Wexford Co. Council and Wexford Local Development held an event hosted in Templeshannon Community Centre to mark the official launch of the SICAP 2024-2028 programme. SICAP (Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme) is managed at a local level by the Local Community Development Committee, with support from Wexford County Council, and actions are delivered in communities by Wexford Local Development. SICAP is a National Programme, and it is the governments primary social inclusion intervention.
SICAP supports disadvantaged communities and individuals including unemployed people, people living in deprived areas, people with disabilities, single parent families, people on low income, International Protection Applicants, Refugees, members of the Traveller and Roma communities and other disadvantaged groups. The target groups of the programme are predefined nationally.
Wexford Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) have chosen 3 “Local Priority Target Groups” for a specific focus for the duration of this new programme which are:
· People living in disadvantaged communities
· People impacted by educational disadvantage
· Travellers
SICAP is currently delivered by Wexford Local Development through a team of professional Social Inclusion and community workers who work alongside local communities in collaboration with several different agencies with a focus on targeting those who are most disadvantaged in our communities in Wexford. It is a targeted, holistic programme for those groups and individuals who are most disadvantaged and less likely to connect with mainstream services.
SICAP has been active in County Wexford for a number of years, and this is the third iteration of the programme. WLD have successfully delivered the predecessor programmes and will be responsible for the delivery of this new programme for the next 5 years.
Martin Collins, Co-director of Pavee Point Roma and Traveller Centre, spoke about the impact of poverty and exclusion on the Traveller and Roma communities. He spoke about the ongoing racism experienced by the Traveller Community and the importance
of raising awareness and addressing the devastating impact of racism and discrimination on people’s lives.
Sharon Murphy Pre-school home liaison officer with FAB shared her experience of poverty experienced by the children and families in the FAB area who access the community childcare facilities there. “We are working with many families who have experienced intergenerational unemployment, substance misuse & educational disadvantage. Sharon went on to say “resources urgently need to be invested in early years services to support children and families who are experiencing multiple challenges. Many children accessing our services are hungry; food poverty is a very real issue”.
Seamus Whitney from Enniscorthy East Side Development group spoke about his experience of using community development approaches to address inequality in his community in Templeshannon and the importance of people coming together to have their voices heard and working together to be part of the solutions to some of the issues locally. Over the past year a new youth group has been established in Templeshannon which has already won a national award, but both youth and community work rely on a huge commitment from both volunteers, as well as agencies and community workers.
For more information on SICAP visit https://www.wld.ie/social-inclusion-community-activation-programme-sicap/
