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Galway City Community Network
The Public Participation Network in Galway City

1st May 2020
Below please find:

Info and Updates
  • School Transport Refunds  - here
  • Vodafone Donates Phones to ALONE - here
Services and Support
  • Supports from Youth Work Ireland Galway - here
  • Vodafone Tech Advice Line Information For Older People - here
Open Calls
  • Build a Box Challenge - here
  • Volunteer With Aware - here
  • Young People Of Ireland,
    Have your Say! - here



Stay up to date on GCCN website


Courses and Resources
  • Taking Care of Physical and Mental Wellbeing PDF - here
  • Getting Started KIT: Smartphones & Applications - here
  • Resources for People With Disabilities - here
  • Resources for People Living With Sight Loss - here
  • Free Life-writing Course For People Cocooning - here
  • Online Library Resources - here
Other News
  • Research Programmes to Tackle COVID-19 Issues - here
  • Improvement in Air Quality due to COVID-19 Lockdown - here
Info and Updates
Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh T.D. and Minister for ...School Transport Refunds 
Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh T.D. and the Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development John Halligan have announced that families will receive refunds for school transport fees for periods of schools closures. See more here.


Vodafone Donates Phones to ALONE
For Older People
Vodafone has donated 1,000 phones to ALONE, who are in the process of allocating requests for phones to older people as they come in.

Galway City Comuntiy Response Forum encourages community organisations, community Gardaí and members of the Forum who work with older people in Galway city, to identify who in their communities would benefit from a phone.
If you are aware of an older person in need of a phone please refer them to ALONE. 
All of their contact details are available here. ALONE’s national helpline is 0818 222 024
The aim of the phones are particularly to alleviate loneliness and isolation and/or to provide an upgrade for someone who needs one but cannot afford it. General criteria for all older people who would like to be nominated for this offer would be they are living alone/ and or isolated with limited to no means of communication, they do not have a smartphone or their phone has broken.
 
Unfortunately, ALONE will not be in a position to give a phone to everyone who applies, and priority will be given to people who are living alone/ and or isolated with limited to no means of communication.
Services and Support

Supports from Youth Work Ireland Galway
Please find below details on supports that Youth Work Ireland Galway are currently providing. This may be useful for young people and also for families.
  • Counselling service - download here;
  • Let's Chat Leaving Cert - download here;
  • Youth Work Ireland - Response to COVID-19 - download here.
Vodafone Tech Advice Line Information
For Older People
Vodafone Ireland retail staff will be operating a Tech/Smartphone Advice line to support older people.
Any older person who needs support can call  a member of the retail care team on (01) 8731166 between 9am to 6pm.
Vodafone Ireland will answer to your questions on:
  • Smartphone/mobile set up
  • Answering and making a call
  • Saving a new contact or transferring old contacts
  • Using your charger
  • Sending SMS or making a video call
  • Downloading apps or any other queries!
Download the flyer here.
Open Calls
Build a Box Challenge
Please find below details on a project from Galway City Partnership who are supporting the build a box challenge, which will be distributed to isolated and people who are cocooning in our community.
Download here.
 
Aware LogoVolunteering With Aware
Aware are urgently seeking volunteers to help them cope with the increasing demands on their services at this time. Now, more than ever, they need your support. Full remote training and ongoing support will be provided by Aware. To find out more go here.
Young People Of Ireland
Have your Say 
The Irish Youth Foundtion wants to hear from 16-24 year olds on key issues facing young people in Ireland today.
Contact Sarah Edmonds at sarah@iyf.ie or on 097 762 2946 to get involved.
People under 18 will need a parent/guardian consent form.
 
Courses and Resources
No photo description available. Taking Care of Our Physical and Mental Wellbeing in Galway City

A document including the range of wellbeing initiatives available in Galway City was recently published in the Galway Advertiser.
You can download the PDF here.


 
HomeGetting Started KIT
Smartphones & Applications 
It is more important than ever to keep in touch and stay connected with family & friends and Age Action
has developed a Getting Started KIT, made up of seven 'How To' guides that helps older people to learn, use, & be confident using smartphones & applications.
Check them out at: https://www.ageaction.ie/how-we-can-help/getting-started-kit
Inclusion Ireland (@InclusionIre) | TwitterInclusion Ireland
Resources for People With Disabilities
Inclusion Ireland has developed COVID-19 resources to support people with disabilities and their families, including some easy to read information. They also have a special phone line for any queries in relation to Covid-19. You can contact them on 0818 559891 (Monday – Friday, 10am – 3pm). For more info check out their website & Facebook page.
Fighting Blindness (@fight_blindness) | TwitterFighting Blindness
Resources for People Living With Sight Loss
Fighting Blindness, a charity for people living with sight loss have responded to COVID-19 by continuing to run their various groups, using technology to provide individuals with the opportunity to continue learning, connecting and supporting each other. They hold virtual coffee mornings, mindfulness classes and tech groups and have online training courses also.
People who may be interested in joining any of the groups from anywhere in Ireland or wish to avail any of these services can contact them on
01 674 6496 or email insight@fightingblindness.ie.
For more info check out their website.
Write on « Coast Guard COAST GUARD COMPASSFree 4-week Life-writing Course
For People Cocooning 
Silver Thread, specialists in education for older people through third-level education, are offering a free 4-week introduction to life-writing while cocooning, in partnership with Age Friendly University DCU, starting in May, to celebrate creativity at home. For more information you can visit their website here.
Online Library Resources 
Galway Library service provides access to a catalogue of over 500 online courses from Accounting to Writing Skills and everything in-between for its members. Members can also access E-Books and eAudiobooks, eMagazines, Online Newspapers. Register now at: https://lgma.iii.com/selfreg
Other News
Coronavirus briefing at Department of Health - YouTubeResearch Programmes to Tackle COVID-19 Issues
According to RTÉ news third-level institutes are fast-tracking research programmes to devise new ways of dealing with the challenges posed by the coronavirus. Initial funding of €5m has been allocated to examine potential medical treatments, smart technology and other practical solutions that can be employed in the coming months. The funding follows a call from the Health Research Board and Science Foundation Ireland for rapid response research to tackle the impact of Covid-19.
See the full story here.
Clean air | The Craig Power Station in Moffat County, Colora… | Flickr Improvement in Air Quality due to COVID-19 Lockdown
Leads to 11,000 fewer deaths from pollution in UK and UE
According to a study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, the improvement in air quality over the past month of the coronavirus lockdown has led to 11,000 fewer deaths from pollution in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Sharp falls in road traffic and industrial emissions have also resulted in 1.3m fewer days of work absence, 6,000 fewer children developing asthma, 1,900 avoided emergency room visits and 600 fewer preterm births, according to the research. See the full story here.
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