Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) members – Ireland’s 49 Local Development Companies (LDCs) are reaching out to Communities across the Country to ensure that people are assisted in ‘Staying Connected’ through Level 5 of the Government plan for Living with COVID-19.
ILDN members are active participants in the Government’s ‘Keep Well’ Campaign which is focused on five main themes, including ‘Staying Connected’. ILDN member LDC’s are offering programmes which fall under this category across the Country through their many programmes including the ‘Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP).
Keeping contact and reaching out to vulnerable and isolated individuals and communities is part of the ethos and culture of LDCs and the programmes they deliver. This has continued throughout the pandemic in a range of different ways across the Network. Befriending services and companionship programmes feature amongst some of the examples of outreach connection services offered by LDCs.
Many ILDN members are offering a range of digital skills services to assist individuals and communities to develop the capacity and the hardware needed to stay connected digitally. Online tutorials, language classes as well as specialised training for parents, farmers, travellers, and other groups are examples of some of the online resources offered by LDC’s as part of the ‘Staying Connected’ Campaign.
LDC’s are also ensuring that participants are entertained as well as connected. With a nod to the popular RTÉ daytime programme ‘Live at Three’, one particular LDC is hosting its own Live@3 show online via Zoom while another is offering a Zoom Singalong. ILDN advise individuals who wish to participate in staying connected to contact their local LDC.
