SERGEANT COMMENDED FOR HIS WORK ON INTEGRATION
SERGEANT COMMENDED FOR HIS WORK ON INTEGRATION
05.01.12
Diverse Ireland Awards 2011 Hosted by The Integration Centre
Sergeant Laffan, of Anglesea Station in Cork, was amongst the winners of an award today (14/12/11) at the Diverse Ireland Awards 2011, held in the Mercantile hotel.
A host of celebrities, business people and politicians gathered in the capital to celebrate achievements in Diversity from around the country.
A number of noteworthy projects were highlighted; something according to The Integration Centre CEO Killian Forde “is more important now than ever.”
He continued “there is a lot of uncertainty in Irish life at the moment, we have always seen ourselves as a friendly nation but in the recent past we’ve been rocked by a number of controversies involving racism.”
“Today is about looking at the positive work being done by a large number of people; acknowledging and celebrating these efforts.”
Other winners included County Carlow Football Club – who worked alongside a number of organisations to welcome 15 Burmese families to the country. Having realized the newcommers enjoyed Cricket it was decided to revitalise the old Cricket club as part of the football club at a vastly reduced rate for the Rohingyans. Now they are part of a thriving club, made-up of both Irish and the Burmese, playing games all over Ireland.
Beloved actress Mary McEvoy also took time out of her busy schedule to present the best 'School' award. Kilcolgan Educate Together, Galway received the award for its diverse ethos of no child being left behind and the events it holds throughout the school year to promote positive attitudes towards interculturalism.
Sergeant Laffan received the best ‘Individual’ award for his efforts over the years to promote diversity in Cork and the surrounding counties.
Mr. Forde said of the Sergeant “He has the reputation of being someone newcomers to Ireland can reach out and this is because he works tireless with a number of groups to promote integration in the South. One his many achievements include re-launched the “Reporting Racism” initiative which provides victims of racially motivated crime with the opportunity to report an incident at a location and in an environment that they are both familiar and comfortable with.”
Other winners included Dublin Bus, Madina Asian Food Company, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD, Kilkenny County Council, Kilcolgan Educate Together Galway, Jennifer Hough of the Examiner, Fáilte Isteach, and Love Music Hate Racism.
Mr Forde finished by saying “none of this would have been possible without our expert panel of judges who dedicated their time to deciding the winners. The judging panel was made up of; Nora Owen - Former Minister of Justice and new TV3 host of Mastermind; Jim Power – Economist; and Dil Wickremasinghe - Newstalk Presenter.
“The awards today highlight the work being done around the country in individual projects. However leadership is needed from the government. Integration is one of the most pressing social needs in the country, The Integration Centre through its Roadmap to Integration has outlined a series of positive sustainable steps to ensure integration in Ireland, the government and statutory bodies need to start implementing this Roadmap.