Laois Integration Network (LIN) and Laois Local Authority Integration Team (LAIT) are organising a joint inclusivity initiative to explore ways to build inclusive, welcoming communities in Laois.
The initiative, called ‘Community as a Superpower’, will be held on Tuesday, June 17, and will comprise of a two-part seminar to be held in Portlaoise Parish Centre. Both events are free and can be booked on Eventbrite.ie.
The first session is called ‘Building the Welcome’ and will be held from 1.30pm to 4pm. It will bring together national and local stakeholders, showcasing best practices in integration and will include keynote speaker, Teresa Buczkowska, CEO, Immigrant Council of Ireland.
Free tickets for ‘Building the Welcome’ are available here.
The second is on from 5pm to 6.30pm and is called ‘Building an Inclusive Vision for Laois Workshop’.
This seminar will be facilitated by Niamh McDonald from an organisation called ‘Hope and Courage’ – a national civil society organisation that works to stop hate organising in our communities and workplaces.
‘Building an Inclusive Vision for Laois Workshop’ will focus on the practical aspects of inclusive community organising, including a short movie screening of the Laois community response welcoming Ukrainian Refugees in 2023.
Free tickets for the second seminar are available here.
Speaking ahead of the event, Carmel McNicholl, Acting Director of Service, Community and Integration, Climate and Environment said Laois is a county that “welcomes new arrivals, and we are delighted to be able to celebrate the hard work of various organisations and communities that make this welcome possible.”
‘Community as a Superpower’ is part of Laois Refugee Week (June 13 to 22), the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
LAIT, in collaboration with various council departments and community organisations, have arranged a variety of events to mark the week.
Portlaoise is one of the most culturally diverse towns in Ireland with one in five Portlaoise people being non-Irish. A total of 94 nationalities living in Laois speaking 57 languages.
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