Agenda

1A Motion in the name of Councillor Conor Reddy

That the North West Area committee commends all those involved in the Inaugural Finglas Film Festival, held as part of Culture Night, with support from Dublin City Council and St Canices’ Church of Ireland. Based on the success of the initiative, the NWA Committee resolves to support:

(i)            Future film festivals in Finglas; with equipment and promotion (old and suboptimal equipment had to be used on the night due to budgetary constraints).

(ii)           Continued expansion of film and the arts in the community in collaboration with community and voluntary organisations. It is important that the lived experiences and realities of ordinary people are reflected in the arts. The arts offer a valuable creative outlet to people of all ages and an opportunity to develop skills with substantial value in the jobs market, particularly the growing Irish Film Industry.

(iii)          DCC support the organisers of the Film Festival in holding an intercultural film symposium in the NW Area aimed at strengthening inclusion and integration of people of all backgrounds in the North West Area.

1B Motion in the name of Councillor Conor Reddy

Gardaí, independent youth services and members of the community in Ballymun have reported a number of violent and criminal incidents involving young people in recent months. Members of the community have reported that statutory agencies (Gardaí, Túsla etc) have at times been unresponsive or delayed in their responses to these and other criminal incidents. Separately, NWA Committee notes that research commissioned by the Independent Youth Work Collective showed that “82% of the Independent youth work projects in Dublin said existing budgets for 2024 will have significant impact on young people in relation to service hours, programme delivery and staffing of programmes” and that the average gap in core funding across independent youth organisations in 2024 was 11.1%. NWA Committee believes that youth work plays an invaluable role in deterring and diverting young people from antisocial behaviour and crime.

The NWA Committee therefore resolves to:

1.    Write to the Chair of the Ballymun Implementation Board asking for an update to the Area Committee on the progress of the Board. The letter should ask that frontline independent and voluntary agencies (e.g. BRYR an BLDATF) are invited to subgroups of the Board as a matter of urgency.

2.    Write to Minister Roderick O’Gorman as requested by the Independent Youth Work Collective to request that core funding gaps for youth services be addressed and that capital investment be delivered in Ballymun and Finglas youth services as part of  a multipronged approach to divert young people from antisocial behaviour.

3.    Local youth services be invited to the NWA Meeting in the next 12 months to give a presentation on their work, the challenges, opportunities and successes they have experienced.

4.    Write to the Garda Commissioner asking for a review of resources in the Ballymun and Finglas area, noting public safety concerns of the community and those who work within it.

1C Motion in the name of Councillor Conor Reddy

That the North West Area committee notes the invaluable contribution of the Finglas Historical Society and others to preserving our community’s connection to our past and to important aspects of our shared cultural heritage. The Society have struggled with storage and exhibition space in the past and would benefit from a permanent home – either storage space or a permanent exhibition space or both. The NWA Committee resolves to engage with FHS during the lifecycle of the Finglas Improvement Scheme to explore the possibility of support for a permanent home for the society suitable to their needs and plans for growth.