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Who is involved?

In May 2006, a Steering Committee was convened to develop a local ARD Plan for the County, and included the following individuals and organisations:

An Garda Síochána

  • Sergeant Angelene Conefry
  • Garda John Paul Durkan

Community Platform

  • Kevin Smyth

County Community & Voluntary Forum

  • Willie Morton

City of Dublin VEC – Equal Transition Supports Project

  • Itayi Viriri

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

  • Torry Schellhorn

Dún Laoghaire Refugee Project

  • Mary King

Dún Laoghaire VEC

  • Cristina Santamaria
  • Clodagh Beare

FÁS

  • Aisling NiChuinn

Health Services Executive

  • Judy O'Neill

Southside Partnership

  • Sandra King
  • Niall Sexton

Southside Travellers Action Group

  • Jenny O'Connor
  • Alison Corr
Following the launch of Moving Forward Together, this group disbanded and was replaced by a Committee tasked with monitoring the progress and implementation of the Plan. Currently, there are 7 organisations sitting on this Co-ordination Committee, represented by:

Judy O'Neill
- Judy O'Neill is a Senior Executive Officer with the Health Service Executive, Community Services in the Dun Laoghaire Local Health Office. Judy is attached to the General Manager's Office and deals with a wide range of services associated with the General Manager, some of which would include, at times, involvement with Ethnic Minority Groups. The Dun Laoghaire Local Health Office covers the Dun Laoghaire side of the County.

Sgt. Angelene Conefry – Sgt. Conefry is Sergeant in control of Dun Laoghaire District Unit and is based in Cabinteely Garda Station. She is a trained ethnic liaison officer, but works with a range of different communities and organisations in the County. Sgt. Conefrey previously was based in Monaghan and the Community Relations Section in Garda Headquarters. She was also on overseas duty for one year with the United Nations CIVPOL (Civilian Police).

Mary King – Mary is the Chairperson of the Dun Laoghaire Refugee Project, a registered charity founded in 2001, of which all members are volunteers. The DRP runs a drop-in centre one night per week in Dun Laoghaire, attended mainly by young asylum seekers and refugees who arrived in Ireland as separated children seeking asylum. The centre provides a meeting place for friendship, advice and social support for those who have no family members in this country. For her work on this initiative, Mary won a World Refugee Day award in 2006.

Sandra King - Sandra is Southside Partnership's Community Development worker supporting vulnerable groups including ethnic minorities. Sandra coordinates the Unite Network which offers support and a forum for services providers working with ethnic minorities to network and share information. Southside Partnership is an independent local development organization for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and Whitechurch area.

Mary O'Brien – Mary is a youthworker with Southside Travellers Action Group (STAG) Traveller Youth Service. Prior to this role, she was a trainee with the Women's Training Programme in STAG and has been associated with STAG for over 2 years.STAG seeks to build a strong Traveller-led Community Development Organisation with adequate resources in order to promote the Human Rights of Travellers in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown area.

Mairead Ruane - Development Manager, Dun Laoghaire Citizens Information Centre

Rebekah Fozzard– Rebekah is Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council's Social Inclusion Officer.   She is new to the Council, having previously worked as an Education Officer in Respond! Housing Association.  Rebekah's work focuses on mainstreaming social inclusion principles within the local authority, and other County Development Board organisations. Rebekah chairs the ARD Co-ordination Committee, and is also involved in a range of other initiatives aimed at improving service provision for vulnerable groups in the County.

Ann Traynor – Ann represents the Community & Voluntary Forum on the ARD Co-ordination Committee, and is the Coordinator of Shanganagh Community Development Project (CDP), which has been operating in the Rathsallagh/Shanganagh area of the County for over a year. Shanganagh CDP seeks to work together to support, empower and validate the life experiences of the families of Shanganagh Estates, through a community development process.

Clodagh Beare was the ESOL Co-ordinator in the Dún Laoghaire VEC Adult Learning Centre, and in this capacity organised English classes at a variety of different levels, as well as offering FETAC accreditation at Levels 3 & 4.

Deirdre Baber, Senior Community Officer, Economic Development & Community Department, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council