into new roles (in Secretariats and as Representatives expected to represent more than one voice)

– how well learning is shared between local authority areas

The potential (and the intent) is wonderful.  The implementation ? ….. so far, that’s another story …

I was delighted last night to facilitate a briefing workshop with the local Carlow Community & Voluntary Forum and thankfully most people left less confused.  There is a lot of work to do and the next few months can make a very big difference.