Community organisations and workers have announced a major public meeting to discuss the threat to vital services across the county, under the banner Together, We Are Community which will take place in The Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry, County Galway, on Thursday, 6th November from 8.00pm.
The event will bring together community workers, local organisations, service providers and service users from across Galway to highlight the growing threats to the community sector, including chronic funding uncertainties, the erosion of job security and the risk to vital services upon which thousands depend.
Speaking ahead of the event, Galway Together, We Are Community Co-ordinator and Rural Social Scheme Supervisor, Sean Larkin, said: “The community sector plays a central role in Irish society. It delivers essential supports ranging from after-school programmes for children, to family resource centres, services for older people, addiction supports, community health projects, training and employment schemes, maintenance of local community and sports facilities, and initiatives to tackle isolation and poverty. Despite this vital work, many services remain in limbo due to short-term funding, leaving both staff and communities uncertain about their future.”
He added: “This is the second large-scale meeting of its kind, following from a hugely successful public meeting in Tralee last month. The community sector plays a pivotal role in delivering essential services on behalf of the State, yet it continues to operate in a climate of insecurity. Our message is clear: without stability and adequate support, the services and jobs that sustain communities are in jeopardy. This meeting is an opportunity for workers, service users and organisations to come together with public representatives to demand real action.”
Galway Community Activist and SIPTU Organiser, Clem Shevlin, said: “Community sector workers are under immense pressure. They deliver critical services every day, supporting families in crisis, providing safe spaces for young people, keeping older people connected and ensuring vulnerable members of society are not left behind. Yet many of these workers are in precarious jobs, struggling with low pay and uncertainty about whether their service will even exist next year. This is a sector under threat, but it is also a sector of immense value to society. The time for piecemeal promises is over; communities deserve better.”
The Galway meeting is the second of a series of events to be held nationwide aimed at building momentum for a strong, united campaign to secure the future of the community sector. The Together, We Are Community campaign is supported by the SIPTU Community Sector.