Background: Internationally, the number of young people who experience significant mental health issues is increasing. It is argued that flexible, community-based initiatives can help support mental health services to address the mental health needs of young people. Youth mentoring is a community-based model, which has been found to act as a…

Increased scholarly and practitioner attention has been paid to community gardens and their potential impact on community building and sustainability, as well as a tool to combat the decline in physical and mental well-being connected to childhood obesity. Specifically, community gardens may play a role in on families' eating habits, and there is…

Objective: The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is part of the cultural fabric of Irish society with a club in almost every community nationwide. The aim of this project was to carry out a pilot evaluation of the GAA Healthy Club Project (HCP), which is a unique effort by a national governing body to include health as part of the core business of…

Adult education is under-researched and when quality is researched it is based on summative assessment, having implications for both policy and practice. Courses which deal with parenting often measure progress in this manner, missing out on the experience of learners. The present study uses conventional content analysis to examine the positive…

The changing social and economic landscape across European Member States and beyond has had a disproportionate effect on older adults. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than among the "buffer generation" of men caught between the silent, strong, austere masculinity of their forefathers and contemporary society--progressive, open and…

Aim: To document the views of family members of people with an intellectual disability regarding implementation of a personalized model of social support in Ireland. Method: Forty family members participated in six focus groups. Data were thematically analysed. Results: Family members' preference for particular types of living arrangements were…

One of the central principles underpinning Irish intellectual disability policy is that of decongregation. Allied to this is the belief that life in community settings offers greater opportunities and richer experiences than does life in institutional settings. This study explores the experiences of a group of adults with intellectual disabilities…

This paper provides an in-depth analysis into two case studies aimed at addressing the digital divide in two developing countries. A detailed description is provided for each case study along with an analysis of how successful the two projects were at addressing the digital divide in Siyabuswa, South Africa and Ennis, Ireland. The two case studies…

Recent years have revealed local government to be a fundamental stakeholder in the development of arts and music communities. This article provides a context for an exploration and study of the issues, themes and dilemmas that surround local government and music communities. In particular the article provides this examination from an Irish…

This paper aggregates the academic literature reviewing and reporting interventions for out-of-school children (OOSC) around the world to serve as a guide for potential interventions in South Asia and elsewhere. It complements the Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children (OOSCI) South Asia Regional Study (2014). Thus the interventions reviewed…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on a number of initiatives in civil engineering undergraduate programmes at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) that allow students to complete engineering projects in the community, enabling them to learn by doing. Design/methodology/approach: A formal commitment to civic engagement was…

This article is an account of a return to education course set up to cater to the needs of recovering heroin addicts in a Dublin rehabilitation project in the summer of 2008. It begins with a brief outline of the HSE Soilse rehabilitation and recovery programme and the rationale for seeking association with the Department of Adult and Community…

The familiar advertising slogan, "Up here it's different," used to attract visitors to the rugged beauty of County Donegal, was correct in highlighting that things are different in Donegal, although not for the reasons one might connect with tourism. For many, Donegal evokes nostalgic images of old, rural Ireland such as close community…

Traces 22-year development of counseling into an established profession in Ireland, paying particular attention to pertinent training courses that have emerged in 1980s. Examines the practice of community counseling. Claims the evolution of a professional association for community counselors has not yet been established, and collaborative…

A discussion of community uses of radio in Ireland. (HB)