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Local Community Groups
SICAP Goal 1 Community Development Team Supports
What is Community Development?
Community development is a process where community members come together and take collective action on issues which are important to them. Community development empowers community members and creates stronger and more connected communities.
What is the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP)?
The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018 – 2022 provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion at a local level through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies. The Programme assists both individuals and local community groups through targeted local led approaches.
The main aim of WAP/SICAP is to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality within Waterford City & County supporting communities and individuals using community development approaches, engagement and collaboration.
The Community Development Team work under Goal 1 which supports communities. The main aim of our work is to support communities and target groups to engage with relevant stakeholders in identifying and addressing social exclusion and equality issues, developing the capacity of Local Community Groups, and creating more sustainable communities.
Possible Supports from SICAP Community Development Team
Pre-Development and Group Formation
Assistance and Support Provided with:
- Initial formation of the group
- Assistance with the Development of Group Constitution
- Support with Initial Committee Meeting and Election of Officers
- Opening a bank account
- Taking an insurance policy
- Registration with the PPN
Outreach Work
- Leafleting
- Door to door contacts
- Facilitate Open meetings & Networking.
General community activities to raise awareness and recruit members (Family Fun Days, Health Promotion Days, community education courses etc.).
Capacity Building and Empowerment
Formal/Informal training and development support for the Group including:
Committee Skills including roles and responsibilities, conflict resolution, communication skills etc.
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Social Media
- Financial Monitoring and Control
- Getting to grips with the Charities Governance Code
- How to apply for Charitable Status
Support to participate in Local Area Networks,
Engagement with SICAP Funded Workshops/Events e.g.
(Arts Workshop, Halloween/Xmas Event, how to make policy submission, sustainable goals workshop etc)
Provision of practical training supports linked to group’s programme of activities youth leadership, child protection.
Strategic Involvement in Policy/Decision Making Structures
Support for delivery of projects in the local community (e.g. funding, access to training rather than direct involvement in delivering activities such as youth groups, homework clubs etc.).
Support for participation in decision making structures including
- one to one mentoring support to representatives,
- assistance with feeding back to groups on the ground and
- assistance to input to local strategies and plans.
Support for the delivery of cross-community projects and policy initiatives
One to one mentoring support to representatives.
Assistance around communicating between national and local arenas and feeding back to groups on the ground.
Assistance with policy submissions and other initiatives to influence policy.
Community Based Social Enterprises
SICAP Supports to Community Based Social Enterprises
A Social Enterprise is an enterprise whose objective is to achieve a social, societal or environmental impact, rather than maximising profit for its owners or shareholders.
It pursues its objectives by trading on an ongoing basis through the provision of goods and/or services, and by reinvesting surpluses into achieving social objectives.
It is governed in a fully accountable and transparent manner and is independent of the public sector. If dissolved, it should transfer its assets to another organisation with a similar mission.
WAP/SICAP provides supports to Local Community Groups that have established or are considering establishing a Social Enterprise that provides benefits to their community.
Supports include;
- Social Enterprise mentoring
- Enterprise training; idea generation, business planning, marketing
- Governance training
- Networking
WAP/SICAP established the Waterford Social Enterprise Network (WSEN) to provide a participative and collaborative space for Social Enterprises and Social Entrepreneurs that supports the development of Social Enterprises in Waterford City & County.
Support to Community and Voluntary Organisations with Tus Work Placements
Waterford Area Partnership/Tus Programme works with Community and Voluntary Organisations to provide quality work opportunities in the delivery of services. (The participants on the Tus Scheme will be sourced by the Department of Social Protection and must be continuously unemployed for at least 12 months, signing on a full time basis and in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit or Jobseekers Allowance).
Work opportunities within Communities/Organisations will be selected that:
1. Do not displace existing commercial activity or duplicate service provision by another agency
2. Is of sufficient quality
3. Makes a meaningful contribution within communities
4. Supports voluntary effort
