Orla Gallagher

Grateful for the opportunity to get involved in another PAI Review, this time exploring the human side of innovation and dissecting mental health challenges along the road to driving change. Check out the full edition below!

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Such an opportunity. 

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Cork Business Association has submitted key recommendations for the revised National Planning Framework (NPF). The key recommendation made by CBA is that if Cork is to achieve the ambitious growth targets set out at a national level there needs to be support in the NPF for key growth enabler projects such as the Events Centre, without embedding this in national policy objectives achieving the targeted growth will be difficult. The CBA also recommended the following:  1. A return to ambitious 60% population growth targets.  2. A housing policy reset, focusing on brownfield sites like Cork City & Tivoli Docks and addressing some of the barriers to achieving immediate housing delivery (the relocation of the Port of Cork and Gouldings as a national priority)  3. Sustainable transport solutions, including Light Rail & BusConnects. Let’s ensure Cork thrives as a dynamic urban center! #NPF #CorkGrowth #SustainableCork Irish Planning Institute Darragh O'Brien TD Jack Chambers Office of Public Works Clara O'Neill Simon Coveney

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In today’s The Irish Times I write about the missed opportunity (and worse) that is the Governments Free Hot School Melas Programme.  * I believe free school meals are an important tool in tackling food poverty and have the potential to improve child health (and there is lots of evidence to support this). Having a good school meal programme is a good government policy.  * a school meal programme could provide nutritious freshly cooked food to children daily while supporting local economies and Irish food producers. At the very least, it should not harm the environment or health.  * the programme being rolled out generates huge amounts of packaging waste, and meals are being served that don’t meet the Government’s own nutrition standards and include highly processed foods. * the most vulnerable children living in poverty need and deserve school meals. It has tangible benefits in terms of school attendance and educational performance, it can reduce inequalities. But being poor does not mean you deserve less than wholesome nutritious food.  * if the state feeds people with public money, it should feed them well and do no harm. #foodpolicy #schoolfood #irishfood #sustainablefood #sustainablefoodsystems  https://lnkd.in/e8y_ZCiv

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SDG Week is back! The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and Libraries Ireland are hosting Ireland’s third Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) week from 20-29 September 2024, in conjunction with European Sustainable Development Week (ESDW).   The SDGs work towards ambitions such as an end to poverty, access to decent work, sustainable consumption, protection of nature, better health and wellbeing, universal access to education, gender equality, climate action, and peaceful societies. To take part in SDG week, organise an event – no matter how big or small – or highlight an activity or project that promotes sustainable development and join the annual week of action for the SDGs.   For more information on sustainable development, SDG week and ideas for taking part please see www.gov.ie/sdgs/ Please register your event at https://www.esdn.eu/esdw SDGs - the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all #SDGsirl #ESDW2024 #

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Webinar today 1pm. where we will be focusing on the governance failures of the Irish State Broadcaster - RTE, with Co Founder and Chair of The Corporate Governance Institute, David W Duffy. Join us for this webinar to understand the important role that you can play in improving governance on a board. Register now to secure your place: Register now: https://lnkd.in/evbs6pSx #CorporateGovernance #Leadership #Webinar

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Great opportunities

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As General Election 2024 gets underway, PEMI - Professional Educators and Managers Ireland calls on all political parties to: Formally recognise ECEC as a profession in its own right (not childcare and early learning, not an industry, a sector or a business) - Formally recognise ECEC as an integral aspect of the Educational Continuum - Address Recruitment and Retention as a matter of urgency. Stem the flow of qualified educators (currently 24.5%) through professional remuneration in line with qualifications and experience - Commit multi-annual funding for professional salaries - Establish a single unitary inspection system - Legislate for all childrens' right to quality early childhood education and care from birth (not from age three) - Increase investment to 1% of GPD (currently stands at 0.5%) Full details available at the following link: <iframe src="https://lnkd.in/eQ4dmAw3"></iframe> Simon Harris Micheál Martin Roderic O'Gorman Ivana Bankovic Peadar Tóibín Newstalk RTE Kieran Cuddihy Crann Support Group Live 95.5 Alison Nulty Lelia Murphy Naomi Keoghan Byrne mick kenny

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Our new report titled ‘Embracing Diversity in all its Forms’: The Voluntary Secondary Sector in Irish Education examines the contribution of the voluntary secondary sector to the Irish education system, taking a holistic view of what schools are doing and how they are doing it.   💡 Learn more about the report: https://lnkd.in/egey-46y   📄 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/ePr5mChz

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listen to the last episode in the current series #CloseToHome which looks to the future and the strategies we need to develop community and policy responses to Domestic Violence . Department of Justice Denise Charlton

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A key skill for any leader is to be able to tell a compelling story. Our colleagues at We Act are running a free webinar series on all aspects of storytelling. So whether it’s the process of telling a story or the different ways to create your personal brand (marketing) the free series is a must watch. It’s also free! #nonprofitleadership #irishnonprofits #irishleaders #leadershipacademy

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Professional supervision is core to good practice. Having a professional space outside of your organisation can be difficult in practice to get the balance of case management vs progress and personal development. It is great to see SAFE space to explore all areas of the working life. Moving from defensive practices to reflective practices

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I was delighted to attend this Ibec debate and to articulate the common ground between different sectoral interests, such as - Ensuring E.U regulation acts as a driver of higher standards and innovation rather than an inhibitor. - - Informed by recent discussion with SIPTU and The Labour Party colleagues, I also cautioned against any simplistic notion that workers rights and the need for high quality jobs with proper terms and conditions could be sacrificed in the name of reducing costs. - Especially when more sustainable ways of achieving competitiveness and productivity can be achieved like ● utilising the European single market to enhance competition in areas such as banking and energy; ● Making Galway and the Midlands North West a great place to live and work through regional investment in affordable housing, public infrastructure including public transport, and high quality public services for all with a focus on vulnerable groups such as children and adults with disabilities and their carers and older people. Vote Landy No.1 on June 7th

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It is so important to have you say in this important consultation. Get involved by completing the online survey and/or participate in a focus group discussion.

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It’s great to see that the The Labour Party's General Election manifesto has a strong focus on Ireland’s creative industries and independent production sector. Their commitment to increasing Screen Ireland's budget is welcome and it will ensure the continued development of indigenous production and talent in the industry. Labour's commitment to fully implement the AVSMD Content levy at a rate of 5% is very important to the industry, this can fund important, culturally rich programming, which would showcase Irish stories and the Irish language. The manifesto also addresses public service broadcasting. SPI welcomes the commitment to ensure that a robust funding system is maintained for RTÉ and TG4 and the commitment to review the current RTÉ settlement in its final year.  Finally, SPI welcomes their support of Section 481 and their commitment to ensuring the incentive's international competitiveness. This manifesto has a positive vision for the future of Irish storytelling, creativity, and culture. #CreativeEconomy #IrishFilm #IndependentProduction

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If you have returned to Ireland (or are planning to return) and have the ambition to start your own business then Back for Business could be just what you need to give your business plans a kick-start. Back for Business is a free business start-up initiative supported by the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and designed for enterprising returning Irish emigrants. It is run by renowned business mentor Paula Fitzsimons the woman behind acclaimed business start-up schemes such as Going for Growth and Acorns, and is based on the round table model facilitated by Lead Entrepreneurs. It is open to men and women, regardless of sector, who have been out of Ireland for at least a year and returned in the last three years. They can be advanced in their plans to set up a new business or have recently started to trade, with no sales occurring before 2022. The five-month programme addresses the challenges that all early-stage entrepreneurs face in starting and developing a business, with a particular focus on the additional barriers and challenges faced by those who have been out of the country for some time. It also includes a big emphasis on supporting the development on your network within Ireland. Back for Business is currently accepting applications, and anyone interested should register their interest on www.backforbusiness.com and they will be sent a link to the application form. Closing date is 16th January. Having served as a Lead Entrepreneur with both Continuing the Momentum and Acorns Plus, I know just how transformative these schemes can be. So I would highly recommend Back for Business to any returned emigrant with dreams of starting up their own business. Please share this with anyone this might be of interest to- it is a terrific initiative and deserves to be widely known.

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Calling all #Sustainability Professionals! If you are a Sustainability Officer / Manager or Operations Manager, or are otherwise involved in corporate sustainability reporting, I would be very grateful if you would help contribute to my research into corporate sustainability reporting behaviour in Irish companies and how it impacts environmental performance. This research is part of my Masters dissertation in Management for Sustainable Development in Dublin City University (DCU), and this short, anonymous survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Please feel free to share with any relevant sustainability connections who may be able to contribute. 🔗 The link to the survey is here: 👇 https://lnkd.in/ebhZVvHe Many thanks! #sustainability #reporting #CSRD #CSRreport #ESG #EnvironmentalPerformance

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Equivalent to £42.8m for NI (pro-rata). A lot more than Arts Council NI #funding (£9.7m ex capital in 2023/24)… but many forget that NI arts organisations have access to UK wide Trusts & Foundations (second largest market in the world); and have benefited from other funds (e.g. Dormant Accounts; NI Screen; National Lottery; DfC; Levelling Up; Council Funds; Certain Tax Reliefs etc). So it’s not an exact comparison… It’s not just #Arts funding though, Ireland make much of their festivals; and civic buildings which can be used for arts. They’ve also a growing philanthropic sector and have public bodies more able to invest. It’s only down the road, so there’s no excuse for NI arts organisations not to explore opportunities further. Virtual offices in a growing mass of connected hubs can be got cheaply, and IRL tenders can be freely accessed. A search friendly website and good reputation helps; and it’s never too early to start relationship building. All attainable. Just need to start.

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Very interesting that at the Department of Rural and Community Development Civic Forum this morning, twice the issue of over-reliance on a few volunteers, volunteer burnout and struggle to recruit volunteers has come up. It’s a National and international trend that we’re very worried about at Volunteer Ireland. So what’s the answer? Where do I begin… 1. Resource government initiatives that rely on volunteers adequately. 2. Question if a volunteer role should actually be a paid job, especially if it used to be a paid job! 3. Support organisations to look at how they can introduce flexibility and break volunteer roles into smaller tasks. 4. Support organisations to be more inclusive in their volunteer programme, to cast their net wider and engage new people as volunteers. 5. Fund government initiatives and programmes that rely on volunteers, to properly recruit, support, train and manage volunteers.

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