Taoiseach meets members of the new Steering Group on Active Citizenship

An Taoiseach Brian Cowen today met with the new members of the Steering Group on Active Citizenship and urged them “to help Government and all of us in Irish society to generate the necessary civic engagement in our communities”

An Taoiseach stated, “In my first speech as Taoiseach last May, I placed an emphasis on the importance for us as a nation to fuel the engine of community and to lead the charge away from the promotion of exclusive self interest towards a superior value of a wider community interest. I have no doubt that this group and will play an integral role in achieving these goals.

Minister of State Pat Carey said, “The work of the Steering Group on Active Citizenship will ensure that Ireland has vibrant communities – both today and in the future. On the day that it is in it, I look forward to this group helping us to achieve what Barack Obama calls the demands of community.”

Chair of the new Steering Group Mary Davis added, “Active citizenship is, by its nature, difficult to measure.  Nonetheless, if we as a group can achieve greater participation by all sectors through a number of worthwhile initiatives that complement what is being done by the State and its agencies, then we will have achieved a lot.”

Members of the Steering Group on Active Citizenship are:

Ms. Mary Davis, Special Olympics Europe and Eurasia (Chair)

Dermot McCarthy, Department of the Taoiseach

Gerry Kearney, Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs

Tony Kennedy (Co-operation Ireland)

Mary Cunningham, National Youth Council of Ireland

Sr. Bernadette MacMahon, Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice

Mary Nally, The Third Age Foundation

Colin McCrea, Atlantic Philanthropies

Joyce O’Connor, Digital Hub Development Agency

Conor Harrison, CSPE National Co-ordinator, Curriculum Development Unit

Karin Dubsky, Coastwatch Ireland

Paraic Duffy (GAA)

Joe Allen, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government