Clifden parenting initiative shortlisted for a national award from AONTAS

A parenting initiative in Clifden has been shortlisted for a national award from AONTAS, the Irish national adult learning organisation. ‘Parents Learning Together Programme: Renovating Homes, Remaking Gardens, Renewing Targeted Communities’ was developed and organised by Tusla – Child and Family Agency. Participants who took part designed and completed projects in the their own homes; worked in groups to complete projects in the homes and gardens of other participants; carried out  community planting and held a community event to mark the end of the programme in Clifden Community Hall last year.

By uniquely allowing participants to learn in each other’s homes, the programme aims to improve family and community environments; develop social and peer supports, improve the knowledge and skills of participants and improve participants’ communication, confidence and group skills. Their children were also actively involved in planning and carrying out tasks.

Speaking on being notified of the programme’s success, Ursula McMorrow, Senior Family Support Worker, Tusla, said “We are thrilled and delighted to have been shortlisted for an AONTAS STAR Award. ‘Parents Learning Together Programme: Renovating Homes, Remaking Gardens, Renewing Targeted Communities’ is a unique initiative which has had very positive effects on the lives of people in Clifden. This is the seventh year the programme has been successfully run in different areas of Galway city and county. The nomination is testament to the commitment of all the participants in the programme, as well as the huge support we received from the wider local community.”

The programme is one of 22 initiatives shortlisted for an AONTAS STAR Award in the ‘Social Inclusion’ category. The AONTAS STAR Awards (Showcasing Teamwork, Awarding Recognition) celebrate the positive contribution that adult learning initiatives make to individual adult learners, local communities and wider society. An awards ceremony took place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, on Monday 6th March

The programme received support from a range of local agencies including FORUM Connemara, NDP, Pobal, Galway-Roscommon Education and Training Board, Cluid Housing and Kylemore Abbey and Gardens.

ENDS