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Irish Rural Link (IRL), the national network representing the interest of rural communities, is delighted to announce the appointment of its CEO Séamus Boland, to the role of President of Diversity Europe Group, which represents Civic Society on the European Economic Social Committee (EESC) based in Brussels.

Séamus assumed his new role during a virtual inaugural ceremony, today Tuesday 27th October 2020 and will hold the position until 2023. He is the first Irish person to be elected to this position since it’s foundation in 1956, as one of the EU’s institutions listed in the Rome Treaty.

The Diversity Group is made up of delegates drawn from each member state, representing sectors which include, community, agriculture, environment, consumers, social economy and various professions.

Séamus has been a member of the European Economic Social Committee since October 2011 and a former vice-president the Diversity Europe Group.

Poverty and the role of civil society organisations in combatting it will be the focus of Séamus’ term of Presidency.  It will be framed in the context of the European Green Deal and the impact of COVID-19 on our lives.  COVID-19 and the ensuing economic, social and health challenges will provide the framework for the Groups work. The Green Deal will provide the solutions.

In line with the overall topic of his Presidency, priorities of his term include:

• Addressing the impacts of COVID-19 on society.
• Implementing the Green Deal with all stakeholders, based on the Sustainable Development Goal “End poverty in all its forms everywhere”.
• Involving civil society organisations, including European platforms, with the group’s work.
• Including all group Members in the work as well as maintaining a strong gender balance.
• Promoting the group’s work to other institutions and the wider public more efficiently.

The Press Release from EESC Diversity Group is available to read here

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The EESC is a consultative body that gives representatives of Europe’s socio-occupational interest groups and others a formal platform to express their points of view on EU issues. Its opinions are addressed to the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament. It thus has a key role to play in the Union’s decision-making process. The committee consists of Three sections: Employers, Trade Unions and Civic Society.

The presence of the Diversity Europe Group (Group III), alongside the Employers’ Group and the Workers’ Group, ensures that the Committee is a dynamic force and is empowered to give full voice to the concerns of the various social, occupational, economic and cultural organisations that make up civil society in the Member States. In line with the changes introduced in the Lisbon Treaty, Group III is made up of “other representatives and stakeholders of civil society, particularly in the economic, civic, professional and cultural field”.

The unique feature which forges Group III’s identity is the wide range of categories. Its members are drawn from farmers’ organisations, small businesses, the crafts sector, the professions, social economy actors (mutualities, cooperatives, foundations and non-profit associations), consumer organisations, environmental organisations, and associations representing the family, women’s and gender equality issues, youth, minority and underprivileged groups, persons with disabilities, the voluntary sector and the medical, legal, scientific and academic communities.

The shared goal is to achieve real economic, social and participatory democracy in the EU. In fact, the Group III motto is “Achieving real participatory democracy in the EU, through civil dialogue” and the ethos underpinning its activities fall under three pillars:

• Diversity in democracy
• Consensus building
• European civic engagement- local action

Irish Rural link welcome the commitments in the Programme For Government to rural communities.  We need to learn from the positive aspects of the Covid pandemic and build on these for e.g. the advantages of remote working, the value of rural volunteering and the value of such services as meals on wheels and other essential community health and social services.  

You can read the full response here

Advance Notice IRL AGM will take place on Thursday 27th August.

Please be advised Irish Rural Link will hold its AGM on Thursday 27th August at 10am.   In order to allow for Nominations to the Board 2020 I am attaching a link for members.  The form must be completed  and returned to IRL by COB on Wednesday 26th August.

Please be advised:

• Only paid members can nominate a person to the Board of IRL
• Only paid members can be nominated to the Board of IRL
• All nominations will be vetted by the Board before going forward to the AGM
• Nomination form https://www.irishrurallink.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-Board-Status-Nomination-Form.pdf

Irish Rural Link are inviting you to join them in a series of conversations around COVID-19 and Lessons for Rural Communities. Covid-19 has completely turned all our lives upside down. Words like cocooning, social distance, remote working are among the many now in common use. Indeed, without asking for it we find that we are living through one of the great social experiments of all times.

In rural communities the changes are profound. More people are at home. Some are cocooning or in isolation, some are there because they have lost their job or are working from home. As a consequence, rural shops are thriving, neighbours are getting to know each other and many people have volunteered as part of the Community response call to reach out to people who need help. So what are learning from this unwanted experiment and can we reimagine a different rural Ireland as a result of this experience? What will Europe do for rural communities and what should we be saying to rural areas.?

Access to these conversations is free. However, in order to receive your personal link, you must register using the ‘Register Here’ link at the bottom of the page. 

This series of conversations will address learnings in the form of:

• Remote working;
• Providing care services;
• Shopping in the local village;
• Social & Rural enterprises;
• Health and well-being;
• Digitalisation;

Week 1

A conversation with MEP Mairead McGuinness and Andrew Forde (DRCD)

Week One in the series featured a conversation with Irish Rural Link’s CEO Seamus Boland, Mairead McGuinness and Andrew Forde from the Department of Rural and Community. Please view the full conversation below

Week 2

The Midlands Regional Transition Team (MRTT) is collating proposals for projects which can assist a positive transition from peat harvesting and power generation, while looking at opportunities to build strong resilient communities in areas which have been most affected by significant job losses. This discussion will consider the nature and spread of potential projects and the many collaboration opportunities across the Midlands and beyond and panellists will provide guidance to stakeholders who are considering submitting proposals before the June 12th deadline.

These are uncertain times for the wider Midlands, Ireland and the EU as communities address the process of decarbonisation, climate change and come to terms with the social and economic impact of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Week 3 – The Challenges and Opportunities of Remote Working

Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on businesses, many were forced to close while others had to quickly adapt to the changing environment. Remote working has become the norm which  brings challenges for both employer and employees. As the economy starts to reopen, we explore if more businesses will embrace this opportunity to support their employees to work remotely and if so what supports are needed to assist business?

This webinar will discuss the challenges and opportunities of remote working for rural communities and businesses, exploring the policy and supports required. The absence of commuting allows people to spend more time with family and friends, potentially an opportunity to become more involved in their communities. What implications could this have on the social and economic fabric of rural communities in particular? The supply of high speed broadband remains one of the biggest challenges for remote working in rural areas, is there short term solutions that can be introduced, are digital hubs the answer?

Week 4 – The Challenges and Opportunities for the Tourism and Hospitality Sectors Post Covid-19

Thousands of people remain out of work as we await the reopening of our hospitality sector. Tourism is among the most important elements of the Irish economy, employing more than 300,000 people and generating billions of euro in revenue, almost €2 billion each year.Many SME’s, food producers, amenity operators and ancillary businesses rely on a thriving tourism industry to survive.  Last week, Fáilte Ireland produced a set of guidelines to assist those in the sector to safely re-open the tourism and hospitality sector by June 29th. This webinar will discuss what the reopening entails, the implications for the businesses and their customers along with the emerging business opportunities in tourism across rural Ireland.

Week 5 – The Future of Community and Rural Development Post Covid-19

The COVID19 global pandemic has shown us the power of people and community in dealing with the challenges which emerged. Rural and community development has long relied on volunteerism to drive change and to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of communities.. During COVID19, volunteers were at the frontline across communities in the delivery of all services from practical and social supports to mental health and well-being. As the country re-opens on a phased basis, what exactly does these mean for communities going forward? Will the “new-norm” see more volunteers involved in creating more resilient communities or  how can this good-will that currently exists be captured to drive rural and community development going forward?

Week 6 – In conversation with Irish Rural Link – Rural Health and Wellbeing Post Covid-19

When society evaluates wellbeing, it generally considers good physical and mental health but it can also describe the conditions needed as individuals and communities to have a better quality of life, healthier environment and increased prosperity. This webinar will discuss the implication of the Covid-19 pandemic on rural physical and mental health services and what lessons can be learned to improve quality of life of rural communities. As lockdown restriction ease across the country, all sectors begin to evaluation its immediate and long term impacts. There has been an increase demand placed on services such as counselling, befriending, meals on wheels, rural GPs, youth recreational. How do these service providers meet the demand with limited resources?

Irish Rural Link are encouraging all those who have an interest in exploring and shaping future rural health and wellbeing post Covid-19, to join us in conversation on Thursday 2^nd July from 10am to 11 am.

Register in advance for this webinar:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.