Unemployment in West Cork
There are almost 500,000 people unemployed in the country and approximately 9,000 on the Live Register in West Cork. There are very limited services for unemployed people with just one Fàs office in the whole of West Cork. There are no Job Clubs, Job support services or Unemployment Resources centres and all of these are vital to a region like ours with so many people unemployed.
Because of the lack of support and services a group of unemployed people in the Bantry area decided to take responsibility for themselves and set up Return to Employment Action Programme (REAP). This group meet every Thursday morning at 10:30 in The Attic Youth Café, Marino Street Bantry.
The aim of the group is to facilitate people to come together in order to support each other to become employed.
The objectives of the group are:
Ø Identify the type of support that is needed
Ø Establish any training requirements
Ø Motivate ourselves into employment
Ø Conduct regular meetings
Ø Continually make people aware of the Group and what it is about
Ø Involve local community organisations and employers
Ø Undertake projects to improve opportunities for unemployed in the locality
The group was set up in early September and to date have started projects such as an ‘Ideas Box’ which is an initiative to seek ideas from the local community on job creation, job opportunities, ideas for solving unemployment locally and any ideas for new business. These boxes and forms were placed in locations throughout the locality and the response was very positive. This initiative is now being taken to local employers and when all the ideas are compiled they will be put on the web site.
Another project is the setting up of a web which should be up and running soon. This will allow people to use the site as a social networking for the unemployed and everyone would be encouraged to use the forum.
REAP hopes it can get funding so that an Unemployment Resource Centre can be set up in every town in West Cork. An Unemployment Resource Centre would offer a wide range of services to the local community which would provide much needed practical support, advice, guidance and information relating to employment and training. This together with peer support will in turn give hope and confidence to people in their search for employment. With a service like this people would have a better chance of gaining employment or setting themselves up in business. For a small amount of funding the rewards to the community would be huge and measurable.
The Bantry model of REAP can be duplicated in other towns around West Cork and the Bantry group are happy to lend any support or advice that is needed.
REAP meet every Thursday morning at 10:30 in The Attic Youth Café, Marino Street Bantry and everyone is welcome. If you would like any further information contact Eileen on 086 3696057 or Richard on 086 2801002
