TURNING DISADVANTAGE INTO ADVANTAGE

Summary of Talk Given by Dara Molloy

in Burren Outdoor Education Centre
Saturday November 2nd 1996
TO NETWORK OF CLARE DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES

My background:

1. Aisling Árann. My reason for going to live in Aran in 1985 was spiritual ñ to seek the desert where I could leave behind the systems of both Church and State. Other people also began to come during the years that followed. Reasons were similar. People wanted to avoid the consumer, materialist lifestyle, return to the earth, connect with Irish spirituality, heritage, tradition. Various initiatives emerged from it ñ Aisling Arann was founded as a company with charitable status and bought Killeany Lodge. This became a focus for people in their search for a new way of living, for justice, and for roots. The Aisling Magazine was founded in 1990. Many of these migrants to Aran are now involved in craftwork, or vegetable growing, or healthcare, or justice work. A number are also involved in giving talks and workshops to groups who come to the island.

2. Comharchumann Forbartha Inismór. This is a community co-operative on the island which represents the 800 people living there. Its function is to care for the needs of the local community ñ representing their interests with the Departments of government and elected representatives, creating employment, and strategically planning developments for the future. It is partially funded by Roinn na Gaeltachta. At present it administers a heritage Centre, organises waste management, lobbies for a better water supply, administers Government employment schemes, and is planning an enterprise centre and cultural centre. I am a committee member.

3. Kairos Europa. This is an international (European) networking organisation. Its focus is the communities of people whose lives are pushed to the margins by the dominant forces in European society. Its first task is to network with these people across Europe, mainly through organisations already in existence. e.g. migrant workers, refugees, rural communites, minority cultures, low-paid workers, etc. It has then set up programmes (3 year / 5 year) that provide a platform and amplification (metaphorically) for these people and their issues. In crossing the boundaries between one issue and another, Kairos works on the belief that the root causes of marginalisation in Europe are the same no matter how different the symptoms. I am a member of the international committee.

I recommend two books, both by Richard Douthwaite:

The Growth Illusion. How Economic Growth has Enriched the Few, impoverished the Many, and endangered the Planet. Lilliput Press. 1992
Short Circuit. Strengthening Local Economics for Security in an Unstable World. Lilliput Press. 1996.

For me, the key challenge is how to turn an apparent ëdisadvantageí into an advantage. As long as rural communities see themselves as ëdisadvantagedí they will be unlikely to have a positive outlook about their future, and may lose a lot of energy complaining and fighting against the system. Of course they are disadvantaged if their goal is to move more into the centre of the type of society that is dominant. But if their goal is to create an alternative society that is much better in their view than the dominant model, then being marginal to that dominant model gives them an advantage. If they have less to lose than most, then they are freer to be creative and imaginative with something new.

This latter is my perspective. My income, although I cannot be totally accurate about it because it is so hit and miss, would probably categorise me as severely disadvantaged. In other ways of course, even according to the dominant model, I am not, in that I have a full education, a wide range of skills, etc. However, financially I am practically off the edge of the income table. Nonetheless, by not having a full-time job, I have had time to do what I really want to do. I have been happy with a low income in order to do that. I have had time to build, with others, my own home. Unlike so many people, this home is really our own. It is not owed by the banks or any other lending organisation, and I will not be paying for the mortgage on it for the rest of my life. We built it over four years using local material, secondhand material, and voluntary labour. We spent money on it when we had it to spend.

Apart from the self-built house, we are practically self-sufficient in food, we do not have a car, or TV, and we limit our spending to essentials. In choosing this lifestyle, we require very little actual cash to make ends meet. What cash we need, we find we can earn enough through lots of little projects that come our way. We are not on the dole.

And yet we are not disadvantaged. Many people would be delighted to have a house with no mortgage. Even the wealthiest sometimes cannot buy the quality of meat, eggs, fish, milk, honey and vegetables that we have daily on our table. Apart from this, we have a site for our house that has a wonderful view in the heart of the country surrounded by all the beauties of nature.

The key to turning disadvantage into advantage in rural communities is in choosing a lifestyle that embraces:
1. Simple living
2. Self-production of essentials
3. Satisfying employment.

If these principles are taken on by a whole community, the opportunities for personal empowerment and participative democracy are multiplied exponentially.

To some extent, these principles are now being applied through the Comharchumann on Inis Mór. The vision at present is to promote:

1. small family-run businesses (rather than e.g. big hotels owned by outsiders)
2. good local democracy (through representation on the Comharchumann and other committees).
3. development of the local economy:
- our own supply of energy (through a large windmill)
- our own money recycled (through the Credit Union).
- our own food production (we have begun with organic vegetables).
- local control of:
a. the ferry companies (we plan to lease our own ferry)
b. tourism (we have now founded a tourism company Aran Direct with
offices to go in Kilronan and in Galway).

Finally, there is networking.

A lot can be achieved by joining forces with other people and groups who share a similar experience, understanding or vision. Networking is quite well developed in Ireland, and it is relatively easy to build up contacts and to gather information. These networks offer us:
1. personal support. We know we are not alone. Others too are experiencing the same
difficulties..
2. Opportunities to share. In our struggle we will have learned things which would be of help to
others. Sharing our story can be immensely helpful to another. Similarly, we will learn
ourselves, so new possibilities, and become more hopeful .
3. Through building or joining specific networks, we create for ourselves a platform and an
opportunity to have our voices heard. These networks are capable of bringing about real
change in society.

Some networks in which we are involved:

We have our own network through the AISLING magazine and an even larger mailing list. This network is maintained through regular communication by phone, letter, and personal visits. On occasions, people in the network organise events which bring groups of us together.

An important network for the island of Inis Mór is Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann. This is a network of island communities around Ireland. Its biggest success to date has been the awarding of a LEADER Programme to it last year. This means that EU funding has been given to the islands to be distributed through their own representation on a LEADER committee.

Gaeltacht Co-operatives are co-operatives set up by local communities within the Gaeltacht with specail funding from the Department of the Gaeltacht. Each of these has a local office and a full-time manager. These managers meet regularly to share their experience and to work together to improve their situation. Last year they were successful in lobbying for an increase in grant aid. For most of the co-ops, their annual grant was increased from £22,000 to £40,000.

Cumas Teoranta is an area partnership based in Connemara which distributes EU GLOBAL money. Our island is represented on it. This money is being directed towards training for employment and for social development among the disadvantaged sections of the community.

Irish Rural Link / Nasc Tuaithe na hÉireann is a network of community groups in rural Ireland. Based in Spiddal, it has been operating for a number of years. It participated in the recent National Agreement for Inclusion, Employment and Competitiveness Partnership 2000. This is the first time that community groups have been allowed to participate in these negotiations and represents a significant breakthrough and opportunity.

Part-Time Job Opportunities is an initiative of CORI (Conference of Religious of Ireland) with funding from the government. It is a pilot programme, with the islands one of the areas chosen. It has meant that we have been able to offer jobs to unemployed people in the area of their skill or expertise and to pay them the going rate for that work up to just above the dole amount per week. This means for example that a young man got a job doing computer work and was paid £8 an hour. Instead of working 20 hours on a FÁS scheme, he only had to work 10 hours on this programme to get the same money. He can also keep the job for 3 consecutive years (the length of the pilot programme).

The Debt and Development Coalition has shown how powerful a broad network of people can be in changing the policy of the Government. This coalition brought together all the groups involved in some way in Third World Issues. The coalitionís focus is Third World Debt and the policies of the Irish Government, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. They have been very successful in influencing the governmentís stance on these issues and have also had some success in confronting the other two world bodies.

Holistic Centres - this is a broad name for centres that are springing up constantly all over the country. They offer alternative therapies, spiritual practices, medicines, diets, spiritualities, as well as opportunities for personal growth, healing, and self-understanding. They represent a growing interest in personal development, healthy lifestyle, respect for nature, and inner healing. Unfortunately men do not attend them in great numbers.

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