The Integration Centre, in partnership with Waterford City Development Board, will facilitate the development of an Integration Strategy for the city in the coming months. The Strategy will form part of the Board’s ten year strategy for Economic, Social and Cultural Development 2002-2012.
Seamus O’Leary, Southeast Regional Officer with The Integration Centre said “the process to develop a long-term integration strategy will draw on the good work that has already been done by many groups and agencies in Waterford while offering a clear focus to future initiatives”.
In recent years, The Integration Centre has been directly involved in similar Integration Planning processes in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway, Wexford and Wicklow.
The Waterford City planning process will also be supported and overseen by an interagency steering committee comprised of representatives from Waterford City Council’s Social Inclusion Unit, Mount Sion Integration Support Unit (ISU), Waterford City Childcare Committee and Waterford Area Partnership. This committee acts as a subgroup of the Social Inclusion Measures (SIM) Group of Waterford City Development Board. Lar Power, Chair of the Social Inclusion Measures Committee, welcomed the funding from the Office of the Minister for Integration, which has made it possible to develop an Integration Strategy for Waterford City which will provide a framework for positive integration at a local level.
Speaking on the project, The Integration Centre CEO Killian Forde said “we are delighted to be involved in this process to develop a long-term integration strategy for Waterford City”.
“We welcome the fact the Waterford City Development Board have opted for a participatory and action-based planning methodology. This recognises the significant contribution minority communities make to wider society and underlines the importance in ensuring that all communities get opportunities to influence decision-making processes that have a direct impact on their day-to-day lives.”
This project also links to The Integration Centre’s integration monitoring work carried out in collaboration with the ESRI. The Centre has produced Ireland’s first national framework for the monitoring of integration - the “Annual Monitoring Report on Integration 2010”, which will be launched next month, and produced annually for the next three years. Such monitoring of immigrant experience allows government to address the issues of greatest concern, to maximise the benefits of diversity and to respond with a targeted approach.
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Contact: Helena Clarke on 01 645 3088 / 087-6325138; 1st and 2nd Floors, 18 Dame Street Dublin 2, helena.clarke@integrationcentre.ie, www.integrationcentre.ie
Editor’s note
The Integration Centre is committed to the integration and inclusion of people from immigrant backgrounds in Ireland. The Centre specialises in planning, monitoring and advocacy at city, local, national and international levels, and it also provides regionalized information, advice and training services. Evidence-based research influences positive change in legislation, policy and practice. We have more than 250 affiliated organisations as part of our network.