Local Government Education Programme

INTRODUCTION

As part of our wider efforts to increase the participation of women and individuals from diverse communities in local politics, Fingal County Council, with support from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has developed a Local Government Education and Mentoring programme which will provide knowledge, guidance and support those interested in becoming elected members of the Council or helping others to get elected to the Council.

Fingal County Council has partnered with Sher Her Elected, the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University and the current political groupings on Fingal County Council to create a two-phase programme that is geared towards raising the number of female candidates and candidates from diverse communities contesting seats on Fingal County Council at the 2024 Local Elections.

The online course will commence on Tuesday, January 10 with each module running from 7pm to 8pm. They will commence with a presentation followed by a question and answers sessions in which participants will be encouraged to participate.

The schedule for the course is:

•           January 10 –  An Introduction to Politics in Ireland

•           January 17 – The Importance of Inclusion in Local Government

•           January 24 – The Council

•           January 31 – Finding Your Political Home

THE PROGRAME

The programme is in two phases.

The first is the educational phase and comprises of four modules.

• Module 1: An introduction to Irish Politics

Presented by a Professor Gary Murphy from the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University, this module will deal with the structure of Irish democracy, the make-up of the Irish political landscape and the importance of Local Government.

• Module 2: The importance of inclusion in Local Government

Presented by Mairead O’Shea, Communications Manager with See Her Elected and Fingal County Council Integration Officer, Valerie McAllorum Byrne, this module will explain why more women and people from diverse backgrounds are needed in Local Government.

• Module 3: The Council

Presented by Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Howard Mahony, and the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, this module will explain how Fingal County Council works and will also give an insight into the role of a Councillor.

• Module 4: Finding your political home.

The purpose of this module is to allow course participants an opportunity to hear a five-minute pitch from each of the political groupings on Fingal County Council on why they should consider joining up with them. The political groupings on Fingal County Council at present are: Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, The Labour Party, Green Party, Sinn Féin, Social Democrats, Independents4Change, Socialist Party (Solidarity), and Independents

The modules are being recorded and are available to all participants below.

Following the completion of the final module of the Education phase, participants will be encouraged to reach out to the political grouping they feel most connected to. At this point, Fingal County Council’s involvement in the process will end and the political groupings will take over and work with the participants who have contacted them to develop them into potential candidates or election workers for the 2024 Local Elections.

WEBINAR RECORDINGS