The first of the Inishowen Smart Village training, which commenced in January in the Clonmany Area is almost complete.  Following on from work started through the Envision consultations, the Smart Village Plan is an opportunity to have your community groups, sports club, activities, or a project included in the local area plan.  Inishowen Development Partnership are pleased to announce the next two areas that this free training will be offered in are Carndonagh and Buncrana! and the good news is that, due to the relaxation in restrictions, the training is set to commence in-person at the IDP offices in Buncrana and at Spraoi & Sport offices in Carndonagh.   

Aine McLaughlin, Community Development Officer at Inishowen Development Partnership, says, “this is a fantastic way to highlight what is happening in your area and collectively showcase the many community initiatives that we know are out there around Inishowen.  We have received great feedback from the previous participants, with lots of excellent discussions, collaboration, and goal setting”.   

As one participant recently commented “this has been a great space and place to think out loud about the area.  We can look at what’s here already, identify where are the gaps and where we simply need to ‘join the dots’.  I would certainly recommend this training and hopefully, the portal will help us to gather all the information in one place so we can all access what we need if doing a funding application or making a case for investment”.

The programme will consist of three sessions, facilitated by Carlene Lyttle and each session will introduce a new key topic, which will guide participants through the process of creating a “Smart Village Plan” for their area.  Carlene explains, “In Clonmany, so much is going on in so many different directions, having a plan and tools to get things moving in the one direction is needed. The Smart Village training and plan will improve the area for the local community”.  The Carndonagh training will start on Thursday 10^th March (10-1pm) and Buncrana will begin on Tuesday 15^th March (10.30-1pm).

Smart Villages is a national programme and is being delivered under LEADER in 2022.  Smart Villages are communities in rural areas that use innovative solutions to improve their resilience, building on local strengths and opportunities.  The Smart Village Curriculum compiled by eTownz, is a modular and pragmatic approach to local development, where the town creates an interactive register for its local Assets, Stakeholders, Goals, Projects, and Metrics.  CEO of eTownz, Pat Kennedy says “The Smart Village approach seeks to bring together local knowledge and digital tools to empower local communities”.   

You can register through via website or visit http://training.etownz.ie/Inishowen/

For further information or queries about Smart Village Training, contact Aine by email [email protected] or Tel: (086) 1028846.