CAVAN CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNITY (4C) LAUNCHED AT HOTEL KILMORE
The Cavan Cross Cultural Community (4C), a multicultural network funded by Breffni Integrated CLG in cooperation with Cavan County Council, had its formal launch at Hotel Kilmore on the 24th of November. About 180 members and guests represented over 20 countries which include Bangladesh, Brazil, Congo, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldova, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Sudan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
The Guest Speakers at the launch were Cavan County Mayor Madeleine Argue, Latvian Ambassador to Ireland His Excellency Ambassador Janis Silis, Lithuanian Ambassador to Ireland His Excellency Ambassador Egidijus Meilunas, Head of Cavan Public Participation Network and Councillor Daniel Downey, Chairperson to the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Ms. Anastasia Crickley, Ms Yasmin Kutub of the Migrant Centre Ireland Crossing Borders and Breaking Barriers Project, and Gráinne Boyle of the Social Inclusion Unit of Cavan County Council. 4C Chairperson Stanley Nwaneri and Executive Committee Member Donata Simonaitiene who emceed the programme spoke about 4C.
Also in attendance were Cavan County Councillors Winston Bennett and Peter McVitty, Social Inclusion Unit Emer Coveney, Cavan County Council Peace 4 Project Manager Theresa Tierney, Jane Crudden of the Peace 4 Project Breffni Integrated CLG., Hazel Leahy, Project Co-ordinator, Pamela Carney, Mediation Worker, Board Members Helen O’Reilly, and Chairperson, Michéal Grennan.
The Irish National Anthem was sung by Lithuanian-Irish girl Shannon Coyle followed by performances from multicultural band Dolce Strings, a Filipino-French song by 2018 Junior Eurovision First Runner Up Winner from the Philippines Shaniah Rollo, a Polish dance and modified song by Hug Me Poland Theatre Group of the Polish School in Cavan, a Eurovision Lithuanian song entry by the Lithuanian School, and 3 dances from the Latvian Dance Group Varaviksne.
The elected officers of 4C are:
Chairman: Stanley Nwaneri (Africa)
Secretary: Vanda Brady (Philippines)
Treasurer: Vita Yuricha (Ukraine)
Agnieszka Adamska (Poland)
Donata Simonaitiene (Lithuania)
Marisa Goldstone-Leavold (South Africa)
4C is an Association incorporating all individuals interested in multicultural development and integration in a community setting. It provides a representative platform that will empower and support people to engage and participate through training, development and information provision in order to promote integration and influence policy at local level, foster mutual respect and celebrate diverse cultures.
Its main objectives are (DIASPORA)
* Develop a vibrant network of multicultural communities
* Integrate and celebrate the diversity of different cultures
* Accommodate and facilitate social networking opportunities
* Support and build capacity of local community groups
* Promote the voice of new communities and influence local and national policy
* Open the door to effective and varied training opportunities
* Research the needs of local communities
* Act as a co-ordinated network to serve its communities.
HOW IT STARTED
On March 2018, Kate Ennals and Una Traynor were tasked by Breffni Integrated CLG in co-operation with Cavan County Council to facilitate the development of a Multicultural Network for County Cavan. This was an opportunity for ethnic minorities in Cavan to get involved, develop their own skills and capacity with a view to influencing local policy and to let Cavan have a strong and diverse representation in the country.
4C, which had 8 member societies at that time, participated in the programme of activities from April to July 2018 which included the formulation of the multicultural network’s Aims and Objectives and Vision, Committee Roles and Constitution, Steering Group Meeting, Establishing a Work Programme, Specific Actions, Performance Indicators and Training Needed, Structuring the Launch or Culminating Event Seminar, and Finalising the Running of the Launch of 4C, which was successfully implemented on the 24th of November 2018.
CURRENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS
4C has since participated in the Christmas Multicultural Market 2017, St. Patrick’s Day 2018, Taste of Cavan in August 2018, Cultural Weekend September 2018, GAA Peace IV Project on Building Greater Community Integration and Cohesion Cultural Entertainment at the Cavan County Final 2018, and the EU-Funded Loreto School “The Architecture of Society” in October 2018. It has a weekly show on Cavan Online Radio which features lively discussions with various community members, announcements, and multicultural music. It also has a monthly TV show on Cavan TV.
Apart from participating in the Cavan Christmas Market in December, 4C is also preparing for future cultural events, fundraising and training projects, and will focus on Migrant Issues. For more information on the Cavan Cross Cultural Community (4C), go to www.cavan4c.ie.