SPEECH BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE COLIN NEIGHBOURHOOD SURE START PROJECT
SPEECH BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE COLIN NEIGHBOURHOOD SURE START PROJECT CO. ANTRIM
Tá an-áthas orm bheith i bhur láthair inniu ar an ocáid speisalta seo. Tá mé buíoch líbh as an gcuireadh agus an bhfáilte fhíorchaoin a chur sibh romham.
Thank you for the very warm welcome and for the invitation from Joe Vallely to officially launch the Colin Neighbourhood Sure Start Project.
This is a young neighbourhood, still in the early stages of developing into a community. Many of you came here as strangers with roots in older more settled communities in other parts of the city. You have had to develop a new sense of belonging. You have had to become friends and neighbours to each other and you have had to build all those organisations and relationships that are the glue holding communities together, giving them hope, harnessing their energy into things that make life worthwhile.
This area faces problems of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion and wherever you find those three sadnesses you often find too many lives and talents going to waste through under-achievement, early school leaving, illiteracy, you find too many lives blighted by anti-social behaviour and you find the future whizzing past leaving people behind. How do you change the future and bring real opportunity, real success?
I often tell the true story of a group of scientists in Trinity College in Dublin who were searching for a gene associated with a serious childhood illness. They were competing with research teams from all over the world to be the first to find the gene. Because they were in competition they hid from each other pieces of information they had discovered. Then the leader of the Irish team suggested that the teams collaborate instead of competing. They shared their information and suddenly bits and pieces of information which made no sense on their own found their match and in no time, with all the pieces on the table, the jigsaw puzzle became a clear picture and they found the gene. It is exactly the same with solving community problems. Someone needs to say - let’s get together, lets work together, lets see if problems like heavy stones are more easily shifted when there lots of hands pushing instead of just one pair.
Everyone of us wants to live in a strong, resilient, successful and caring community. We know that those kinds of communities are built by human beings who are strong, resilient and caring. The basic building block in any community is the child. “Mol an oige agus tiocfaidh siad” says the wise old sean-fhocal – Praise the young and they will flourish. It is simple but very true. The atmosphere which our young people grow up can encourage them to blossom or it can do the very opposite. You have decided that here you are going to build the best childhood possible for your young children. You realise that the more skilled partners you have involved in this work, the better. Each partner organisation brings its own bit of the jigsaw puzzle. The various statutory, voluntary and community organisations involved with Sure Start are inter-linked and mutually supportive. The energy, skill and wisdom is drawn from a wide human energy grid. This community is building itself up but it does not have to do it alone. There is valuable and effective support available to work with and work in and work for this community.
There is a saying - What is learnt in childhood is engraved on stone. The headstone on my grandfather’s grave spells the date incorrectly. It is a small mistake but obvious. I asked the stone mason if he could rectify the error. He said the only answer was to erect a new headstone. We don’t get that chance with our children. We get one go around. Get it right and our children blossom, get it wrong and the mark stays for life. Sure Start focuses on getting the engraving right from the earliest opportunity. Those early pre-school years are of vital importance. They are also tough years for parents and for families. Demanding years when children need lots of care and attention. It’s good to know that there is first-class support available to help us get through those busy but crucial years. They do not have to be a lonely journey. Sure Start has become a resource in this neighbourhood, providing advice and practical support, helping families to access the wider support services that are out there, sharing the pressures of family life and offering breathing space where it is needed.
We want our children to know their own gifts, to know the joy and self-confidence that comes from a decent education, to watch them as they take good decisions in their lives and as they create good lives out of the opportunities that come their way. Education is the key that unlocks doors and releases talent to transform a life, to make it fulfilled and happy. Organisations like St. Luke’s Family Centre and the Lagmore Playgroup start that education at the earliest chance. Their crèche facilities provide a healthy and stimulating environment for children. Footprints Women’s Centre offers training support and advice for women and the Lagan Valley Education Project offers a helping hand to school age mothers, offering them a way back to education. With these opportunities lives are being changed for the better and the future seems more of a place to look forward to than to dread. Tá áthas orm freisin go bhfuil an Gaeilge á úsáid, agus feicim go bhfuil tuismitheoirí agus páistí in ann an teanga a foghlaim i Scoil na Fuiseoige.
On a recent mountain hiking holiday I found the climb almost impossible compared to my much fitter companions. I almost gave up. Our guide said – don’t stop, take small steps and you will reach the top of the mountain. I trusted her wisdom based on years of her experience. I struggled slowly to the top of the mountain a bit behind the rest but there nonetheless. And the view was worth the climb. Even better was knowing that the climb planned for the next day was much less scary now that I had finished the first. Sure Start has the map to the top of your mountain but you take the steps. May they lead this community and its children to a new future of prosperity, peace and fulfillment. I wish you well in all that lies ahead of you. Thank you once again for inviting me to join with you today on this very special occasion and I wish you well in your endeavours.
Gúim rath agus séan ar bhur cguid oibre san am atá le teacht. Go raibh mile maith agaibh go léir.